AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After several minutes, there was still no sign of the goatee guy or any of his friends.
“Maybe they lost interest,” Silas said under his breath.
“How much longer should we give them?” Kota said. “Just in case?”
Silas shrugged. “We should stay here a little while longer, for sure. We should probably make sure Sang isn’t too rattled.”
Kota was about to say something else when he glanced at the book in Silas’s hand. His face brightened, and he chuckled.
Silas flipped the book over, checking the cover. It was a thick romance, with the bare man chest on the cover. He rolled his eyes and put the book back on the shelf. “It’s probably good.”
Kota nodded and then looked over the racks of books toward the back of the store. “Maybe I should go check on her.”
“Maybe you should find out if she likes books.” Silas was hoping he hadn’t scared Sang with the almost-fight. This was not a great first impression of any of them.
Kota nodded and left Silas in the new book section. Silas pulled different books off the shelf and pretended to go through them. He didn’t care which ones, romances or thrillers.
Kota should have canceled. The mall, this whole day was a bad idea. Kota could have just called him and said he needed to do something else.
Or did Kota want Victor and Silas to meet her? Three chances for Sang to make a connection with someone?
Silas glanced out into the concourse and monitored the bookstore in general. People came in and out of the shop, but when it was pretty clear the guys who had followed them weren’t around, Silas pulled away from the new book racks. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked through the narrow aisles. He scanned for the others.
Silas eventually found Kota. He was partially crouched over Sang, who was on one knee, looking at some books on the shelf.
No Victor. Silas slowed as he approached, hesitating. If Kota had chased Victor off to talk to her, Silas didn’t need to come along and interrupt.
Kota must have sensed him because he partially turned toward him. Silas stepped up. “I’m pretty sure they’re gone.”
“Good,” Kota said. He took a step back. Sang stood after Kota backed away. Kota looked beyond Silas’s shoulder and around the bookstore. “The last thing we need right now is an altercation.”
Silas nodded, agreeing with him.
He glanced once at Sang. She seemed pretty calm. At least, she didn’t appear shaken by what happened.
Silas scanned over the shelves. “Where’d Vic go?”
“We’ll get him,” Kota said. There was a sharpness to his tone. The following wasn’t a suggestion. “Meet you in the front.”
Silas got the meaning: Go away.
Silas nodded and turned around. He walked away slowly. He didn’t want to interfere, but he was curious about what they were talking about. Was Kota just getting to know her? Or was she starting to talk to him about her home life?
In any case, Sang wasn’t like other girls he had been around. She had waited for them patiently while they were trying on suits, without complaining about being bored. Even after the fight, or almost fight, she seemed very comfortable sticking with them. She didn’t ask to go home. She didn’t seem uncomfortable with them.
Silas returned to the front of the store. He leaned out the doorway and peered down one end of the concourse and into the other, looking for those guys. There was no sign of them. They must have moved on.
Maybe they should take her somewhere else. It wasn’t that big of a mall, and they could run into them again.
It wasn’t long before Kota and Sang reappeared. Victor followed behind them, and he had a bookstore bag in his hands. Whatever was inside was a flat book, something like a notebook. Or maybe it was one of his songbooks. Victor was known to pick those up on occasion.
When they got back out into the hall, Silas walked next to Sang, keeping her between himself and Victor so no one else had a chance to bump into her.
Kota walked on the other side of Victor.
Silas found it odd, again, that Kota didn’t offer to walk next to her. He was being so casual with her. He didn’t really understand. Giving her space? Did she need space?
As they walked, they passed other people, and rather than bump into them, Silas leaned into Sang until they passed.
At first, Sang pulled away. Silas assumed she was just giving him room. After a while, or perhaps because there were more people now walking through the concourses, she relaxed a little bit. When he would lean into her, she just let it happen, allowing Silas’s arm to meet hers. On occasion, Victor would bump into her on the opposite side. And then it was her bumping into Silas.
Victor seem to be teasing her. She seemed amused. That was good at least. After everything this morning, she was still in a good mood.
Yet, Silas stole glances at Sang. Again, she was hard to read, but every time their arms touched, her cheeks turned a little more pink.
But she didn’t pull away.
And to Silas, it meant something. Although he wasn’t sure what. A budding trust?
Did she like him?
He didn’t even want to ask the question, but he couldn’t help it. There was no reason for her to.
But she was bumping into his arm...
6
Eventually, they turned down a corridor that led to the food court. Most of the food stands were open. There were clusters of tables surrounding a running carousel in the middle. The music of the carousel couldn’t be heard over the voices, the noises from the kitchens, and the mall music overhead. The lights from it were a little dazzling, and the dancing horses drew attention to it.
It was getting on 11 o’clock. The smell of pizza, pretzels, and Chinese food overtook Silas’s senses. He hadn’t eaten breakfast, something he probably would have asked for that morning on the way to the mall if Sang hadn’t distracted him.
He felt the rumble begin and dropped his hand to his stomach, covering it. It didn’t do any good. His stomach growled loudly.
Sang looked up at him, and her face lit up. She pressed her lips together, like she wanted to laugh but didn’t dare.
He liked that. He nodded at her. “I think it’s time for some lunch.”
“How about sushi?” Victor said. “Do you like fish, Sang?”
“No fish,” Kota said. “Not after last time.”
“I wasn’t going to take her there,” he said.
Silas shot Victor a look. He certainly hoped he wouldn’t think to take Sang to that place. It had been a new venue, a real ritzy place, and exclusive. Victor’s dad had mentioned it, and they should’ve figured that if Victor’s father has suggested that, there was something weird about it.
While they had been allowed in because Victor was part of the Morgan family, they shouldn’t legally have been. There were partially naked girls on tables... Actually, the girls were the tables. Men ate sushi off of them.
Their group had been completely disgusted and walked out.
A place like that probably wouldn’t last long in Charleston, anyway. It wasn?
?t the sort of spot for that.
Victor sighed. “Sang, what do you want?”
“I didn’t bring any money, guys,” she said, her cheeks turning pink again. “You all pick something you like. I’m still kind of full from breakfast anyway.”
While she was saying that, her eyes turned toward the food stands. Silas didn’t quite believe her and assumed she was just being polite. “You’re getting something,” Silas said. “Besides, Victor’s paying.” He didn’t like to pressure anyone, but when it came to things like food, he didn’t mind insisting. It was in his Greek genes perhaps, but everyone needed to eat.
She seemed surprised by this. Didn’t anybody ever offer to pay for her lunch before?
Victor nodded, seeming eager to go along with it. “It’s my turn anyway.” Victor often paid. It wasn’t that Kota or Silas didn’t carry money with them. Sometimes, it was just easier for Victor to use his card.
Victor offered to take them all somewhere else, but Kota said the hamburger place there at the food court would do fine. Silas wasn’t sure why Kota wasn’t eager to take Sang anywhere else besides the mall.
Was she not allowed to go anywhere else? Was that why they were staying for so long with her here?
They all filed into line at the hamburger stand to place an order. Victor approached the cashier first, announcing he was paying. He put in an order for one of the more expensive hamburgers, getting specific about condiments. Silas tried to keep it easy with a few double cheeseburgers and a large fry. Kota placed an order for a chicken sandwich and medium fries, and then turned to Sang.
She simply said she wanted the same thing.
Silas hoped she was getting what she really wanted. She was so shy. He wasn’t so sure she would speak up if she wanted anything different. Only, he didn’t want to point out she should get what she really wanted. No reason to embarrass her. Maybe after he got to know her more, he’d encourage her then.
