How I dream of you. - Part 3

He dresses up like he would for work, just like he would attend a business meeting. Proper, in a blue suit that matches his body and skin tone.

It was already 9:15 a.m when he left home. His parents were more excited than he was, they reminded him to be sure to treat her for brunch and so on. Yang Tian-Xu was always obedient, even though he feels like this was more of a business than it was a romantic relationship, he still shows up on time at 9:55 a.m.

The Tong Family has a small villa in City Y. Their villa has a beautiful garden, in which Tong Yue-Yan's aunt had maintained. She took care of the businesses the Tong family has in City Y while her brother; Tong Yue-Yan’s father would take care of activities in City A.

By the time he rang the doorbell, she was ready. He said his greetings to Tong Yue-Yan’s aunt when she opened the door to greet him. As he waited by his front door, by 10:00 a.m. sharp, she ascended down from the stairs and saw him by the door holding a beautiful bouquet of red roses in his hands.

His mother got the roses for him to give them to Tong Yue-Yan, hoping he'll treat this like a date. However, he quickly clarified it to Tong Yue-Yan. “These are from my mother. She wanted to make sure you receive them.”

She wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry. “Thanks…” She takes the bouquet out of his hands and gives them to her aunt, “Can you please put these in a vase for me. Thank you, auntie.”

Then she turned to him and said, “Shall we go?” He nodded, and they walked out to his car. While they were walking, it was quiet. Just like how it was last night when he walked her to her car. This time, perhaps she could spend more time with him? She was excited and happy to the extreme.

He opened the passenger’s door to let her in, and he closed it once she got inside. He went to the driver’s seat and started the engine without saying much.

It was like an awkward silence; she knew he had no feeling for her. Despite that, she doesn’t want him to hate her. She wanted him to like her too. However, because of her shy personality. She could only make more small talk. “It’s a beautiful day today, is it not?”

“Yes, it is.” his simple three-sentence reply to her before going silent again.

She wanted to ask him “Is it that bad for you to spend the day with me?” But it wasn’t possible for her to say it. Tong Yue-Yan tried to be as ladylike as possible. The way she walks, the way she smiles as he shows her around town. City Y is a big city, lots of beautiful sightings and locations. He asked if she has any special request, and places she would like to visit and then he would fulfil them.

She would name a few places, and he would keep her company, however, it all seems to her like he was treating her like a tourist, or a guest he must keep company. She asked him, “What about you? Is there a special location you like to visit?”

Just as she asked him, he thought about that coffee place where he had met her. He smiled to himself and said, “Yeah, I know a great coffee place I would like to visit.”

He parked his car at the same place he parked last time. The two went together for a short walk to the coffee place he mentioned. They took an eighteen minutes drive by car to reach the park-aid near the coffee place, then another two minutes walk to get to the place. They arrived and ordered two coffees. He paid in cash, they sat down at the same seat he was in last time, and waiting. Once the coffee came, a quick service he enjoyed, they sat there while he enjoyed the silent atmosphere.

Tong Yue-Yan prefers tea over coffee, but she still agreed with Yang Tian-Xu, as she wants him to acknowledge her. She watched him as he looked out the window. Her curiosity made her stared outside the window, yet not noticing anything unusual or entertaining about the busy street, she wonders what made him fixate his gaze upon.

“What is so interesting outside?” she thought, as she kept looking at him, unnoticed.

It was around 12:00 p.m. The time for lunch, the street outside was busy with nearby office towers, people were at lunch. Even his employees are just out on their lunch break. There was also a University nearby. Yang Tian-Xu wonders, maybe she was a University student instead? He can’t remember any high school nearby. He recalled she was young looking like she was 16 or 17 years old. Praying that her age are older than her looks. If she was 23, it would be the perfect age for him.

A four years age difference should be his limit. On October 31st, Yang Tian-Xu would celebrate his 27th birthday. He doesn’t know how he could take it. Perhaps he’ll let it go by seven years apart? No, eight years? No, he’ll make it ten. Ten years is the max he could tolerate their age differences.

Yang Tian-Xu kept wondering as he continued his stares out the window. Then he thought? Wait, what if she’s older than him? His mind was in a constant train of thoughts about her age. He wonders in silent, “Will she come again today? Would I ever meet her again? Damn it all! Where are you?”

With Yang Tian-Xu looking out the window in silence, Tong Yue-Yan just stared outside with him. She was unsure about what he was looking at, and hope she could see what he sees. But in her mind, she thought. “Was she that boring he had to entertain himself this way?”

Yang Tian-Xu looked right and left outside, only the same homeless man still sitting in the same place, begging for a kind heart to give him something to eat, but her? No sight of her, he couldn't forget about her, the one who appeared in his dream last night.

The more Tong Yue-Yan speaks, the more Yang Tian-Xu just nodded as he pays his attention to the outside and not on her. She’s not stupid, if anyone else does this to her, she would have thrown the drink in her hand in their faces and storm out. Also, no one had ever treated her this way before. His cold attitude towards her was something his mother had warned her about last night before Tian-Xu came home, she prepared herself for this.