บท 7: ...sell you to a Russian mob.

...As Tale stood up, every word Woo Jin had failed him.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Tale said taking a little bow. As neither of the men tried to sit she stood.

"Hello, nice to meet you too." Woo Jin said as he loosened his hands from Su Yans grip. She nodded and smiled at him, and he got more confused.

"Can I sit?" she asked immediately as she wasn't about to stand for their reunion.

Su Yan smiled as he guided her down, Woo Jin just about lost his reasoning. Su Yan never smiled. Never!

"Would you like to join us?" Tale asked thinking Woo Jin looked the way he did because he wasn't sure what to do. After all this wasn't a date.

"No he doesn't, he has work to do." Su Yan replied for him and gave his best friend a cold stare.

"Surely I do. Bye." Woo Jin said finally as he left.

He had not been prepared for a lot of things in his life, and this topped the list, okay maybe top five. He entered his car, ignoring the girls that were trying to get his attention as he drove off.

They were served stir fried snail with beef in a wooden bowl, she was enjoying the aesthetics of it all.

Tale picked up the wooden sticks they were offered in place of forks and picked up a snail.

Little things made her happy, food was one of it, he noticed.

"So tell me more about you?" he asked chewing on a snail, it was too spicy for him but he sure as hell wasn't about to let her know.

"You could fit the story of my life on the palm of your hands; i really don't have much to me."

"Tell me what you wish to let me know." she seemed to really like snail as she was on the fourth one.

"Well, I'm Twenty Four, an accountant, I live alone as you already know, I come from a family of 5, my parents and my two siblings, and I think that's all you need to know."

"You were right, it does fit the palm of my hands." he said taking a cup of water. She replied with a nod and smiled as she stuffed another snail in her mouth.

He chose that time to sweep his hands through his hair and she saw it, the scar that was sitting pretty on the side of his forehead and all the way to his ear.

She dropped her chop stick and acted on impulse as she bent his head to take a look at the scar, the table between them was thin enough for her to easily reach him. She pushed his head a little closer to her and swept her hands through his hair to take a look before she realized she was going too far.

His hair was what silk was made off.

Su Yan felt helpless as she held on.

"I'm so sorry, that was uncalled for. Well you see i am a first child and always had to be the assistant mom to my siblings and that kicked in," she explained looking up and to the TV she had just noticed was there. She took a cup of water, then another.

"You are cute when you talk like that." he said smiling covering up the scar again. "Let's go, we have one more place to go to." he said as he called for the bill. She wasn't even going to ask, whatever it was between them, it will only end as fast as it started.

They made their way out of the restaurant to his car. Again, he opened the car door for her and two ladies who had judged that she was leeching on to a foreigner for gains suddenly had their mouth shut. Their men could never!

"So what now?" she asked as they drove out of the parking lot.

"Now I kidnap you and sell you to a Russian mob." he said trying to concentrate on the road ahead of him.

"I can't guarantee you will make so much money from that but it's worth a try." she said jumping on the sarcasm wagon.

Nigerians had a knack for being sarcastic, and he never cared for it.

On her he liked it.

One hour later...

He had lost her. How can she get missing, she was... Well she was almost little, and he was getting panicked.

*Honk Honk*

A white and pink tricycle made its way through the crowd of people in the play den, calling to attention those that were close by and the rider had more than happiness written on her face.

He looked closely. Tale? Her beautiful face was laced with satisfaction and clear joy as she reached the end of the path made, she was going to make a U turn and go back the way she came.

"Okay that's enough" he held on to the tiny basket that was in the middle of the two tires at the back. "Who let you on a tricycle, how young do you think you are?"

"Pretty young, let go!" he ignored her protest as he lifted her up with so much ease she felt really small.

A child came for the tricycle ending any protest she was nurturing. "You just took that away from me!" she shot sad eyes at him.

"I have better things planned." he replied holding her hands as he led her through the crowd to the ticket stand. She liked the way her hands looked in his, but she dare not think further. It was only for the day.

Next week will come and she would be jolted back into a world where she had no choice but to cope with. Bills had to be paid, her parents had to be happy, and her siblings had to look up to her. "What about you?" a tiny voice whispered.

She let out a sigh and focused on the present.

"Let's play" Su Yan held up various tickets and a bag filled with tokens. What a sight she thought.

Three hours later...

"You don't have to take me home, I can always take a Taxi." she was saying as she tried to hide a yawn, she was tired.

"You should know better than that my lady." he said holding the car door open for her.

"Thank you. For everything, for today, Thank you." she turned to him as he settled into his seat. She wasn't going to tell him how she hadn't even had a nice outing in two years. All she did was work and try to meet up to everyone's expectations of her, this was the first time in a long time that she felt a fraction of herself come to the surface.

How was he to respond? He didn't know, wasn't sure so he nodded. No girl had ever thanked him for a date.

"You should get a good night rest." he said as he walked her to her door.

"It's only 7pm but sure, I will, thank you again." she dug out her keys from her bag and realized she never used her glasses for a second today.

"So good night." she finished as she opened her hands asking for a hug.

His eyes widened and surprise filled them. "Come on, bring it in." she said as she stepped forward to meet him. In a little moment of surrender, what could she ask for?

She reached him and hugged his waist as her head rested on his chest, she knew he had a good body but with four layers of clothing between them she couldn't feel much so she drew comfort from his arms and sank in.

She was small; he could really tell now as his hands closed in on her waist and could do so again comfortably. He was going to tighten the hug when she pulled back.

"OK, good night." and she was back. He smiled at how different sides of her appealed to him.

He waved her good bye as he drove off.

"Who is she?" Woo Jin asked. He had been trying to figure out and understand what was going on, he had a hard time doing this on his own. The moment Su Yan pulled up in front of the building; he stood at the front door to hit him with the question.

"Tale" Su Yan said her name the way it was spelt.

"Who is she? Is she the same friend you told me about yesterday? The one who you had dinner with? How do you know her?"

"Just a friend." He replied simply

Woo Jin felt his heart squeeze as he held his hands to his chest and acted like he was going to drop to the floor. He could fall in a pit; Su Yan couldn't care less as he passed him into the living room.

"Where does your loyalty lie?" Woo Jin asked as he followed his friend into the living room.

"Not with you." Su Yan replied raising a glass he just poured himself to his lips. He was tired, the little Miss Tale had weakened him with that last move, he wanted to go to bed and figure out what was happening to him.

"This better be a one-time thing." Woo Jin warned.

Su Yan ignored him as he took the stairs to his room, to a place where he could think clearly.

There were things her was sure of, the worldwide debt is never going to get paid, there would always be four seasons in a year, his pretentious twin sister would always find a reason to make him frown once a week and feelings was a complete waste of time.

But little Miss Tale had swooped in and dragged that rug right from under him and he fell hard.

Head first.