Noodz at the Actor's Hideout

chapter 7

Seraphim has another secret, and this time, it's a bit obvious—it's her weaknesses and she has quite a lot of them. She aims to be a woman made of steel, however,  to have a metal and cast-iron heart encased by a bedazzled and strong ribcage and cushioned by perky tits. 

But her faint heart turns weak at the scent of a good-smelling man. And Yuan Chen? Damn him and his entire being, he fucking smells like heaven. Or at least what Seraphim thinks heaven smells like. A musky, woodsy, aqua scent that sits just right.

Her chest thumps in need, and although she hates it, she has got to admit that her first weakness just has been revealed.

She walks close to him, arms brushing against each other as they follow the trail of the lake. Just a millimeter away—so close. Every now and then, she fights the urge to dig her nose into his sleeve because getting arrested for harassment in her ugly uniform is definitely not a good idea. Torquoise is so not her color, yet it's what Yuan has always seen her in.

She looks up with a frown.

The sky is really the darkest at dawn, but the stars are bright and the heavily tinted waters sparkle under the moonlight. For some odd reason, Sera thinks that stars are night sky dimples. They poke the darkness with their bright fireballs and grant impossible wishes.

When Seraphim catches a whiff of Yuan's expensive cologne, she closes her eyes and curses to herself. This will make a perfect movie if only she knows what the genre is already though.

A convenience store clerk closes her shop without permission and skirts her ghost town with an A-list celebrity in her ugly turquoise uniform.

She visibly cringes at the possible synopsis.

"Oh! Here's the spot!" She runs toward a huge oak tree that has been kissed by five generations of rainfall. Oaky, Seraphim's tree. They have finally arrived.

She doesn't own Oaky legally and the soil where its roots are embedded, but Oaky and Sera? Their bond is pretty tight. Oaky was there when she first ran away from home when she didn't know where to go, when she made her first paycheck and could finally afford a decent lunch.

Oaky was there throughout every failed date, through every episode of laughter and tears.

Oaky has been her constant even at times when she feels like she lost herself.

Oaky is the silent and plant version of Riri minus the law degree and the need for piping hot tea on people. But Sera knows that Oaky's branches have intentionally dipped down over the years for a perfect shady spot for a single person because it considers her as its best friend too.

And now, Seraphim will be introducing a new person to Oaky.

"This is the guy you're talking about?" Yuan stands in front of Oaky with his hands on his hips. 

Sera nods eagerly and pats Oaky's rough trunk. She told him about Oaky before they left Pete's Mini Mart. She told him that there was this guy who'd love to meet a celebrity, and Yuan devoured his noodles faster.

A gulp, a burp, and a wipe of his mouth later, he was already asking her to bring him to this guy.

"Yes, Sir! If this guy can speak, he can tell you all the secrets this town holds for the past seventy years. You won't be able to experience Ollary to the fullest if you don't drop by and say hi to Oaky." She sits down, turns on the flashlight on her phone, and pats the spot next to her.

Yuan's nose wrinkles and she gives him a look. When he sighs in defeat, Sera claps her hand. Yuan rolls his eyes but she catches his smile before it disappears.

"So out of the places here, this is where you take me for a tour."

They sit there together, legs stretched out on the grass and backs against Oaky. The night is silent and chilly but they have jackets on. For a night with a biting cold air, Yuan feels pretty warm next to her.

They stare at the lake not so far away from them. Even though the lampposts are few and only a few cars are passing by, it doesn't look frightening at all. If anything, it reminds Sera of a hallmark card but at night.

"Honestly, we don't have much of a choice. People here close shops at eleven. And the places that are open have a lot of young crowds in them and they all probably know you."

He nods in understanding and turns on his phone's flashlight too. He pans it on her face and she hits him away with a laugh. "Stop."

"I can't see your face."

"It hurts my eyes! Why would you even want to see my face?"

"I wanna see how different your makeup is today."

Her brows rise in surprise. She can never get used to his honesty, to his unfiltered admissions as if it's just another day of asking for coffee.

She folds her knees close to her and leans away from him, suddenly shy. He probably sees many beautiful faces with equally gorgeous makeup on them, so why would someone as unattainable as Yuan Chen want to see hers?

"Stop it," she says and he chuckles. "We're here to talk about you. I left my job tonight for the juicy celebrity scoop I can sell to tabloids."

"You won't do that." His confidence in her is astounding.

"How can know for sure? You barely know me."

"I already stalked you as much as you stalked me." She gasps and he smirks. "You think you're so discreet with liking all the photos on my Instagram after the first night we met? Think again."

"What?"

"If you'd sell me out, you would've already posted it on your growing Instagram page. Great makeup skills, by the way. Would you consider working for me?"

Seraphim's brain follows a dangerous path. It depicts images in her head. Her hands on Yuan's cheeks, her eyes on his lips as she applies a balm on them, her breath fanning his skin...

He leans close to her and then looks down at her lips before meeting her eyes. "You're blushing."

She shoves him and he takes it with a boisterous laugh, a deep-bellied laugh that sounds like it's released from a recently unearthed hidden chest. 

"If you're gonna keep messing with me, I'm gonna leave you here."

Yuan stretches his arms over his head, closes his eyes, and leans back again against Oaky. "Fine with me. I can walk back to Pete's shop anyway. I have very strong legs." He pops one eye open. "If you know what I mean."

She decides not to humor him with a response. This is a habit she's learned the hard way with men. You have to decide for yourself, always. Or else, they'd take the liberty to decide for you.

Noticing her silence, Yuan fixes himself and taps Oaky twice. "So, tell me, does he know all of your secrets too?"

A snort passes between her lips. "I'm not very good at keeping secrets to myself, so yes. I guess that's the prize a creative person has to pay. We are slaves to release." She looks to her left, lashes brushing on her glittered skin. "Our art holds our secrets and someone who pays close attention can read through them if they try hard enough."

Yuan stays silent for a second. They sit there, staring at each other as if they're speaking a silent language only eyes can deliver. Then, at his third blink right after she purses her lips, he asks, "Will you let me try?"