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Duc gave her an appreciative stare, as if he hadn’t quite realised she had been finding her own feet. He pointed at a building across the street with bright blue shutters. ‘And that’s the shop where they sell those candies that you like.’
Her footsteps faltered. ‘You remember that?’
He rolled his eyes. ‘How can I forget? I had to keep asking my mum to ship me some so I could send them to you.’
A wave of sadness flashed across his eyes at the memory and she tugged him a little closer without saying anything. She didn’t need to. She just looked around her. ‘I’d forgotten how much I love this place,’ she sighed.
He looked surprised. ‘You do?’
She nodded slowly as they strolled down the brightly lit street. ‘Look at the buildings up ahead.’ She pointed to the row of shops with red, blue and yellow awnings. Packed above and looking kind of squished together was a multitude of flats—all entirely individual. There was one column in pink brick with a balcony on each level, the next column was white, with plants trailing down to the awning beneath, then came the thinnest column of flats that Viv had ever seen. One had a balcony packed with a dining table and chairs. The one above was crowded with a whole array of children’s toys. The one nearest the top had given over the entire balcony to green foliage, with dashes of brightly coloured flowers.
Viv smiled and hugged Duc’s arm. ‘This place is just packed with character. That’s what I love about it. Where else would you see such a great array of colours?’ She took a deep breath. ‘And smell such a fabulous aroma of food.’ Her eyes were gleaming. ‘This place had better be close, or you’re gonna get crazy low blood sugar, Viv, and we both know that isn’t good.’
He laughed and led her to a black door in one of the side streets, revealing a glass-fronted elegant-looking restaurant.
Viv frowned and did a double-take. ‘Is this place a secret? It looks a little out of place.’
He tapped the side of his nose. ‘It’s a closely guarded secret. The food in here is brilliant. You asked for sea bass and you won’t find better.’
He opened the door and they were greeted by a head waiter who took Viv’s jacket and led them to a pristine table, covered in a white linen tablecloth. He took their drinks order then left them with menus and Viv leaned across the table towards Duc. ‘Uh-oh, I look at a tablecloth like this and want to take bets on how long it will take me to spill something on it.’
He shook his head. ‘Well, you look the part, now you just have to act the part.’
Her eyes widened in mock horror. ‘How dare you?’
He shrugged. ‘It’s payback. You told me to man up a few weeks ago.’
She smiled. This was them. This was the way they always had been, and she instantly felt relaxed again. The last few weeks had been...odd.
She knew Duc was under enormous strain, but there had something weird in the air between them too. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was moments like this that made her realise just how deep their friendship was cemented and that filled her with relief.
The waiter arrived with their drinks then took their order. Viv glanced around. The restaurant was busy, but it wasn’t noisy. There was kind of a quiet ambience, people spoke and laughed quietly, giving the place an intimacy that wasn’t apparent from the glass frontage. It was clear just from looking around that the clientele were wealthy. Hanoi was a real mixed bag, with pockets of real wealth and real poverty, and Viv wondered if she really fitted in here.
She lifted her glass of wine to Duc. ‘Let’s have a toast.’
He nodded and picked up his glass too. ‘What are we drinking to?’
She grinned. ‘Well, last time around we were in a beach bar, with bottles of—quite possibly—the worst beer we’d ever tasted.’ She blinked and pressed her lips together. ‘I think we toasted new beginnings then.’
He sucked in a breath. He’d been due to start at the Philadelphia hospital, and she’d just got a new job in London at that point. They’d met for a crazy week in Ibiza, which was blurry around the edges.
She gave a sigh. ‘I think I spent most of that week in those denim shorts.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Or that black bikini. Did it finally die a death due to overuse?’
She laughed again. ‘It went where all my clothes go to die—the tumble dryer!’
He held up his wine and mimicked her Scottish accent. ‘If it cannae go in the tumble dryer there’s no point havin’ it!’
She was still holding her glass up. ‘Is that going to be our toast?’
He shook his head, the laughter leaving his eyes. ‘No. I guess we should stick to the original. New beginnings. It seems kind of apt, in an entirely different way.’
She swallowed and nodded her head. He looked serious now for the first time since they’d got in here. She wished she could take away the black cloud that seemed to have settled around Duc’s shoulders from the first instant she’d arrived. She’d wanted to steal back a moment of the old Duc. The one who made her laugh until her sides ached. Who was happy to stay up until three in the morning discussing the latest sci-fi series and where it had all gone wrong.
Would she ever get that back? Her insides ached at the thought. Bereavement changed people. Of course it did. She knew that. She’d never been the same girl after her own adoptive parents had died. But witnessing her best friend being so out of his depth was hard. Duc had always been capable and more than competent. Ambitious and dedicated, with an edge of fun. Right now, only glimmers of the real Duc were shining through. She knew he was there. She just had to try and bring him back.
She lifted her glass and clinked it against his. ‘To new beginnings. For both of us.’
His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes as he lifted his glass to his lips.
The waiter appeared and sat down their plates in front of them. Sea bass with sizzled ginger, chilli and spring onions on a bed of noodles for Viv, and Vietnamese marinated flank steak for Duc. He closed his eyes for a few seconds while he was eating and let out a moan. ‘Mmm... I’d forgotten just how good this place was.’
‘You come here a lot?’ The sea bass was delicious, tasting just as good as its succulent aroma.
He nodded. ‘Every time I’ve been back.’ He never added anything else and a wave of something washed over her.
‘With your mum and dad?’
He gave a slow nod. She could see that memories were filling his head. He gave a visible shake and picked up his glass again. ‘And with friends, sometimes visiting doctors, trying to tempt them to stay.’
Viv looked around with a smile. ‘Ah, so this is the charm machine.’
‘The what?’ He looked amused.
She held out her hands. ‘The place where you do all your schmoozing.’ She looked around again with an appreciative nod then frowned and looked back at him. ‘Should I be offended this is the first time you’ve brought me? I’ve visited you here more than once.’
Duc pulled a face, realising he was in trouble. ‘I’ve never needed to schmooze you before. Because...’ he paused for a second ‘...you’re Viv.’
She took another bite of her fish. ‘I’m not sure whether to be offended or complimented.’
She held her cutlery at either side of her plate. ‘I feel cheated. Others have been wined and dined. I’ve been bought the occasional beer.’
‘Uh-oh. Are you about to renegotiate your contract?’
‘You need to give me one first,’ she quipped. ‘And this fish...’ she pointed her fork down at the plate ‘...has to be a compulsory part of it. A restaurant visit on a weekly basis will have to be part of my contract.’ She raised one eyebrow, pausing for a second as their gazes connected. ‘If you still want me to stay, that is.’
She wasn’t quite sure where it had come from. Or why she would say it now. But she’d dropped everything t
o be here for Duc. And the truth was she had no real job security. No guarantee. She’d learned early on in life to be self-sufficient. For Viv, that always meant dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. Every lease was double-checked. Contracts were in her hand before she gave notice at the last job. Insurance was always in place. She’d more or less thrown all that out of the window to be here for Duc.
But something else was unsettling her. It had been since she’d got here—but she hadn’t quite been able to put her finger on it. They’d always been so easy around each other. So comfortable. She’d put the strange feeling down to Duc being upset at losing his parents. But the more she was around him, she realised it wasn’t just him. It was her too. Things just felt different between them. And the truth was it scared her. Running away was what she did best—but she’d never run from Duc before.
Duc froze. ‘Of course I want you to stay. Why would you say that?’
She lowered her gaze and started pushing her food around the plate. ‘I don’t know. You’ve seen the lawyer now. You know what lies ahead. We’ve made some plans. Maybe you think you can take things forward yourself?’
He put his cutlery down and leaned towards her. ‘Are you crazy? Why on earth do you think I don’t need you? I need you more than ever.’
She gave a slow nod. Some reassurance swept through her, along with an unexpected squeeze of her heart. Everything just felt so unsettled right now.
His gaze narrowed but his voice was laced with anxiety. ‘You’ve only been here a few weeks. You can’t be ready to move on already. You just told me that you love this place.’
She bit her lip. ‘I do. But you know me, I never stay anywhere for long.’
‘Most places you give at least six months.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘The other place—the one you were working at. Do they expect you back?’ The worry on his face was evident.
She almost choked on her fish. ‘Are you kidding? I think I’ve burnt my bridges there. Leaving without giving proper notice?’
