Chapter 5.2

As Tina came out through the door and their eyes locked, Jeff's heart skipped several beats. He noticed that her attention was on the bouquet, so he smiled and said, "for you."

When she met with his eyes again, he was surprised to see her outfit. In the shock of the moment, he grinned widely, "we are matching!!!"

'Jinx again, we said he together.'

She took the roses from him and shyly thanked him. Jeff felt that the wait to see her was worth it 100%.

"Did you by chance see any delivery guy out here?" Tina asked.

Jeff shook his head. He's been the only one out here for a while except for Kyra.

"When I arrived, I saw Kyra and asked her to call you out."

He was so nervous when Tina kept checking him out.

'Is there a stain on my clothes? Does she not like that we are matching? Does she think I stalked her or planted a camera on her? What is she thinking and why is she scanning me?' Once again, he let his imagination run wild.

Noticing that she wasn't going to look away anytime soon, he asked cautiously, "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing at all. Nice outfit."

He couldn't hide his smile as he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"You look beautiful too."

She smiled, and her smile made him smile.

The car was silent during the whole drive to the restaurant. Jeff didn't mind as he was saving the conversation for during the meal. He let her make her order first, so that he could order the same thing. That way, if they ran out of things to talk about, they could talk about the food.

When Tina asked about what he wanted her opinions on, he wasn't too surprised. She liked to get down to business without wasting time. After thinking about it for a while, he finally asked what was on his mind.

He wanted to know what her views were on love. If she had an open mind, approaching her should not be very difficult, but if she had been hurt before and clammed up, getting her to open up once again would be a very challenging task.

"I think love is a beautiful thing. The beauty of it is especially clear when you realize what the other person is willing to do for you in the name of love."

When he heard her answer, he felt relieved. He had a chance. Then he got tense again. He noticed that even though she smiled, pain flashed through her eyes.

'Had she been hurt before?' he thought to himself.

He couldn't resist asking, "have you been in that situation before?"

She shook her head in response, "I know people who have." She paused then asked, "have you?"

"Not at all. Soon though. Very soon." He was very happy with her reply. Then tensed up again. Would it be that she had someone who did everything for her in the name of love? He wasn't even sure if she had someone, yet he started his pursuit.

As they had their meal, his food felt tasteless. He couldn't stop worrying that Tina was already taken, and his chance would never come.

Then he remembered what Sia said to him, "you're no mind reader. Always ask."

He braced himself to offload this new burden in his heart.

"Are you married?" Jeff asked while mixing his rice with the spicy curry.

He was expecting her to choke or cough when she heard his question, but she turned out calm. Was she really married? Even if she was, he'd seduce her out of the marriage. Jeff made a firm decision.

"You call me Miss Lawrence."

He nodded. That's true. She is a Miss. 'Silly me,' he thought as he smiled, but not too obvious.

"Do you have a fiancé?"

These days, it's either boyfriend or husband. Nobody uses the term fiancé anymore. Even the unmarried girls call their boyfriends husband.

"Not at all."

Jeff smiled a little. That's good. Really good. No husband, no fiancé. Dating relationships break up all the time. 'My chance is increasing,' he jubilated on the inside.

He hid the smile that was threatening to show up on his face, "do you have a boyfriend?"

Tina lifted her head from her dish to look at him.

He didn't notice that she was staring at him. His ears were wide open to hear her answer, while his heart was desperately wishing she'd say no.

"Would you like to be my first?"

Instantly, he looked up at her with shock in his eyes before coughing and hitting his chest.

Jeff choked on his shrimp.