“Are you listening?”
Harmon crossed the street without missing a beat.Sal had no choice but to hurry and catch up with him.His legs were so long, but he kept pace beside her as they walked through the pedestrian crossing.When they set foot on the other side of the road, Sal was so irritated she was close to grabbing the heavy grocery bags away from him.But Harmon pulled her gently by the wrist to the side of a building so the ongoing rush of commuters wouldn’t run into her.That’s when Sal felt a slight drizzle on her head.It was just about to rain, and she hadn’t brought an umbrella with her.
Harmon led the way, and they took shelter in a building.“There’s a ramen shop just around this corner.We could eat there until the rain stops.”
Sal placed her hands on her hips and shook her head.“I told you I don’t have time for this.And you don’t need to make it up to me.”
“Very well.But right now, you’re about to get soaking wet.You catching a cold and delaying the canvassing of museums is something I don’t have time for either,” he said with a stern expression.
Sal thought about her options as he paced away with those long legs toward the alleged ramen shop.Eventually, she picked up the pace and trailed behind him, cursing herself for not bringing an umbrella.
***
The staff ushered them to the bar, where they sat next to each other.Harmon placed the grocery bags on the ground just next to his feet.“I’ll get the bestseller and a beer, please,” Harmon said to the server.
“I’ll get the classic ramen, no egg, and just water on the side, please,” Sal added.The ramen shop looked quaint, clean, and minimalist with its warm wood panels and stoneware dishes.The fragrant smell of pork broth and deep-fried gyoza wafted through the air.Clanking pots and pans and people slurping their hot ramen sounded in unison.Her stomach grumbled at all the sensations that surrounded her.
There was a cooler-fridge with a glass door opposite them on the other side of the bar.It showed their reflections if one peered long enough at it.Sal studied Harmon.The translucent glass did just enough to frame the lines of his oval-shaped face.
What was his play?This was the last thing she thought he’d ask of her.Just a few weeks ago, she was seething with rage at him; now they were beside each other in a ramen restaurant.Sal never ate out with a man who wasn’t her fiancé.She had to come up with a good reason to leave, and quickly.“I’ll have to go right away after.Willow might get worried if I don’t get back in time,” she said, using Willow as an excuse.
A server handed them glasses and a pitcher of water.Harmon poured water for both himself and Sal.“Why not just text her?”he said.
“I don’t have a phone.”
He set the pitcher down.“Why?”he asked, turning toward her and resting one elbow on the bar.“Did you leave it?”
Sal fiddled with the base of her glass.“It’s a long story,” she said, watching the cool droplets form and fall to the table.
“Well, it looks like the rain will take long.”He took a sip of his water.“Regale me with your unfortunate circumstances,” he taunted, placing the glass down perfectly on its coaster.
“I lost it.”She let out a flustered exhale, blowing her wispy bangs ever so slightly into the air.
“You lost it?Or was it stolen?”he asked in a leading tone.
She frowned and turned toward him, her arms crossed over her chest.“How did you—?”
“You stitched up the slash well, but I can still see the stress on the leather,” he interrupted, his eyes traveling to her tote bag.
“Well, yes.Someone stole it,” she admitted and rolled her eyes.“Ha-ha.I bet you’re secretly leering inside.”
“I don’t find joy in other people’s misfortunes.”
There was something so earnest in his tone it felt disconcerting, maybe because she had painted a picture of how evil he was.“But you just asked me to tell you about my unfortunate circumstances,” she said, mocking his voice, and looked him square in the eye.“Who even talks like that?”
Harmon looked like he was going to crack a smile or grimace.He sucked air through his teeth before he responded.“It was a joke.”
“I didn’t know you could joke.”
“That’s because you would have hated me the moment I offered to buy Autumn Town.”He tilted his head, a small smirk forming.
“Can you blame me?”she said, arms still interlocked over her chest.Thank goodness she’d worn her cropped jean jacket.It suddenly felt chilly.
Harmon turned away for a moment and looked to the ground.“I can’t blame you.But it’s only fair that I get what’s mine.It’s just as straightforward as that,” he said with his head still bowed.
“Is it a habit for you to underestimate your rivals?”she asked.
“To say we are rivals is to say we are equals.”
