Chapter 614: Seasonal Bizarre

Mina covered her ears as Olivia and Jay mimicked the sounds they heard coming from Dom's room and she could not help but to think back to the time when she asked Dom to stay the night in her old apartment. He joked about calling a woman over, and she asked if she would hear, he then told her that if he were doing it right, she would. Now, Mina's mind could not help but to string the lewd noises they were making with Dom's words, and her mind was beginning to wonder what 'doing it right' looked like.

"If Rebecca knew that you two were making fun of her, she would hurt you both," Dom said. He was sitting with a red face in the corner of the room, and Mina could not help but to chuckle at the man, who was clearly embarrassed.

The women were obviously having fun, but Mina was just as uncomfortable as Dom because she knew that Rebecca was not a typical woman. Obsessive behaviors were common for people who were like them, and Mina feared that Rebecca may have chosen to focus all her energy into a person she thought could help her 'win' rather than a hobby. When she had suggested for Rebecca to stay the night, she thought Dom would sleep in the sitting room, and a part of her felt guilty for trying to tease the man, who Mina was worried had become Rebecca's fixation.

"Why are you so quiet?" Olivia asked playfully. "Don't tell me you're jealous," she added.

"I'm scared," Mina said, no longer ashamed of that word. She had been using it often, and she was finally able to convince herself that it was okay for people to know she was afraid. However, she was still not ready to tell people what scared her; unless it had to do with Doctor Rebecca, then she would be completely honest.

"Come on Mina. I'm sure the girl is harmless. She's a little weird, but so are you, and so am I."

"And me," Jay said with a smile. The women continued to defend Rebecca until they were interrupted by Willow, who had not come home in days. "Look who it is," Jay commented with a fake shocked expression.

"You look happy," Olivia said as Willow plopped down on the sofa next to Mina.

"I am very happy," Willow replied. "My family and I are finally getting along the way we used to. They aren't pushing me to get married, and my uncle stopped calling me old." Mina narrowed her eyes at the woman. She was almost certain her friend was lying because none of the things she mentioned would cause her to stay out all night.

"Will you be moving back in with them?" Olivia asked sadly, and Willow shook her head.

"They are only renting for now. If they buy a property, I will consider it, but I will definitely make sure to come back and visit my god daughter." Mina's brow furrowed and in a moment of pettiness, she corrected Willow.

"As long as HIS godmother knows that I am still holding HIM first." Willow laughed at her friend who she knew was disappointed that Olivia had chosen her as the godmother.

Mina's phone chirped, and Willow glanced at it, turning her eyes into slits when she saw who was texting. In the past, Mina had President Lee saved under his full title, but she now had it saved as Idiot Lee, which, while not a compliment, was in a way affectionate.

"Why is he saved in your phone like that?" Willow asked, and Mina shrugged.

"He is an idiot, and he is a Lee." She scrolled through her phone and showed Willow another contact that was saved as 'other idiot Lee.' "Anyway, I have to go, he is already waiting, and I don't want him to come up. Mina reached out to rub Olivia's belly, making sure to cast a glance toward Willow as she spoke. "Don't worry Ollie, you may have a playmate sooner than you think." Olivia, Jay, and Dom sat up straight, questioning Mina, who they thought was referring to herself and Brayden, but Mina simply pointed at Willow and left.

----

After a pleasant visit with his nan, Ian and Mina were on their way back to his mansion when they passed by several rows of tents. Mina was curious, so she asked the man what it was, and while Ian should not have been, he was surprised that she did not know about the Seasonal Bizarre. He asked her how long she lived in Scal, and despite Mina having lived in the city since she was fourteen, she rarely travelled outside of her comfort zone, and the hospital where Miss Ruby was recovering was well outside of her limits.

"Do you want to stop?" Ian asked, hoping that she would say yes. His nan had asked him to take the woman somewhere nice, but no matter how many places he suggested, she always declined.

"Do they have food?" Mina asked, rolling down the window so that she could sniff at the air. Ian laughed at the woman before admitting that he was not sure. "Haven't you ever gone?" Ian was caught in a difficult position, he wanted to be honest, but bringing up any stories that involved Lisa seemed like a bad idea to him.

The truth was that the bizarre was a place that young couples liked to date. Lisa had always wanted him to take her, but he was always too busy, and the one time he promised her that he would, he ended up sending Luna in his stead. It was not that he did not want to go, he was genuinely curious about what the bizarre had to offer, but his father was extremely sick at that time, and they were trying to get their paperwork in line to prepare for the worst. Ian did not believe that his father's siblings would ever try to take the company from him, but his father did, and it was why he had often missed dates with Lisa in the past; something he no longer felt bad about.

Ian decided to go for the middle ground and tell Mina that he had not gone because it was not a place people went alone. She accepted that explanation, and after a brief moment of consideration, she told him that she wanted to stop. Ian quickly merged over and pulled into the nearest parking location, which was completely packed with cars; it made him wonder if it was safe for them to stop without additional security.

Mina, however, seemed to be following her nose. She went straight to a snack booth and clapped excitedly when she saw what was being sold. Ian watched as she excitedly ordered a bag of prawn chips, something that made his nose turn up. He was never a fan of crustaceans, and chips made from the weird looking creatures did not sound appetizing to him. He watched Mina sprinkle different seasonings onto the large puffy chips and after shaking the bag around a few times, she took one into her mouth as if it were the sweetest candy she had ever tasted.

"Are they good?" Ian asked, unable to stop his mouth from watering even though he did not want to try them.

"Have you never had prawn chips?" The woman asked in shock. The chips were not exactly a delicacy, but they were a very standard snack food in the country.

"I told you, I have never been to the bizarre."

"But they sell these in stores. They taste better freshly made though." Mina held the bag out in front of her, and Ian made a face at it. She shook it, trying to encourage the man, who reluctantly took out a chip and inspected it with his nose. "Just taste it," Mina said, and Ian took a deep breath before taking the tiniest bite. Mina glared at him, and he took another larger bite, completely surprised at how delicious it was. He reached for another, but Mina pulled the bag away, reciting the price.

Ian rolled his eyes and went to order an extra-large bag of his own, asking Mina to season it for him the way she had seasoned her own and it did not escape him that the woman was taste testing his bag of prawn chips more than he felt was necessary. When she was satisfied with the flavor, she handed the bag back to him, and then sprinkled what she said was a spicy seasoning on her own chips. Ian asked if he could taste one with the spice, and she allowed it, but it was entirely too much for him, and he preferred it the first way.

The pair walked through the bizarre that Mina realized was just a flea market with a fancy name. There were countless vendors that were selling novelty items; things that she could see tourists fawning over, and things she could see herself buying to give to her friends something unique. She started to look around, genuinely trying to find something to get Olivia for her birthday. She already had the savings account for baby Ollie, but she had nothing for his mother, which felt wrong, because she knew that everyone else had gotten two gifts: even Dom. As Mina browsed, she noticed that everyone was well dressed, and as she looked more closely, she saw that many of them were holding hands. She mentioned it to President Lee, who told her that the bizarre was a popular date spot while still munching on his prawn chips.

"Is this what rich people do in their free time?" She asked. "Buy novelty goods from poor people?" Ian looked up at Mina, who was glancing down at a handmade glass bead bracelet. There was a strand of hair dangling in front of her face, and despite the oil on his hands, he could not help but to push it back behind the woman's ear. She did not even look up at him, as she questioned the vendor about pricing.

"For a pretty girl like you, fifty will be fine." Mina raised an eyebrow at the woman before putting the item down.

"That wasn't very smart," she said. "You gave me a different price from the people who passed before. Why?" The woman tried to make up an excuse, but Mina was already put off by her actions. "You shouldn't judge people based on their appearance. The clothes that I'm wearing belong to the man beside me. He bought them so that I don't embarrass him while out in public." Ian raised a brow at Mina, confused by how she came to her incorrect conclusion.

Angry, Mina walked to the next vendor, who sold a similar item, and the man was wise enough not to quote her an inflated price. He had heard her rant, and he had seen the man affectionately push her hair out of her face. If the woman claimed she could not afford it, that was fine, but he was certain the man she was with could.

Still upset, Mina asked the vendor for a paper and a marker. The man obliged, not understanding what the woman was doing. She asked him to sort his goods into three categories, the new bracelets, the one from last season, and the remainder from the season before. The man typically did not display any of his new stuff, but the way the woman was speaking to him, made him feel like he had to bring it out. She asked him pointed questions that he answered honestly, and she made prices for him.

"Don't change the prices," Mina said. "I will come back in an hour and if you aren't satisfied with the results, this man will buy everything you have left." Ian's mouth hung open, but he agreed.