For Real and For Ever

Chapter 3

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Barcode's POV

"Is he your father or your uncle?" Aun had asked me at the table right there in front of Jeff.

The question had been so unexpected.

Wait, no, I should have expected that. He and Ta and Fort who were my close friends at school had been teasing me about having a boyfriend who was many years older than we were. I had showed them pictures of me and Jeff together.

What I had not expected was Aun teasing me about our age gap right in front of Jeff.

I did not reply to Aun's rude question.

"Your mom is calling you," I said to him instead.

I noticed that Jeff tried to diffuse the awkward situation by pushing toward me the platter of starters that the waiter had set on the middle of the table.

"These are really crispy and crunchy and savory," he had said.

I picked up one of the mini spring rolls and pushed back the platter towards him.

"Dip it into this sauce," he had said, pushing the small bowl of red sweet and sour and spicy thick sauce.

I did as he suggested.

The delicious treat temporarily distracted me and I smiled and nodded approvingly as I crunched into it.

"What time does your first class start tomorrow?" Jeff asked me before sipping from his glass of cherry vanilla coke.

My mood immediately plummeted.

"I don't wanna think about it," I said, trying not to frown.

"I'm asking because I wanna know when I should pick you up tomorrow," Jeff said.

I took several sips from my own glass of cherry vanilla coke before I replied.

"Eight o'clock," I said after I slowly put down my glass beside my plate.

"Be ready at seven," he said. "I'll pick you up at seven."

"That's too early!" I protested.

"You have to take into account the Monday morning traffic," Jeff explained.

I knew that he was right but I continued to pout at him anyway.

"Be ready at seven," Jeff had insisted.

Soon our main course arrived and we dug into it in silence.

The fragrance from the bowl of jasmine rice that went with the skewered baby squids wafted to my nose. The creamy satay sauce that the squids were covered with were to die for.

Again I forgot all about my  blues as I chewed my food.

"Excuse me for a minute," I said to Jeff, close to the end of lunch when I felt the need to use the gents.

The tall glass of coke had gone straight to my bladder.

"Wait," Jeff said as he picked up his table napkin to wipe off some of the satay sauce from the edge of my mouth.

I entered the gents just as Aun was heading out.

He grabbed my arm and went back inside the gents with his hand still grasping my arm.

"That hand better be clean," I teased him as I looked down at his hand.

He ignored my comment.

"What are you still doing with that uncle of yours," he demanded.

"Stop calling him my uncle!" I protested. "He's not old enough to be my uncle!"

"He is and you know it!" Aun insisted.

I pulled my arm from his grasp.

"I don't wanna talk about it," I said and turned my back on him and hurried towards one of the urinals.

"Don't come running to me when you encounter any problems with him," Aun warned me before stomping out of the gents and banging the door shut behind him.

"Ready to leave?" Jeff asked when I returned to our table.

I nodded, trying to give him a smile even though both my heart and my mind were in deep turmoil.

Was Aun right? Would I encounter problems later on with Jeff because he was too old for me?

"Let's go," Jeff said, standing from his chair and draping his arm across my shoulder.

"I enjoyed the lunch, thank you very much," I said to him as we walked out the door and ignored Aun's pointed stare as we walked past his and his parent's table.

"You're welcome," Jeff said. "You wanna hang out at the mall or would you rather go back home to see if there are any assignments that you need to take care of before you go back to school tomorrow?"

Ohmygahd, Aun was right. Only someone Jeff's age would mention school assignments when you are out on a date with him.