Chapter 36
Ava just finished her class. She was on her way out of the campus to wait for a cab when a sleek black car stopped in front of her.
She took a step back, thinking somebody was probably alighting from the vehicle, but as the window glass came down, she saw Tristan was inside the car.
PA Jack came out from the driver's side, "Good evening ma'am! Sir wanted to talk to you. Would you mind getting in the car?" Jack greeted.
"Oh, but I have to go somewhere right now," she said, the sun just came down, and she didn't really want to sit in his vehicle.
"Ma'am please get inside the car. You know Sir Tristan, and you can trust him," Jack convinced her, he sensed her hesitation.
Jack had visited the college and was able to get Ava's class schedule. His boss usually worked late at night, but today he had finished early and came straight to see Ava.
"Uhm.. sure," Ava thought, what could go wrong, she felt comfortable with Tristan after they had breakfast in the club. She got in, but Tristan was busy on his mobile, typing away and not even acknowledging her, creating a very awkward silence.
"Why did he invite me if he was just going to ignore me," she wondered, staring at Tristan. He was a strange man.
"Sorry about that, it was a very important email," Tristan put his mobile in his pocket, and replied with a smile, "How are you doing tonight?"
"Hmm," she said, sulking.
"Are you angry that I ignored you?" Tristan chuckled.
"No! Of course not!" Ava denied, she did not even realize that she expected his full attention on her when she got in the car.
Tristan smiled, she was acting coy, and for him, it meant that whatever he did mattered to her. She was warming up to him.
"Okay now tell me are you hungry?" he asked.
"No, I ate a sandwich after my last class," she replied.
"Good, because it will take some time before we reach our destination," Tristan said.
"Why did you invite me?" Ava asked.
"I was bored, and I wanted to spend time with you," Tristan said.
"What about your friends?" Ava asked curiously.
"Everyone was busy and they always declined my invitation to go out," Tristan lied without feeling any guilt. If his friends hear him, they would surely roll their eyes. He was the one who always worked and refused to hang out.
"But you are such a famous person, surely you have someone else," she said.
"Yeah, that someone is you," Tristan said in a low sensual tone, staring at her intensely.
"What are you trying to say?" Ava broke the eye contact and asked. He noted that she was blushing. He was aching to touch her rosy cheeks but controlled himself for the time being.
"It means that you are my only friend. So you have to accompany me," Tristan said pitifully. Ava laughed because of his actions and said okay.
If he really wanted a companion he could easily get one, women were willing to line up to spend some time with Tristan but unfortunate for them, he was only interested in Ava.
His little one.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"It's a surprise," he said.
Tristan had asked Jack to search for places to go on this date, and most of his recommendations were expensive and fancy places.
Tristan did not want to go to any of those places because it would look like a date, and he wanted Ava to feel comfortable and so he chose this place, he wanted a casual place to hang out in.
He used this time to know more about Ava by having small talk along the way.
When they reached the place, Ava was surprised. It was one of those grassy open areas that overlooked the bay. Families, couples, and groups of friends spent their time out here picnicking, biking, and playing games during the day, and watching fireworks at night.
There were food stalls, novelty shops, and gaming arcades lined up around the area.
Enjoying the chilly monsoon, drinking hot beverages, and lying in your beloved arms, it was nothing but magical.
Ava was excited, "C'mon, let's go," she said, bouncing on her toes.
"Wait!" Tristan said, as Jack handed him a jacket he had bought especially for Ava, he knew the weather would be cooler once they reached the bay.
Placing the jacket around her shoulders, he said, "If you feel too cold, let me know, okay."
Ava nodded, touched by his gesture, "He's very thoughtful and nice."
"Let's buy some snacks," Ava said as she headed for the stalls, she felt like a kid in a candy store, looking at all the treats around her.
Tristan happily followed her, glad that she liked his choice for their first date.
"Ooohhh… My favorite!" she said, as she saw a cotton candy stand, "Can we get some? Please?" she said in her cutesy voice.
He liked this cute side of her, she was starting to open up and depend on him, and he was enjoying this comfortable feeling they share when they are together, she used to be so scared to even talk to him but now she demanded him to buy her things.
"Buy whatever you want," Tristan said with a doting smile, he was willing to go to any lengths to pamper her.
He was ready to give Ava all the riches in the world just to let her smile at him like that every day. He went and bought her all the snacks she wanted from the different stalls.
"Give me a few of the snacks, I'll hold them for you," he volunteered, seeing her struggling to hold everything.
Jack had produced a blanket for them to sit on. Nearby, there was a shopkeeper inviting passersby to play games in this stall.
Ava explained the game to him. It was a machine where you insert coins on the slot to activate the mechanical claw that will then enable you to pick the stuffed toy that you want.
She smiled, thinking about the last soft toy she had received from her favorite person. It's been so long since she��d seen him, "He probably forgot about me already," she thought. She had called the toy 'Candy.'
Tristan misread her smile, thinking she wanted one, "Come on, let's get you one," he said.
"No, I don't want a toy," Ava said, refusing.
He ignored her and still played with the machine, how can he not give his little one what she wanted?