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Tan brought Ava to a restaurant. It was half an hour away from the shopping mall.
Ian pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit. His unexpected calm and gentle demeanor astounded Ava.
As if he noticed her questioning glance, $
“I am not this gentle. It’s just that I
he said,
trying to be patient with you.”
Hearing him, she looked away from him and replied, “You don’t need to. Just be who you are.”
He raised a brow and looked at her with a sly grin.
“You will flee from me if I begin to be myself in front of you. I don’t want to scare you.”
She glanced at him swallowing her breath. He signaled to her to place an order by pointing his eyes toward the menu card.
Ava looked at the menu and realized it was quite an expensive restaurant. However, she could afford the prices of regular dishes, so she pushed the menu toward him and said,
“Order what you like.”
He grabbed the menu and nodded his head with a smirk.
She wondered why he was smirking. What was on his mind?
He called the waiter and ordered the most expensive dish for them.
Ava’s eyes widened in shock.
‘Is he going to bankrupt my mom? I have money to pay these prices, but not that much.‘ she thought and almost facepalmed herself.
Ian glanced at her and lifted his brow at her.
“What?”
“Nothing,‘ she thought.
She took a glance at her watch, which her mother had given her a year ago. So she had a plan for it.
When the waiter arrived with the dishes, she was in awe.
In fact, when she started to eat, she felt it was the most delicious food she had ever eaten.
“Like the food?” Ian asked.
She nodded her head with a small smile. He grinned at her and muttered,
“I knew you would like it.”
“Have you ever come here before?”
Ian shrugged his shoulders and replied,
“Yeah, I came here with a lot of girls before.”
She paused eating after hearing him. She put the spoon on her plate, having lost her appetite.
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Ian noticed it and burst into laughter.
“Look at your face, nerd.“.
She gave him an unimpressed look. He raised his hands as a sign of surrender.
“I swear I have never come here with another girl. I was just teasing you, so come on.”
She stared at him and said,
“Stop lying. You came here with other girls. The truth slipped out of your mouth.”
He put his elbows on the table and moved towards her, asking,
“Why do you care? Didn’t you say you hate me? Why does it matter to you?”
She averted her gaze from him and continued to eat. “I don’t care. I should not,” she murmured while eating.
He observed her eating for a long time. She cast a glance at him.
“Why are you not eating?”
“Have you ever seen me roaming around with girls?” he asked.
When Ava heard him, food got stuck in her throat, and she began coughing. She could not believe what he had just
asked.
Ian quickly poured a glass of water for her. She grabbed it and chugged down the glass of water.
She took a deep breath and gazed at him.
“What were you asking? Was there ever a day when Ian Dawson and the girls‘ news did not spread across campus? Each day, new girls for you.”
He laughed and scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry, I asked the wrong question, I guess. But it’s only about the nights, okay? I never take girls out on dates. I have always been waiting for my mate to do these things.”
Ava’s heart skipped a beat. But then she felt a pang when she realized that she was no longer his mate. He himself broke the bond.
She took her gaze away and finished her plate. Then she said,
“Good to hear that. You can do that with your second chance, mate.‘
Ian looked frozen.
Ava raised her hand, requesting the bill from the waiter. Ian’s plate was not finished yet. So, when the waiter returned with the bill, he pushed the plate slightly before grabbing it.
“I will pay for you today. It’s your birthday,” Ava said.
Ian did not look at her, nor did he hand her the bill. He stood up and spoke to her without looking,
“Come out. I am clearing the bill.”
She was stunned. “But how can I let you pay for me? Let’s just split it, okay?”
He frowned at her and asked,
“Do I look like a boy who will let you pay?”
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She shook her head. “No, I am an independent girl. I mean, can not allow other boys to do that for me.” He signaled for the waiter to leave. When the waiter left, he said to Ava,
“Be this independent girl for other boys, not me. I took you here, so I will pay for everything that you need.” She wanted to protest, but she realized he had already turned around.
“What about your food? You haven’t finished yet,” she asked him from behind.
“Lost my appetite,” he replied without looking back.
Ava took a glance at his unfinished plate. She felt really bad in her heart. He had not even finished his meal.
“Was I too harsh on him? Should I be a little softer? What did I say wrong to make him mad?” she mumbled.
She noticed him paying the bill in the reception area. She walked toward him as he exited the restaurant.
He got on his bike. She cleared her throat and asked,
“So, where are we heading now?”
“Your home,” he replied.
She was taken aback. “But you said you wanted-”
“Your time? Yeah. But it looks like I am forcing you. I don’t want to force you. I will keep those things for my second chance, mate, you know.”
She was taken aback. Did he just taunt her for her advice?
“I don’t want to go home right now.”
Ian’s expression became calmer as he asked,
“Where would you like to go then?”
She grinned at him and asked,
“How about going somewhere you like? How about the clubs? Is there a club around here?”
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