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IX. Tried

Stepping into the restaurant, he was in absolute awe.

It was lit by a faint orange glow, and had an exquisite feeling to it; looking posh but not flashy, and was oozing with class but not to the point of making people feel uncomfortable and claustrophobic. It was definitely romantic - great ambience for lovers, but then, what were they doing here?

She snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Earth to Aga," she whispered.

"I know this place is gorgeous but please, just close your mouth," she added as she used the back of her fingers to nudge his jaw lightly.

He pinned her with a heated stare and she giggled.

"Okay, okay! I was joking! Come, let me introduce you to the owner, as well as the designer of this fabulous place you're drooling over."

He just nodded and relished in the feeling of having her hand firmly enclosed in his. She led him through the restaurant till they came upon a room at the back of the place. After rapping the door, a confident voice called out, "Come in!"

She opened the door and he followed her into the room, careful to close it behind him.

"Hi, Lea!"

"Hi, Mel! Let me acquaint you guys first. Mel, this is Aga and he needs no further introduction," she chuckled, "and Aga, this is Melissa, a friend of mine from college."

They shook hands and exchanged a few pleasantries.

"I haven't seen you for a long time! Thanks for coming here this evening," Melissa then turned to Lea to give her a big, warm hug.

"You offered me free dinner! Who am I to reject that?"

"But I had a condition -"

"Which we fulfilled," she interjected, giving him a cheeky wink and he frowned, clearly unamused.

"What a friend you are! Shouldn't you be considering helping me out since this place is new and I could do with a few more bucks rolling in?"

"Nope! A promise is a promise."

Melissa rolled her eyes while Lea just laughed.

"Fine, you win! Let me sit you guys first, I had my head chef prepare his signature dishes for both of you to try."

They were seated at a small table by the window, waiting for Melissa to return from the kitchen. The view was magnificent, as it overlooked the big city, dotted with tiny lights. She was fingering with her napkin, while he was just enjoying the breathtaking scenery. When he finally turned to look at her, he noticed her unusual fidgeting and started to question it.

"The designer, the owner and the chef consultant...same person?"

She smirked in response. "Yeah. Why not?"

He just answered with an expression that told her he was mightily impressed that one woman could be so many things - not that he's chauvinistic, of course. It's just that anyone - male or female - with such huge capability and responsibilities amazed him. Her fidgeting didn't stop and he figured to ask.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh? What? Oh, nothing," she replied in a hurry after getting startled by his sudden question.

"You're weird tonight."

She smirked at him, again.

"Says the person who has been staring into space the entire day?"

Just as he was about to open his mouth to give a snark reply, Melissa returned with the appetisers.

"Okay, try this! We spent quite a long time coming out with this baby. Tell me what you guys think of it."