Tell Me Again, My Love

She stirred her c.o.ke with the straw, trying to stay composed but it was hard. The information she gathered about Miss Long was still fresh in her mind. She could not believe Jason would have an affair behind her back.

Her eyes glued at her phone. The screen was lit up. It showed a picture of Mika and Jason kissing under the mistletoe during the Christmas last year.

A man came into the restaurant and looked around. He smirked when he saw the woman sitting at the table at the corner. He took off the toothpick he had in his mouth and walked toward her.

He faked a cough to grab her attention. He had to cough twice more, which brought the glare from other people close by, before she lifted her head up and frowned at him.

He chuckled and pulled a chair facing her, "Hey, you"re the one who called me to come here but now you"re acting like I"m forcing you to come here."

She rolled her eyes.

"What did you buy for me?" he asked when he saw she only had a weird green drink in front of her.

"Why do you expect me to pay every time?" she growled.

"Because you called me to come," he shrugged. He waved for the waiter to approach and the man came with a smile.

She swallowed the curse she wanted to let out as she watched him ordering the expensive dish. He knew she was still unemployed but he did not care. He did not feel ashamed and guilty for spending her money.

Hmph…

"Now, why did you want me to come here?" he asked once the waiter left them to process the order.

She pushed her drink to the side and crossed her arms on the table. Her eyes stared at him without blink.

"How much do you want for ruining someone?" she asked quietly.

His brows lifted at the question. He looked around, aware that they were in the public. Had she lost her mind asking this question in the restaurant with so many people around? He frowned and remembered she was a cuckoo. She was so overconfident and so high in her self-esteem that she did not care what others thought about her. She was so selfish and even lied to get what she wanted. In fact, he somehow thought she even believed her own lie. She was that delusional.

No one was more delusional than Ella. Oh yeah, he remembered how much lies and stories she created in order to put herself in the spotlight. No one liked her.

And why he, Simon, could come here when she called? Because he was good with computer and has a huge group of friends, both the white, dark and even grey side. And he could do anything with a small amount of… well, as long as the money was worth the work, he did not mind doing anything.

"Are you crazy, Ella?" he hissed, making sure his voice was low enough so no one else could hear them.

"Excuse me?" her nose flared at the question.

He pulled her so she leaned forward until their foreheads touched.

"Are you crazy for wanting to discuss in the middle of people? Have you gone insane after all these years?" he hissed.

Her eyes blinked at the closeness of their heads.

"Have you fallen in love with me?" she asked quietly.

He pulled back immediately. His jaw dropped. Did she ask… when had… why would she think that way?

He felt like laughing loudly. He could not believe this at all. Was she so delusional thinking that every male living in this world would fall in love with her?

Was he still sleeping? Was he having a nightmare?

He pinched himself secretly. Aww… it hurt. Meaning that he was not having a nightmare. There was an Ella in front of him thinking that he, Simon, fell in love with her? Why would she think that way? Where did she get that idea?

Oh G.o.d, why would he keep thinking why she thought that way? He should just leave her and continue his own life without this kind of craziness.

But then, his order came. A perky woman came with a tray of his food. His eyes brightened seeing the steam from the bowl. Oooh… and the smell… he could smell it from where he was sitting and immediately his stomach growled. He licked his lips hungrily as the waiter put the bowl, the gla.s.s and the cutleries in front of him.

He postponed his plan to leave this place and reached for his chopsticks and spoon to enjoy a bowl of pork and beef noodle soup. The soup was hearty and spicy, making him calling the waiter again for another gla.s.s of iced tea.

She crossed her arms when he refused to say another word. She watched as he devoured the whole bowl with two gla.s.ses iced tea. She tried to speak with him, again asking him how much she had to pay but she did not receive any reply from him other than "huh" and "hmm".

He finally put down his chopsticks and spoon with a loud sigh. He licked his lips happily. His stomach was full and he did not even have to spend a single cent for it. Oh yes, he was happy.

"Are you ready to talk now?" she asked quietly, getting so p.i.s.sed off seeing how unserious he was when she was dealing with a crisis.

There were several times she wanted to take the bowl and put it upside down on his head but she managed to control herself. But it was barely. She knew if she did that he would no longer help her doing all those dirty works even though she paid twice his price. And he would even ruin her.

The last part was what she was afraid of. She would lose a lot without her reputation and she must maintain this squeaky clean ident.i.ty to get what she wanted; to be beautiful and wealthy!

"Hmm… yeah… yeah…" he smacked his lips, trying to prolong the taste of the broth. He might come again one day to eat this noodle again.

"Simon." She could no longer hold her temper and it leaked through her voice. "Is this how you treat a woman you fall in love with?"

He finished his second drink with his eyes looked at her in amused.

"First of all, stop thinking you"re all that. You are not even popular… well, you were infamous, actually, in the school," he pointed it out dryly.

Her already frustrated face reddened even more. Infamous? She was famous for being the prettiest in school and even though she was not in the first, second, or third cla.s.s (she was in the lowest cla.s.s every single year) but she mingled only with the first-cla.s.s students. They all liked talking with her. Some of them even asked her opinion on some topics and she was helpful with her thought.

"Look, Ella. You"re famous for being infamous. Stop thinking every single male love you," he could not stop from jeering at her. Heck, since young she was always being jeered at for her delusional mind. And she was too thick-skinned to even understand how people took her as a joke. Even when some of them asked her a question, it was not a sincere question, more like to create another joke to share with their friends.

Her hands clutched into fists. Was he trying to cover line? He was ashamed that she could smell his feeling toward her so he tried to shame her like this? He thought she was that gullible to believe his lie?

She"s Ella. She knew what people thought about her and she had no doubt the man in front of her could not wait to bring her to bed. Hmph… like she was too stupid to recognize his desire.

He shook his head when he saw her expression. It was as clear as the sky she misunderstood him… again. It was so frustrating talking with an idiot like her. When would she open her eyes wide and realize how a fool she was in the eyes of everyone else.

It honestly was tiring talking with her.

He took a deep breath and murmured, "oh my G.o.d. I can"t believe this."

She crossed her legs and narrowed her eyes at him. Her lips curled when she saw him unable to deny his real feeling toward her.

He dropped the tissue he used to wipe his lips and reached for his second gla.s.s of drink. He tried to get maybe the last drop of iced tea before he put it down loudly. Then, he stood up.

Her eyes followed, widened when she saw him acting like he was going to leave her. Wh… what?

"Thank you for lunch. Bye."

"But… but… Simon, you can"t leave now," she cried, throwing the tissue she had on her laps, taking it as a napkin like in a high-end restaurant. She stood up and shouted at him, ignoring the weird look from the restaurant"s customers. Even the waiters stopped from sending the orders or picking the dishes and looked at her in stunned.

"Oh, I can. And Ella, one suggestion for you, from the bottom of my heart and this is considered my kindness for you, stop dreaming and learn to be a grown-up. Bye."

"Simon!"

He ignored her call and walked out of the busy restaurant. His ears were red from embarra.s.sment. Oh G.o.d, was she blind not seeing how people were looking at her screaming like a fisherman"s wife at the market.