Confluence of many races

"Looks like you fancy her. Do you like her?"

Marlon's question caused Erik to pause. His face softened a bit before it turned back to a hard mask of ice.

"You're thinking too much." His voice sounded flat and emotionless.

'Really? Then why can't you peel your gaze from your selfie with her?' Marlon muttered under his breath. Of course, he did not have the courage to utter them aloud.

...

As there was no direct flight from Green Heights province to China, Aryana traveled to the Capital City a day before her scheduled flight to China. The following morning, Erik picked her up from her hotel.

She was wearing a simple cropped white blouse with a dark blue leaf design and bell-shaped sleeves. The square neckline showed off her collarbone and her fair slender neck. She paired it with dark blue jeans and comfortable blue sneakers with white stripes. She wore the blue jade pi disc pendant that Mu Chen has gifted her.

Marlon took the luggage from her while she get to the back of the car.

Aryana's gaze fell on the side profile of a very handsome man. She breathed deeply and tried to calm the erratic beating of her heart. She could once again smell a light blend of patchouli, cedar, and sandalwood, a tantalizing scent that made her unconsciously move closer to Erik.

The corner of Erik's lips curved slightly upwards. He stopped what he was doing and studied her side profile.

"Did you have breakfast?" He asked in a gentle tone.

"Not yet. It's too early for breakfast."

"Let's grab something at the airport before boarding"

"Okay"

After a few exchanges, they traveled in silence.

Aryana was editing her latest Vlog on Yoga Sun Salutation poses. Both of them were busy with their laptops until they reached the airport and the car stopped.

Erik alighted first and went around the car to open the door for her.

It was only at that time that Aryana noticed that Erik was wearing a dark blue polo shirt from a very expensive brand. He looked casual in his jeans and rubber shoes. Standing beside him their outfit matched and they looked like a couple.

"Who is that? Is he an actor or a model? How handsome."

"OMG, Can I have him as my boyfriend?"

"Look at the woman beside her. She looked tacky and her dress looked cheap."

"Maybe that's her assistant or secretary."

Aryana heard the murmurs, just as she can feel the hostile gazes coming from a different direction. She can't help but look at her dress. She knew her clothes were not expensive but she definitely looked good in them.

She cleared her throat. "I didn't realize it is very challenging to walk beside you, Erik. I am gaining a lot of enemies without me knowing it." She complained.

Erik chuckled. He looked at Aryana in an amused manner. She had changed a lot since the last time they met. She did not have any qualms about expressing her thoughts and she became more confident.

"Walk beside me Aryana and you will be safe," Marlon said, a hint of humor in his voice.

It was Aryana's turn to chuckle.

Erik threw Marlon an icy glare.

Marlon felt an oppressive aura in the air. He shrugged his shoulders in an animated way and hurried forward to settle their check-in procedure.

It did not take too long before they boarded the plane and it took off.

Aryana's ticket was upgraded to business class. She was seated in between Erik and Marlon and Erik was not happy about it.

"You take the seat by the window."

Marlon looked gloomy. "Can't she take the middle seat so we can chat …" he stopped midway after feeling a chilly gaze from beside him.

'Hmmmp, another four hours of boredom.'

It wasn't peak season so there were not many passengers in the business class. Marlon decided to transfer to the seat behind Aryana.

"Hey how about we play fast talk? I'm bored to death!" Marlon said not minding the chilly aura emanating from the man beside Aryana.

"Sure." Aryana was also bored. As a teacher, she was normally talkative but she didn't know how to strike up a conversation with Erik.

"Hmmm. Describe yourself in one word." Marlon said.

"Confluence!" Aryana said without thinking much.

Marlon: "…"

Erik: "…"

Both men looked at her.

'What was that? The usual words will be beautiful, charming, smart, and luscious…. What does she mean by confluence?' Marlon scratched his head.

"What do you mean by that." Erik turned his head slightly to his right.

"Isn't this a fast talk? No need for me to explain right? She was teasing them.

Erik frowned at her.

"Alright, I'll explain then. I used 'confluence' because indeed I am a confluence of many races. I have American, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, and Malayan blood running in my veins. I am 25% American, 25% Chinese, 12.5% Spanish, etc.. etc…"

"Ha ha ha. What a complicated heritage. No wonder you have a unique kind of beauty and you're eyes … they looked different." She heard Marlon laughed from behind her.

Erik looked at her with amusement in his eyes.

"My paternal grandfather was an American and my grandmother was a mestiza. My maternal grandfather was Chinese. It is really not that complicated." She grinned when she saw Erik's bemused look.

"My mother's name actually is Chinese. It was a name that my grandpa has given her." Aryana paused and a fleeting sadness appeared in her eyes. "He never had a chance to see her daughter though. He just disappeared and never came back to look for my grandma. In the end, my grandma married another man after seven years."

She remembered something and asked Erik. "Do you think if I look for grandpa's family, I will be able to find them?"

"What is your grandfather's name?"

"Mu Lingyun. He doesn't have an English name."

"That's a common Chinese name."

"Do you know where he is from?" Marlon asked.

Aryana laughed softly.

"No, I don't. I think that's a stupid idea. I don't even know where to start looking."

"You're right. You might be surprised to see that there is a thousand or more Mu Lingyun in the whole of China."

Aryana's heart sank. But she didn't want to give up hope of finding her grassroots. It was one of the reasons why she was on this trip, to find clues about her parentage.

Erik's gaze was drawn to her chest. It was only this time he noticed the necklace she was wearing.

Aryana subconsciously touched the pendant that was nestled on her chest.

"This was given to my Chinese friend." She explained.

"Really? That's a very expensive necklace. Your friend is very generous." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Aryana was speechless. 'Is he angry?'