CH 35: The First-Point-Five First Date

"Where are they? Did they come out yet? Yan must have bought everything."

Luna wore her hair down today. It framed her face, hiding the sides of it and ending at her waist. A black fedora circled on her head. The long sleeves of her tan sweater were rolled up. She paired the top with dark jeans and boots. Sunglasses hid her ebony eyes.

The weather may be hot but she wanted to wear this outfit.

She sat outside of an indoor cafe. In front of her, she had an ice chocolate with vanilla ice cream on a round table. Her hand held up a slice of tiramisu cake while the other cut a piece and brought it to her lips. It was a taste of heaven.

"Luna! Are you listening?" Avery accused, sitting on the other side of the table. Arched eyebrows scowled at her. "You're not upset that Yan entered a competitor's store, are you?"

"Of course not." Luna snorted. She put the cake down and sipped from a metal straw. Rich chocolate flooded her mouth. "Stop staring at them every second. They're adults. They know how to behave."

Avery pulled the binoculars away from her violet eyes. Gold aviator glasses sat on top of her head. She flicked them down to her nose. A sigh flowed out of her lips. "I just don't want to miss anything."

She grabbed her white chocolate frappe from the table. "If I could, I'd be eating popcorn at a corner. This is far better than anything TV has on."

The cafe was located on the second floor's passageway. The bird's eye view allowed the women to watch over the mall's center section. They climbed on an escalator as soon as they entered the mall. Luna chose a cafe while Avery located the pair. The latter almost tipped over the railing from leaning too far.

Things worked out well in the end.

Luna was able to enjoy her afternoon meal while Avery was given the perfect spot on spying.

Rolling her eyes, Luna picked up a strawberry from a tray. "You can't possibly follow them everywhere they go."

"But I can try!"

"..." She chose to let the topic go. They wouldn't have made it here if Avery could change her mind. "Also, I am not upset. Louisse Tonvui is a mentor and a friend. I'm proud of her achievements."

"You think Eve is doing okay?" Her companion panicked, staring at the store. She bit the tip of her straw. "Do you think Yan realized it's her yet? She is so timid. I'm worried that he'd use it to his advantage."

Luna glanced up at the ceiling. It was hopeless. Avery's one track mind only cared about her son's dating life. She only came today for her friend's safety. There had been close calls to when Avery almost sabotaged the date. Ambryan must have noticed by now.

She had to hold his mother around the waist, stopping the latter from pushing Eve into the bristo.

Luna opened her mouth. She couldn't help but send another warning. This was unhealthy—even if it was entertaining. Ambryan wasn't a teenager. He didn't need a babysitter.

"Oh, they're coming!" Avery exclaimed. She rose to her feet and ran for the railing. The binoculars were back on her eyes. "Woah! They didn't buy anything. I wonder what happened?"

"Eve must have rejected them," Luna answered from her seat. She took the spoon from the cake and scooped out some ice cream. "I know you gave Ambryan some instructions but why the hell did he bring her to a mall? Didn't you tell him where to take Eve on a first date?"

She received a snort as a reply. "Of course not. There's a limit on how much I can meddle."

'Yet, why are we here?' Luna wondered mentally. Not telling her son ideas about a first day wasn't good but following him around like an investigator was completely fine? Her friend desperately needed a new hobby. Since retirement from the movie screens, she had done nothing but obsess over Ambryan.

"They need to discover their dynamics as a couple," Avery continued, unaware of her companion's inner thoughts. She walked back to the cafe and slurped her frappe. "I think they're leaving.

Luna raised her eyebrows. She had one hand on her bag while the other was poised and ready to call a waiter over. "You're not going to follow them?"

"No."

"Why not? I thought you were worried."

Avery's lips blossomed into a full smile. She leaned back and relaxed. Her nerves had calmed down. She could now enjoy the afternoon in leisure. "I just saw Eve drag my son by the wrist. I don't think I have anything to worry about."

…

…

…

Eve hauled Ambryan out of the store and out of the mall.

The sun beamed down at the two. They entered the VIP parking lot, heading for a black Jaguar XK. The assigned valets bowed at the sight of them. They moved away from the convertible and let them pass.

Ambryan walked over the driver's side while Eve climbed onto the passenger seat. She buckled her seatbelt and waited for the air-conditioning. The strawberry may look beautiful but, under the hot weather, it was troublesome. The fabric clung to her sweat and made her itch.

"So, where are we going?" Ambryan asked as he turned on the engine.

Eve bumped her head on the seat. She gazed upwards, thinking of the same thing. "I don't know. We already ate and I think that's more than enough for a date."

Oh, she was more than ready to go home. The longer this went on, the higher chance for accidents to happen—like her wig flying off. Maybe she should have accepted the bags after all. Then, the date would be over and they could go home.

Except, she didn't know what to do with them.

Ambryan scowled. "You said it's something we should both enjoy. Is there such a place? Do couples always enjoy things together?"

"Well, no." Eve sighed. Her neck twisted to her left. She stared out the windshield, ignoring the attendants around them. "Sometimes, a partner would give in if it would make the other person happy. They'd try to support each other's happiness."

"Then, what would make you happy?"

Her head snapped towards him. "What?"

"I asked what would make you happy," Ambryan repeated. He steered the wheel and drove to the nearest exit. "Mine is my work so unless you want to spend hours in the office, I suggest you think of another place."

"Work?" Eve scoffed, blinking her hazel eyes. She sat upright and glared at him. "Yours can't be work. You had done a lot of things other than work. I doubt you even did that as a kid. There must be something you enjoyed back then."

Ambryan sneaked a peek at her. "What would yours be?"

"Mine?" Eve bit her inner cheek. She was really active as a child. She loved to go out and play. She loved to move around, never staying in one place. Her mother used to scold her for leaving the house while the former slept.

"I… hmmm," she pondered out loud. Her gaze narrowed on the ceiling. "I liked many things as a kid. I'd play hopscotch on the pavement with chalk. I'd chase around other kids with a water gun. When I reached my teens, I used to hang out a lot in a roller skating rink."

The wave of nostalgia enraptured her sense. She could almost smell the wet grass, feel the warm cement under her feet and see colorful lights in a dim room.

"Too bad they took it down," Eve concluded and cleared her throat. Her right elbow rested on the edge of the car window. Using her right hand, she supported the back of her head. "I've never seen one again after that."

Ambryan stepped on the brakes when they hit a red light. He tilted his head to one side, remembering an old conversation. "But there is one."

"Really?!" Eve demanded. Her hazel eyes widened in his direction. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, in Park Avenue."

"But I've been to Bogum Park," she whined, plopping down her seat and rolling her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I think I would have noticed a roller skating rink."

"You'd need to pass through a narrow alley to find it," Ambryan pointed out with a chuckle. The traffic light became green and the convertible purred under them. He changed his initial direction and made a right turn. "All of the roads that lead to it are narrow since buildings already stood around the place before it came."

...

…

…

Eve clicked her tongue. She watched him from the corner of her eyes. "Is it retro?"

"From what I heard, yes." Ambryan nodded.

"You've never been?"

"No, I only heard it from a business associate."

"Good, because neither have I." Eve giggled. She pushed the button for the radio and swayed to the music. "Let's head over and experience it for the first time together."