Still a little nervous, Samantha went down the stairs and walked back to her table and was greeted by a few of their cla.s.smates. But unlike before, she did not shy away from their greetings. Instead, she gave replies politely and at the same time, she offered them light smiles. It was quite funny how she remembered that some of those that greeted her now were quite rude to her before. But she did not call them out, she decided to just let them be as long as they don"t harm her, she does not need to be hostile.
Oliver Su who was sitting at the same table with them had been watching her since earlier. In fact, his gaze never left her the moment that he learned who she was. He can still remember how embarra.s.sing it was for him years ago, but that did not affect him so much anymore.
He used to scowl whenever he remembers it but seven years have pa.s.sed, he just found it quite ridiculous that he was refused of a date. Seeing how Samantha has changed over the years from her once innocent and plain looking appearance to a refined, bold yet charming one. He got even more interested and wondered if he can try to pursue her again — in high hopes that he won"t get rejected for the second time.
As she reached their table, Hannah clinked her gla.s.s to hers right away. "I am so proud of you, do you know that?"
"Tch." Samantha scoffed and shook her head. "Please, you"re just saying that because I"m your friend."
"Hey! I"m telling the truth okay?! Besides, look at you! The confidence that you carry now made you s.h.i.+ne bright like a diamond!"
Raising a brow, Samantha questioned, "Did you just quote Rihanna?" Hannah always liked to give compliments and sometimes she says the silliest things to compare. Quoting song lyrics from her favorite artists are just one of her hobbies.
"Eh heh!" Hannah clicked her tongue, "Stop blocking my praises! I"m serious okay?! Why is it so hard for you to accept compliments?"
"I was just kidding! Don"t be a cry baby! You were also the loudest one who cheered for me earlier. That was enough for me to believe how proud you are of me, okay? No more mushy stuff."
The two of them shared a hearty laugh and clinked their gla.s.ses once again.
"Shoot. I have to pee." Samantha said as she handed her gla.s.s to Hannah. "Hold my beer."
Hannah looked at the champagne gla.s.s that she received from Samantha in her hand and her brow raised, "You do know this is not beer, right?"
"Shus.h.!.+ Of course, I do. But beer makes it sound better if I say it like that." she stuck her tongue out at her friend.
Hannah rolled her eyes, "Go hurry up, I"ll wait for you right here. I"ll keep watch over your drink."
"I"ll be back right away," she replied before turning around and headed towards the restroom that was several meters away from the doors of the event hall.
.
.
After was.h.i.+ng and drying her hands, Samantha walked out of the restroom only to find Oliver Su leaning on the wall by the door. The hallway was brightly lit but she was a bit startled when she was surprised by his presence. She regained her composure and went past him.
"Not even saying hi?" He asked, pus.h.i.+ng himself off the wall. With his hands in his pockets, he turned to face her.
Upon hearing his question, Samantha stopped in her tracks and turned to her side. "Excuse me?" She asked, a little intimidated that he walked closer to her — he was now an arm away.
He had an alluring smile on his face, a dimple showing off just right below the corner of his mouth. "Samantha Kim, after what you did before… don"t you think that you should at least give a simple greeting?"
Samantha recalled what Hannah had told her earlier about Oliver asking her out. She tried to recall but she only vaguely remembered a few guys who tried asking her out, however, their names or faces did not register.
Thinking that Oliver might react in a bad way, she decided to stay polite and not try to p.i.s.s him off. "I"m sorry, that was rude of me. h.e.l.lo~" She replied.
A satisfied expression showed on his face that he was not ignored. "You probably don"t remember me. I"m Oliver Su." He said, offering his right hand to her for a shake.
Samantha curled her hands into fists and looked at his waiting hand. She was contemplating to receive it or not but she did not want to seem petty. He glanced at Oliver who tilted his head as if he was waiting for her to accept his handshake.
After a few seconds, she raised her hand and shook his. As she was about to pull her hand back, Oliver held it firmly. He turned it over and brought her hand up simultaneously and the next thing that she knew, he had already kissed the back of her hand.
She was surprised by his advancement and she did not like it one bit. Swatting his hand away, she retracted her hand and glared at him for acting so devious. "Please don"t do that, Mr. Su. I don"t like it." She declared whilst wiping the part of her hand on her dress as if doing that will erase what he just did.
"It was just a greeting, no need to be agitated," he said nonchalantly. "Also, please drop the formality. Call me by my first name, we are cla.s.smates after all."
Logan who had just seen the whole thing a few meters away had started walking towards them hastily. "You must not have heard when she gave her speech. Unless you are given consent, I suggest that you keep your hands and mouth to yourself," he spoke in a threatening low voice. One would notice that his stoic expression gives him a vibe of a gentle yet strict officer.
Samantha and Oliver snapped their heads to his direction. She swallowed and feared that he will report what just occurred to Daniel, she does not want more drama to happen.
Having relatives who were in the army, Oliver was familiar with Logan"s characteristics. He had already deduced that he looked like Samantha"s bodyguard as he could not see any romance in their expressions. He just revealed a smile as if he was not affected by his words.
"It"s okay, Logan. I was just about to go back," she said.
Logan walked to her side protectively while he glared at the man in front of her who had a smug face. "Are you sure that you are okay?" he probed.
Nodding, Samantha turned around and went back towards the celebration, leaving Oliver behind with his thoughts.
"You should avoid going out alone. There are many evil eyes around us that you may not know of," Logan spoke as he walked behind her.
"I had to pee, I could not hold myself anymore. I am also capable of self-defense. So, I"m not totally that useless, you know? And besides, you are always watching like a hawk. Plus I have this," she waved her left wrist to him, the bracelet s.h.i.+ned under the fluorescent light.
"Yeah… you need to up your skill in that area. If you don"t practice often, you could get rusty, you know?" Logan mimicked her tone earlier.
She nearly rolled her eyes when he mocked her but she found it funny, "It"s a party, Logan… relax and enjoy yourself. Who knows? You might meet your future wife among the sea of beauties in here," she remarked as she opened the doors to the hall and was greeted by upbeat music that filled the air.
Looking around, they saw attendees having fun on the dance floor, and Hannah standing by the buffet table. A chuckle escaped from within her before she sauntered towards her best friend and joined her in her feast.