Shopping with 'girlfriend'

That evening, Tom had suggested they both do something about the car that kept following them. They could not continue to pretend like they had no idea they were being followed. And it was also becoming quite uncomfortable especially for Tom who had no idea who those people were. Although he could make a guess, he could not rely on his speculations.

Even as Tom was getting dressed inside, he was still a bit reluctant. He knew it was just one car that has been following them, but he didn't know how strong they were and he wasn't sure Lisa would be able to handle them despite her claiming she was capable. 

He looked at the cast in his hand and knew it was time to take it off. This was no child's play

By the time he came out from his room, Lisa was already in the sitting room, dressed in her usual style— a black trouser suit with no part of her body exposed except her hand and face. 

'How stingy. Can't she just reveal a bit of skin at least?' He thought to himself as he approached her. Her shirt was always long sleeved and buttoned to her neck. 

When Lisa turned around to look at him, the first word that came into her mind was 'Sissy'. 

He was back to the 'Thomas Hwang' she first knew. He was dressed casually, but now there was no cast in his arm and there was a lollipop in his mouth and that careless expression on his face.

She had always called him a Sissy back when she first met him, why had she forgotten that name? 

"You're stunned. I get it." He said with a teasing smile when he noticed she was just staring at him, and winked at her. 

She wasn't in the mood to entertain him at the moment. She really wasn't. She turned around, and went straight outside to go get the car ready.

Tom followed her and sat in front of the car beside her. As she was about turning the key to start the car, he stopped her. 

"Just wait." 

She turned to look at him, wondering why he stopped her when they were just about to get serious.

"I know we are about to do something stupid by tailing the tailers, but we can stop now if you are not sure about this." He said to her. 

Lisa had been wondering why he suddenly wanted to tail them. It would be easy for people like him to report to the police or even his father. But he had refused that. He mentioned he didn't want neither his father nor the authorities to know about it, and wanted to do things his way— whatever that meant.

"So what if I decide to back out right now. Are you going to tail them by yourself?"

He nodded. "Yea."

"Where am I driving to first?" She asked as she turned on the car's engine. 

"You're really going to follow?" He asked for the last time. As much as he wanted a partner for this right now, he also wanted her to be safe. 

She accelerated the car without saying another word and he knew she had made up her mind to follow. 

As he thought of the first place to go while waiting for those people to start following them, he suddenly got a bright idea. 

And that 'bright idea' led them both to a shopping centre for clothes. 

"Hello sir, ma. How may I help you both?" The shop assistant asked with a bright smile on her round and chubby face. 

"I need an evening dress for my girlfriend here" He returned the lady's smile and pointed at Lisa who looked quite surprised.  

What was he thinking introducing her as his girlfriend? She asked herself with a frown. And an evening dress for her? What the hell was he thinking?

The shop assistant looked at Lisa in surprise. She looked more like his assistant than his girlfriend.  She was formally dressed unlike him and didn't have that friendly or playful aura most ladies had when they were around their boyfriends.  

Tom saw the frown on Lisa's face and smiled before explaining to her.

"Remember we're going to Joel's sister's birthday party this Friday? I want you to look the prettiest my darling." He said with a big smile before turning to the shop assistant. 

"A dress please, black preferably. And a little bit revealing" He winked at the shop assistant and draped his hand around Lisa's shoulder brazenly because he believed she wouldn't be able to do anything since he had introduced her as his girlfriend. But to his surprise, she slapped his hand away and walked out of the shop. 

Did she tell him she didn't have a evening dress? Did she ask him to buy her one? He even had to introduce her as his girlfriend and hold her so possessively.

For some reason, she was beginning to feel uncomfortable around him and she did not like it one bit. 

As she waited by the car for him to come meet her there, two minutes passed, five passed, and when it was approaching 10 minutes since she last left him there, she knew something was up and hurried back inside.