Chapter Fourteen : Everyone’s Different But Love Remains The Same
The famous twin towers of Suria KLCC stands in the middle of the city where locals, non-locals and tourists bustled around, minding their own business. This meant no less for those hanging around the KLCC park—especially for the teens and young adults who were dressed in different modern fashions like goth, punk, country and alternative. There were also couples all around. The sights of them were like a free romance movie for those who sat in nearby cafes.
The things shown before our eyes and even behind our backs are only small matters when compared to what is shown between us.
Ginn Celes however, wasn’t fond of such public displays of affection. It made him uncomfortable, even more so when he was now beside a beautiful girl that he harbored a crush on.
Ginn’s first choice for a place to have lunch together with Jasmine was the restaurant where he once dined with Moon on their first date. It was one of those restaurants that would make you think twice before returning with the prices on the menus.
“The food and drinks here are very pricey. Don’t you think it would’ve been better if we had our lunch at some other normal and cheaper restaurant?” Jasmine questioned after the waiter walked away with their empty plates once both she and Ginn had finished their meals.
“It’s okay to dine at an expensive restaurant now and then. There’s no need for complaints,” Ginn took a sip of his water. The clicking sounds of dining utensils against crockery and chatter filled the entire place.
Jasmine glared at him with her lips pursed, showing her lack of satisfaction. Ginn, on the other hand, calmly watched her before a knowing smile crept up his lips.
“You still want to protest?”
The girl let out a sharp breath and turned her attention to the view outside the restaurant. She forced her eyes on the pa.s.sersby and continued to ignore Ginn who merely allowed her to do what she pleased.
“I know you want to say something, right? Something about what I told your mother while we were still at the shop,” he then, casually said with his eyes trained on Jasmine.
Jasmine’s head whipped back to the man that sat before her. Her expression was one of confusion and surprise.
“How did you know?” she asked.
Ginn smiled a little. He leaned back onto his chair to make himself comfortable before replying Jasmine in the same casual tone, “Before I knew who you were, I could already read your emotions.”
Jasmine furrowed her eyebrows. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand his words, but she was actually shocked by them. Her heart was beating fast in her chest when the thought that Ginn truly understood her entered her mind. However, there was also slight irritation that someone she had met not long ago could already read her like an open book.
“I had to invite your mom over as well because if she agreed, it’s like a bonus for me. If she didn’t and allowed me to go out with you, just the both of us, it’s a double bonus for me,” Ginn continued. There was a slight joking tone in his voice when he said that and his smile turned into a cheeky one. Jasmine’s lips curled up as she began to smile as well. Ginn relaxed when he saw that. After all, she was the girl who stole his heart.
“Alright,” Jasmine was no longer tensed. She looked more cheerful and her stiff posture slackened. Then, the waiter who cleared their table reappeared with the desert; brownies covered with melted chocolate sauce with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on the top. Definitely mouthwatering!
“How did you meet the guys at Kaoru’s Cake House?” she questioned while taking a bite out of her slice of cake. She wanted to know more about Ginn Celes.
“I met them years ago while I was still a student in college. The first person I befriended there was Denny. He wasn’t even working for Kaoru’s Cake House then too. Denny’s a dropout who’s really selfish in every bit of his being but also very generous in a lot of ways. He’s also crazy superst.i.tious. It’s funny how he’s older than me because when I’m with him, I feel like we’re the same age. His brain is…” Ginn trailed off to let out a laugh. “He got me addicted to Kaoru’s Cake House. Wing’s cake recipes aren’t comparable to any other in the world too, though.”
Jasmine smiled at the sight of Ginn’s cheerfulness. A guy as macho as him turning into such a cute little child was adorable. She was even amazed by him. The man whom she first believed to be overly egoistic still had a luring sense of humanity in him. However, does this only happen when he was around Jasmine?
“What made you decided to be a fashion designer?” she questioned again, wanting to keep their conversation alive.
Ginn wiped his mouth after taking the final bite from his slice of brownie. He took another sip of water from his gla.s.s before answering Jasmine.
“Good question…I became a fashion designer before of a girl I love.”
His tone was light and calm but it didn’t seem that way to Jasmine. His answer was like a knife that stabbed her heart.
‘Because of a girl? He already has a lover?’ Jasmine tried to take another bite from her brownie but it her limbs felt too heavy for her to lift them up. It was like as if stones had been tied to them, weighing them down.
“A girl? Your girlfriend?” the question slipped from her lips.
“I thought she was,” Ginn smiled cynically. He had a faraway look in his eyes when he answered that.
Jasmine was puzzled. This behavior of his wasn’t a part of his usual self. Such a brief answer like that always lead to long questions.
As for Ginn, he was actually trying to test Jasmine’s feelings. He wanted to see how long she could hold her patience and how far she would go for someone she cared for a lot.
“Okay handsome boy, first of all, I don’t like people who leave seemingly thousands of questions in their answer. Can’t you be a little more straightforward?” Jasmine’s request was more like a demand. She forked some of her brownie into her mouth in a quick and angry manner.
Ginn smiled in understanding. He leaned forward, laced his fingers and rested his chin on them.
“You’re really adorable when you’re angry. Even more so when you have some chocolate sauce at the corner of your lip,” the young man lifted his head and unlaced his fingers before reaching out and wiped away the chocolate sauce with his thumb. He then, licked it off, making Jasmine squirm in her seat with reddening cheeks.
After that, Ginn paid for their meal even though Jasmine protested against it. They exited the restaurant side by side. By then, all Jasmine thought was how they were going to part ways now. She didn’t want that. She wanted to spend more time with Ginn.
“Thank you,” she said, hoping that Ginn wanted to spend more time with her like how she did with him.
“143,” Ginn said before walking away.
The most precious gift is when we have a friend—a being who we can completely trust in—who knows our good and bad but still loves us dearly even with the bad.