Hidden Motives

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Laughing, they threw their heads back as though the memory they recalled was just yesterday. Once they started laughing they couldn't really stop. Their peals of laughter were drowned out by the traffic noise on the street but the beefy man, standing guard on the fire exit of the building still gave them a disapproving look as though they were disturbing the peace of the night.

Or maybe he simply stares at them because two young ladies, laughing their asses off in the middle of the night, is something that he doesn't always see in his work hours.

Regardless of the reason, they decided to leave the place. They were no longer the daredevil and rulebreaker teens of the past - or maybe they still are since their common enemy is back.

"Hey!" Bella hollered from the opposite side of the road, "let me take your photo!"

They started posing like they were some supermodel on the curbside. Andrei even crossed the street to join them in their night street photography.

They were having so much fun laughing and playing around that they didn't really care about Bella who was their self-proclaimed photographer.

When she felt Bella had enough photos of them, she asked Andrei to buy them a meal at the Yoshinoya that she saw in the distance.

"Why in the world do you want to eat in Yoshinoya, Laurie?"

"Well, I want to eat some beef bowls," she grinned.

"Why do you need me to pay it for you, when you are a big shot CEO?" he clicked his tongue at her.

"Well, because you are the designated wallet today!"

"Why —

"Shut up and just freaking buy me a beef bowl! Their largest one, please!"

Bella was busy checking all the photos she took and just followed them. She doesn't care about food for she wasn't really hungry.

"Hey,"

"Hey, Bella," she called her the second time because the first time she did, she didn't even lift her head from checking the screen of her SLR camera.

"Yes?" She was startled that Mei was talking to her.

She has been living for almost a month now in the house that the Nakamura's siblings provided for her and Laurie, and it isn't the first time she has seen Mei, however, she never talks to her until tonight.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure — I guess," she turned off her camera and let it hang on her neck.

Andrei and Laurie were already on the other side of the road. She raised her hand, returning Laurie's wave and she nodded when she signaled that they would go ahead to the Yoshinoya.

She glanced at Mei who was staring at the red stoplight from the post across from them.

"What was your question?" She asked for she seemed mesmerized by the bloody stoplight and forgot her question.

"How did you and Laurie become friends?"

"Oh, that question! We met on an island in the Philippines a few months ago. We both were interested in surfing but we enjoyed the surfer boys more," she suddenly giggled when she recalled the memory when she and Laurie would rent a surfboard, carry it to the dock, order a beer, and ogle at the boys with chiseled abs.

"A few months ago? Just a few months?" She repeated her question since she was in disbelief that Laurie would live and hang out with someone with whom she had become friends just a few months earlier!

"Why do you sound so surprised?" she asked, a bubbling irritation started to take shape in her chest.

"Well, don't get me wrong." she threw an apologetic smile at Bella before continuing, "Laurie is not the type to become close friends with someone that she met for such a short period of time.

"I mean, look at Andrei. They were friends since high school, same with me. "She has other friends I know, and most of them date back to her childhood."

Bella became quiet, trying to understand what Mei was saying as they crossed the street for the red light turned to green.

"I didn't know that. All I know is that Laurie can be eccentric at times. It's difficult to guess what she would do next, but if you are honest, she would appreciate you."

"Hmm," she hummed and nodded in agreement. It is not my intention to question your friendship with her, but this is the first time Laurie has a close friend that she has only known for a short time."

She pushed the door and kept it open for Bella. Laurie and Andrei were already seated at the table at the far end from the entrance.

"What do you want?"

"Uhm, I don't know how it works," she scanned the vendo like machine where you pick and pay your order, and then the machine will dispense a ticket that you will give to the restaurant staff before you seat and wait for your order to be delivered to your table.

"It's easy." she stepped closer to Bella to help her pick her order. "These are the items on the menu," she said pointing to the buttons, "...you can choose here what you want, then, you have choices on what size you want it, then here," she pointed to another grouping of a button to press, "are the items that you can add on your order."

Bella nodded as if she actually understood what Mei said, her eyes followed her finger as she explained how to place her order and it looked easy for there were even small photos of the menu in there, but for someone who hasn't done it before could still be daunting.

"Do you think you can order on your own?"

"Let me try," she giggled in nervousness. "It would be a good story to tell if I screw this up."

"I think there's also fun in screwing things up, no?" she scoffed.

"Why? Did you do something recently that you screwed up?"

Although Bella's question was innocent, Mei felt guilty as hell. She felt that she had unintentionally guessed her hidden motives for telling Laurie about Rina Yamaguchi.