The tapping of his fingers onto the desk must have gone on for quiet a while. It was close to lunch time and Leo didn't seem to notice the time.351Please respect copyright.PENANAJY9TrmNmDK
351Please respect copyright.PENANARhZDUX2OqB
A knock came at the door, and Leo didn't seem to hear it at first, til it became louder. He jerked in his seat and sat up like he had just woken up from a dream.351Please respect copyright.PENANAAfAl8RfHGh
351Please respect copyright.PENANAixeSldwKE0
"Hello, Mr. McDonell?" came a female voice behind the door. "Are you in there?"
"Damn it," Leo muttered quietly to himself. "You can come in, Grace."351Please respect copyright.PENANAmMf1KZs8Ei
351Please respect copyright.PENANAcnG5UUUEAn
The door flew open and a young short lady with blonde hair, tied in a bun and glasses over her blue eyes, came into the room. She wore a white blouse with a black skirt and matching black high heeled shoes that made her look a bit taller. She had a blue file in her hand.351Please respect copyright.PENANAytsxw4fzq0
351Please respect copyright.PENANAbri0RlpIMU
"Yes, Grace, how may I help you?" Leo asked as he rubbed his eyes.351Please respect copyright.PENANAH5ctHH7SVr
351Please respect copyright.PENANAiRtl2lYNHH
"Were you asleep, sir?" Grace asked as she slowly approached his desk.351Please respect copyright.PENANAGfQejv3QKb
351Please respect copyright.PENANAm7ohg7jXDS
"No, not really." Leo looked around his desk as though he was looking for something, then he went on to look at Grace.351Please respect copyright.PENANAUjyyzLrMtK
351Please respect copyright.PENANAXEY4sZ9fJF
"I was just asking because you weren't answering the door and your secretary assured me that you were still in your office."351Please respect copyright.PENANAwJSMLrusJi
351Please respect copyright.PENANAcQtmueOdCK
"Is she still at her desk?"351Please respect copyright.PENANAItemSh9qbe
351Please respect copyright.PENANAk8AmbtdqNV
"I saw her heading out for lunch." Grace looked carefully at Leo. "You do know what time it is, right?"351Please respect copyright.PENANA4kiRQi0Z82
351Please respect copyright.PENANAqkbntmFVFO
Leo tried not to look surprised as he stared at the silver round clock seated on his desk beside his computer. He completely lost track of time that he felt like muttering to himself of how much of an idiot he was.351Please respect copyright.PENANAAAz66VA9E8
351Please respect copyright.PENANA0prYo6VeBT
"I simply lost track of time," he humbly admitted as he looked back at Grace, trying to keep his cool. He sometimes lost his temper in front of his colleagues. But today, he felt like it wasn't necessary.351Please respect copyright.PENANAwbL2BK8M4x
351Please respect copyright.PENANARMjtv5Uecr
"You look tired. Are you okay?"351Please respect copyright.PENANATl6GdheKzH
351Please respect copyright.PENANAlnTzTQKm0y
"I'm fine. Just had a few things on my mind, that's all."351Please respect copyright.PENANAtUX3B07Vdp
351Please respect copyright.PENANAwRwR6Aa23j
"You should go out for fresh air. It looks like you need it."351Please respect copyright.PENANAtpHeRDlt8A
351Please respect copyright.PENANAc8dDmL8itT
Leo wanted to smile at the kind suggestion, but the thought of Angel working with him made his mind go dark and gloomy again.351Please respect copyright.PENANAJHaab0BVFx
351Please respect copyright.PENANA605oEP3qLX
He soon stood up from his seat and Grace took a step back, thinking that she might have struck a nerve.351Please respect copyright.PENANA6JpgK0XNIx
351Please respect copyright.PENANAZU367Ratyn
"I'll try," Leo said as he picked up his phone on the table. "Though going out for fresh air really isn't my cup of tea."351Please respect copyright.PENANA5u8mwzecUA
351Please respect copyright.PENANAuY0pD1aqNP
Grace smiled at him as she relaxed. "You will enjoy it, sir. Before you go, your father isn't back yet and I needed him to sign this document."351Please respect copyright.PENANAUHt3SvoGcx
351Please respect copyright.PENANAr83se8TVAD
"Huh?" Leo raised his eyebrow. "My father isn't back yet?"351Please respect copyright.PENANAz4ZhHL2Whj
351Please respect copyright.PENANAgkVpIiQi2c
"No." Grace shook her head. "So, I called him and he told me to give it to you to sign it."351Please respect copyright.PENANA1Ma8F7aUKi
351Please respect copyright.PENANAwpSytLCMrH
Leo stretched out his hand and Grace, likewise, gave him the file. He quickly opened the file and skimmed through the document. After familiarising himself with it, he put the file on the table, took the pen and signed it. He straightened up and gave the file back to Grace.351Please respect copyright.PENANAfY0Zs5V2j4
351Please respect copyright.PENANAVeVidWZerZ
"Thank you, sir," said Grace as she quickly walked out of the office, closing the door behind her.351Please respect copyright.PENANAFElCHOcQxU
351Please respect copyright.PENANATqeplNwQkI
Leo couldn't help but wonder how he's father had not yet returned to the office. It was so unlike him.351Please respect copyright.PENANAG67CTKSH4S
351Please respect copyright.PENANAuqs5Fe7ruj
With the phone in his other hand, Leo decided to call him. But before he could do so, the door flew open and Eric came into his office.351Please respect copyright.PENANAmTdiobPlzM
351Please respect copyright.PENANAZorr1iprfX
"You should be knocking when you're coming here, Eric," said Leo as he looked up at his cousin.351Please respect copyright.PENANAZzmJzbAWQq
351Please respect copyright.PENANAu8W4t3e2RR
"Sorry," said Eric apologetically. "I always knock on your door, it's just today is kind of-"351Please respect copyright.PENANA2E4JV26M9Z
351Please respect copyright.PENANARI42BwTiTj
"-different?" Leo finished his sentence.351Please respect copyright.PENANAFGHK6IjVLa
351Please respect copyright.PENANAcKvyVWvuXR
"Yep. So are you coming with me for lunch?" Eric asked.351Please respect copyright.PENANADt4AKeQcFt
351Please respect copyright.PENANA8igD4Nqzth
"Nah, I think I'll skip lunch today."351Please respect copyright.PENANAQClJBPt96f
351Please respect copyright.PENANARXhLGdh00U
Eric raised an eyebrow at his cousin. "Are you sure?" he asked. "You seem to need it more than I do."351Please respect copyright.PENANAYs4mQmwhe4
351Please respect copyright.PENANAUTLte2BtCA
"Why do you say that?"351Please respect copyright.PENANABb8Y6RoRMA
351Please respect copyright.PENANAyJWMgTPb3y
"Because you look famished. I just passed Grace in the hall and she said you looked sick or something."351Please respect copyright.PENANAvETfMewUtx
351Please respect copyright.PENANAMNjm81Urps
Leo rubbed his forehead with his free hand. "I've been thinking a lot, that's why."351Please respect copyright.PENANAke1EEjyRpu
351Please respect copyright.PENANAORadRtkiWT
Eric's eyes lit up. "Wait..., is it because of Angel? You're still worried about her working here?"351Please respect copyright.PENANAEgrMllkX2f
351Please respect copyright.PENANAL9qo9BPbC2
Leo shrugged his shoulders. "Well, what do you expect when you came here talking about her in the first place?"351Please respect copyright.PENANALcPjfNBRtH
351Please respect copyright.PENANA1WVfnVlVh0
Eric shook his head as he pinched his eyes with his index finger and thumb. "This is why I said you should go to a therapist. You can't hate someone who hasn't offended you."351Please respect copyright.PENANAJhqmt1MFIf
351Please respect copyright.PENANAgOrGsaxtHy
"What are you saying? Of course she has."351Please respect copyright.PENANAE8WuFV47uG
351Please respect copyright.PENANAIIFlKSdOE5
Eric folded his arms. "Okay, apart from the time when she attacked you at the club because you were making love to her sister, mention any other time when she did you wrong."351Please respect copyright.PENANAULHxLO1qrZ
351Please respect copyright.PENANA4AilkWG9Hc
Leo looked at Eric with a murderous look. He didn't have to think of anything because he knew he had none. Eric always had a way of getting to him when he wanted to.351Please respect copyright.PENANAmgx1OHeJSz
351Please respect copyright.PENANAkcmBiti8cI
Leo ended up shaking his head admitting defeat and said, "fine. You win this time. But that doesn't mean she plots behind my back."351Please respect copyright.PENANA3LkUeDPFxd
351Please respect copyright.PENANAcEM5hBlUJ5
"You don't even have proof of that," said Eric as he started to chuckle. "You're just being paranoid."351Please respect copyright.PENANARzBh15AaLW
351Please respect copyright.PENANAj5kijUrbzZ
Leo shook his head as he walked round his table. "I'm so done with you. Let's go. Arguing with you makes me hungry."351Please respect copyright.PENANAffaSOdrS7D
351Please respect copyright.PENANA0Mo8kRtnbY
Leo started to walk out of his office with Eric right behind him. When the two stepped out, Leo locked the door.351Please respect copyright.PENANAxkzu1a0Z5k
351Please respect copyright.PENANAIKGmCPFTAc
"Since you really need to eat something," said Eric, "you can suggest where we can go for lunch."351Please respect copyright.PENANAXIBAzv4KD2
351Please respect copyright.PENANAWGExKhXXHJ
"First let me make a call to my dad. Can you imagine that he hasn't shown up to the office?"351Please respect copyright.PENANAS3OgXpAowI
351Please respect copyright.PENANAbC8nSXlxKS
"Maybe he is still helping Carly out with her college transfer. You know how these things take time sometimes."351Please respect copyright.PENANA8hSq6YcDPg
351Please respect copyright.PENANAvgD1kYHKd9
"Ya, but it's lunch time and he should have called me first if he was going to arrive late."351Please respect copyright.PENANAEJlsMnbd3Q
351Please respect copyright.PENANARLtYXtJaB7
"He probably just forgot. You can give him a call as we head out of here. I'm starving."351Please respect copyright.PENANAOQLErkMOcN
351Please respect copyright.PENANAIqDaX9CkpJ
Leo would've said something over Eric's appetite, but he was too worried about his father to even care. The two made their way towards the elevator while Leo dialed his father's number on his phone and called. He put the phone to his ear as Eric reached the elevator first and pressed the button to summon it.351Please respect copyright.PENANAaoSewkefI9
351Please respect copyright.PENANAFIsoTOFPmK
Mr. McDonell answered the call upon the first ring and Leo was relieved.351Please respect copyright.PENANAe4PKrhfR8E
351Please respect copyright.PENANAMUEFsBRPaj
"Leo, hey," came his father's voice. "Is anything wrong at the office?"351Please respect copyright.PENANAzTs2YMAv0K
351Please respect copyright.PENANAsa6gIquxRa
"No, nothing's wrong," Leo replied. The elevator doors in front of him flew open and Eric stepped in first with Leo following slowly behind him. "Grace told me that you weren't around and I thought of checking up on you."351Please respect copyright.PENANAOJXctEvgXN
351Please respect copyright.PENANAdCe9AKkaZa
"Oh, I'm fine, son. There is no need to worry."351Please respect copyright.PENANAOlXHwTGqxY
351Please respect copyright.PENANAMpjwgzgypi
"Where are you anyway?" Eric pressed the button to the ground floor and the doors closed. They soon felt the elevator start to move.351Please respect copyright.PENANAw1RM2LZqVT
351Please respect copyright.PENANArL6niW6Hdx
"Oh..., me?" Mr. McDonell seemed surprised by the question. "I decided to go for a walk in Central park, that's all."351Please respect copyright.PENANA2bblHqUdVW
351Please respect copyright.PENANAl4SAP654qE
"I was worried when Grace told me you hadn't shown up to the office." Leo looked over at Eric who was staring at his own two feet.351Please respect copyright.PENANAR8I778tGsF
351Please respect copyright.PENANAbuNtCi970a
"You don't need to worry, son, I'm fine. Walking is good for me and I really need it today. I'll be back in the office as soon as lunch hour is over."351Please respect copyright.PENANAtqiPZTnWpe
351Please respect copyright.PENANAkQVDEDqch2
"Okay, see you later, then." Leo cut the call.351Please respect copyright.PENANAoXnhhS3OgU
351Please respect copyright.PENANA9IP0EyxjjY
The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. Eric turned to look at Leo.351Please respect copyright.PENANAmMXP9jRw1H
351Please respect copyright.PENANAX81SNowM1d
"So, where is he?" Eric asked Leo as they both walked out of the elevator.351Please respect copyright.PENANAbMzX47tHUs
351Please respect copyright.PENANAqCv1dGf4iQ
"He's taking a walk in Central park," Leo asked as they passed a few people down in the lobby.351Please respect copyright.PENANAt5StaJRWVj
351Please respect copyright.PENANA4VFOnNPbkv
"Ah, you see. There was nothing to worry about."351Please respect copyright.PENANArufndXmHTM
351Please respect copyright.PENANAYdgKkNtz4l
"Ya, there wasn't."351Please respect copyright.PENANApFIDf1yhHh
351Please respect copyright.PENANAG6QDNek8hR
The two cousins stepped out through the large glass doors of the building, passing the doorman that stood guard.351Please respect copyright.PENANAuhgPlV9ANc
351Please respect copyright.PENANAFStHtzOEBJ
"That reminds me," said Eric as they turned down the street on the sidewalk, "which restaurant are we going to?"351Please respect copyright.PENANAfuAsZpga2A
351Please respect copyright.PENANABWpgjmPYd5
"Can't we have junk food for a change?" Leo asked as he put his phone in the pocket and left his hand in it.351Please respect copyright.PENANAsQXjqf0xNF
351Please respect copyright.PENANAHcG7H0FSZx
Eric looked at his cousin as they walked, careful enough not to bump into anyone coming in from the opposite direction and those in front of him who walked too slow. He looked surprised.351Please respect copyright.PENANAeTqjYojfJV
351Please respect copyright.PENANAwSYB8Gm0qD
"Did you just say you want to eat junk food?" Eric asked. "Minutes ago, you said you weren't hungry."351Please respect copyright.PENANANtA1S6ZqYD
351Please respect copyright.PENANAnI5KzTCFdb
"I've changed my mind. Am I on a diet so as not to eat junk?" Leo asked.351Please respect copyright.PENANAY79mOb05JR
351Please respect copyright.PENANAynmDcoR5rC
"Not that I know of." They were soon near the traffic lights with many other civilians at the zebra crossing, waiting for the walk traffic light to turn on.351Please respect copyright.PENANAmdMnBGL017
351Please respect copyright.PENANAQ2GRhFXPTA
"What's wrong with eating junk food, then?"351Please respect copyright.PENANAXzSTiRFApQ
351Please respect copyright.PENANAILqroXRZzG
Eric thought about it for a second but he had to cross the road with Leo and the other pedestrians as soon as the traffic lights turned red for the cars to stop and the green walk sign turned on for the pedestrians. As soon as they reached the other side of the crossing and the cars that stopped were finally on the move behind them, Eric gave his reply:351Please respect copyright.PENANAzR5BHV63N9
351Please respect copyright.PENANABostoLz7Sq
"There's nothing wrong with it. I'm just worried that you might grow fat. Besides, the only reason why I'm concerned is because you like going to fancy restaurants and eating salads all the time."351Please respect copyright.PENANA8dzsJItFS3
351Please respect copyright.PENANAMAPy5biYBa
"I know," said Leo as they passed by a coffee shop and the strong smell of coffee flew onto the street when a lady, opened the door to enter the cafe. "I don't know how to explain it, but I'm really in a mood for it right now."351Please respect copyright.PENANAnRLidyueOY
351Please respect copyright.PENANA8drx3joRGA
"Okay, if you say so. But if you gain a pound after this, don't blame me."351Please respect copyright.PENANA4G0A2MZVj1
351Please respect copyright.PENANAWRm3DCULUb
Leo turned to look at Eric, walking beside him. "Admit it, you want to eat junk food way more than I do."351Please respect copyright.PENANA1gzW76R7hx
351Please respect copyright.PENANAuT3a9VDy04
"Mind you, I love junk. I'm just surprised you want to join in on the fun. And I know exactly where to go. There's this amazing place where they sell the best burgers."351Please respect copyright.PENANAOqrMOdJJsG
351Please respect copyright.PENANArkl5SOoodq
"Great, let's go."351Please respect copyright.PENANANcHSr5v65k
351Please respect copyright.PENANAGsvtbjlhxI
***351Please respect copyright.PENANAZwfkofjUe4
351Please respect copyright.PENANATZG84ztG2T
"Comfortable?" Mark asked after Angel sat on the chair he had just pulled out for her.351Please respect copyright.PENANAJbiL5mws24
351Please respect copyright.PENANAjDG9JlxQXf
"Yes, thank you," Angel replied as she smiled up at him.351Please respect copyright.PENANAoeH5fMPlG8
351Please respect copyright.PENANA4F4u0opWC2
"Good." Mark gave her a smile and he went to sit on the other side of the table.351Please respect copyright.PENANAnFYGEb0hlg
351Please respect copyright.PENANAXpfEqyH35e
Angel went on ahead to look at her surrounding a little more. They were at an outdoor restaurant. As much as it was outdoors, the place was luxurious with the open roof above them filled with green creepers and tiny bulbs above them to make the scene around them look beautiful and a little intimate. The wooden tables were covered with white table cloths and above them were little bulbs in shape of candles with little green creepers and white flowers. Angel liked the way the restaurant made her feel. She felt like she was in a fairytale.351Please respect copyright.PENANAw3nalNicp3
351Please respect copyright.PENANAJkxOwY3Q8h
"I see you like the place," Mark said, bringing her attention back to him.351Please respect copyright.PENANAq0TenfQcte
351Please respect copyright.PENANA6oXRu8aJOr
"Yes, it's really lovely," said Angel.351Please respect copyright.PENANAvucqoqc9TN
351Please respect copyright.PENANAQWAUT112e4
"We should order." Mark lifted the navy blue menu in front of him and opened it. "What would you like to have?"351Please respect copyright.PENANAiryoux6pJs
351Please respect copyright.PENANAdnE3LoVKYk
Angel also took hold of the menu and looked at it. It had been a long time since she had visited a fancy restaurant that she forgot about some delicate cuisines that most exquisite restaurants liked to serve. She smiled to herself when she noticed one of the meals she enjoyed on the menu.351Please respect copyright.PENANAs9Fyn1mb8a
351Please respect copyright.PENANAdEHeEjda46
"What is it?" Mark asked as he looked up from his menu and noticed Angel smiling.351Please respect copyright.PENANAUI4OPtGW6Z
351Please respect copyright.PENANA7KWObXx9Df
"Nothing," Angel replied, still smiling. "I realised I haven't had a ratatouille in like.., forever."351Please respect copyright.PENANAMCBeUJz4We
351Please respect copyright.PENANAFuQJ2z4Yzu
"Looks like you know your french cuisines." Mark smiled charmingly at her.351Please respect copyright.PENANAkmual3wDQB
351Please respect copyright.PENANAZvwnUBrUmX
"There was a time when I was on a date and my boyfriend made me try it out. Goodness, it was magnificent."351Please respect copyright.PENANAbv1pE2Mhch
351Please respect copyright.PENANAKEta9Ul673
"You dated?" Mark looked surprised.351Please respect copyright.PENANAeP74h9AbO9
351Please respect copyright.PENANA6WBVoX3mak
"Ya, but he wasn't the best of boyfriends," said Angel as she went back to looking at the menu. "The ratatouille can be a good starter. Just saying."351Please respect copyright.PENANAPBjFqylhX3
351Please respect copyright.PENANAAXp3IQ5TnW
Mark continued to look at Angel and she didn't seem to notice. It was only moments later when she looked at him and caught him staring.351Please respect copyright.PENANAMKeCQycozu
351Please respect copyright.PENANAZpHxHTNb5m
"What is it?" Angel asked.351Please respect copyright.PENANAFiedgYWbxg
351Please respect copyright.PENANAc0STk2e668
"Nothing," he said as he dropped his menu. "I wonder what the guy thought of letting you go."351Please respect copyright.PENANAHdUwaLIzcf
351Please respect copyright.PENANAj8D0MKZbwb
Angel raised an eyebrow at him as she put the menu back down on the table. "That was three years ago. I caught him cheating on me and so..., just like everything that stays in the past..., it's history."351Please respect copyright.PENANA7U5sa3H5xk
351Please respect copyright.PENANApCDTXr9CI0
"Well, I think he's a fool letting you go."351Please respect copyright.PENANAU8f0j6d2nD
351Please respect copyright.PENANAuX5C5g9r5j
Angel looked up at the green creepers over her and the tiny bright lights. "He made a choice," she said. "Can't blame him. The girl he cheated on me with was very beautiful. I guess that's why."351Please respect copyright.PENANAmNLta8GkJX
351Please respect copyright.PENANAICkWd4uYKw
Mark drew out his hand and placed it above Angel's that was on the table. Angel looked at him.351Please respect copyright.PENANAr2cgGpanWz
351Please respect copyright.PENANAH6o00YwxJ0
"He was too blind to notice how beautiful you are," he said. "You look heavenly, like an angel."351Please respect copyright.PENANAHBPTHtQzxT
351Please respect copyright.PENANAtSgatvamsq
Angel smiled. "Stop it," she said, her cheeks starting to heat up. "I know you're only saying that to try and make me feel better."351Please respect copyright.PENANAMrs07jJP6s
351Please respect copyright.PENANAHxZ1xpmJPk
"Maybe. But I'm speaking the truth and you know it. I bet am not the first man to ever tell you that."351Please respect copyright.PENANAHRJk7SepGx
351Please respect copyright.PENANAHS020qy6SA
Angel shook her head. "No, you aren't."351Please respect copyright.PENANAv7zHRujXlF
351Please respect copyright.PENANA37WAlNLtiu
Mark withdrew his hand. "Let's not talk about him." He lifted his hand to catch the attention of a waiter nearby. A lean blonde young man came to the table all dressed in a black shirt, a black pair of trousers, with matching black shoes and a black half apron round his waist.351Please respect copyright.PENANAQJ5njJjkkw
351Please respect copyright.PENANAzCU5GxXmZN
"Ready to take your order, sir?" the man asked politely with a gentle smile on his face.351Please respect copyright.PENANA8CpCChgl8V
351Please respect copyright.PENANATO79CL1J1h
"Yes, please," said Mark as he looked up at the waiter and then he went on to look at Angel. "For a starter, we would like the ratatouille, please."351Please respect copyright.PENANALMGNwu8asM
351Please respect copyright.PENANAhKpbZCjK89
"Coming right up, and would you like a drink while you wait?"351Please respect copyright.PENANA49MkHs8t8T
351Please respect copyright.PENANAwGjNsLXKXN
"Yes, a bottle of your finest wine."351Please respect copyright.PENANASTwBHyith0
351Please respect copyright.PENANApsNzVHPeFf
"Of course," said the waiter as he smiled at both Mark and Angel before leaving them.351Please respect copyright.PENANA9j0UxUxeY7
351Please respect copyright.PENANAeyxQpuIHuG
"We're having wine?" Angel asked with a questioning look on her face.351Please respect copyright.PENANAP3w7e3Jqpl
351Please respect copyright.PENANA74R4dApQwc
"What is it?" Mark asked, this time his face grew a little worried. "Don't you take alcohol?"351Please respect copyright.PENANASKSoOaVVOr
351Please respect copyright.PENANAndpB1KuCcx
"Well...," Angel playfully rolled her eyes up. "I can't say I take alcohol when I drink wine on special occasions." Her eyes flew back to Mark's face.351Please respect copyright.PENANAQ4hWx7RhPD
351Please respect copyright.PENANAg7JMHSfIr0
"Oh," Mark let out a little laugh as he leaned back on his chair. "For a minute there, I thought you didn't take alcohol at all."351Please respect copyright.PENANAaECNsZF7kA
351Please respect copyright.PENANA36slK5SX0F
"I like wine. I don't drink beer or whiskey.., those type of drinks."351Please respect copyright.PENANAdxUyzl42Zr
351Please respect copyright.PENANA2Cy4qPkOmP
"Even scotch?"
"Even scotch." Angel said as she smiled.351Please respect copyright.PENANAJMZKz2LtxX
351Please respect copyright.PENANAAtdeR3lAWO
"Women like you love wine."351Please respect copyright.PENANAtbNhw913jO
351Please respect copyright.PENANAI1NXWKDBhz
"Well, there are other women who love beers, scotch and whiskey...., champagne, maybe a little," Angel shrugged her shoulders.
"True. I'm glad I guessed that you're a wine drinker."351Please respect copyright.PENANAr7bKgHQBnh
351Please respect copyright.PENANAJYnfNkHqHl
"Ha. Just now you thought I didn't even take wine."351Please respect copyright.PENANAlt287N7uYQ
351Please respect copyright.PENANA0uyuiZa3IH
"Because you caught me off guard with that question."351Please respect copyright.PENANAd7WJDlyT9C
351Please respect copyright.PENANAlSf9MOinqy
Angel let out a laugh but one that didn't attract people's attention in the restaurant.351Please respect copyright.PENANAtgLh2oaL41
351Please respect copyright.PENANAJagvfgpD7n
"Ya, I'm sorry about that," said Angel after she gathered her composure. "I just wanted to see your reaction."351Please respect copyright.PENANAwE10flqzTe
351Please respect copyright.PENANAGQWaGDFqP4
Mark had an amused look on his face and he didn't notice how charmingly he smiled at Angel until the waiter came back pushing a serving tray. On it was a black champagne bucket with a bottle of wine in it with ice all around. Alongside the bucket were two wine glasses.351Please respect copyright.PENANAAD3kxS7SdT
351Please respect copyright.PENANAnRAFtgJ0GO
The waiter placed the two glasses in front of Mark and Angel, opened the bottle of wine and poured into the glasses. Afterwards, he placed the bottle back in the bucket, kindly excused himself and walked away.351Please respect copyright.PENANAppCt7dljLn
351Please respect copyright.PENANA6GJCWMVk2P
"Shall we have a toast?" Mark suggested as he held his glass.351Please respect copyright.PENANAn1PT3yktP0
351Please respect copyright.PENANA8PR5WcNcKD
"A toast to what?" Angel asked, her fingers around the stem of her glass.351Please respect copyright.PENANAKUkeQ0S0cE
351Please respect copyright.PENANACVEckM6oUp
"A toast for your health, that's one. And also, for you just being you."351Please respect copyright.PENANASbpeXwKjNC
351Please respect copyright.PENANAOFkerP3qey
Angel smiled. "I will toast to the first one most of all, and the other reason is quite reasonable...., so cheers."351Please respect copyright.PENANAwNCzAlpy2P
351Please respect copyright.PENANAQ9Gxw6GW7w
Their glasses clinked when they touched and they both drank.351Please respect copyright.PENANASyxu7CNoXo
351Please respect copyright.PENANAC1LJIx1JVb
"This is really good," said Angel after she withdrew the brim of the glass from her lips.351Please respect copyright.PENANAXBoontYyxh
351Please respect copyright.PENANAeHkKKbeLzJ
"That's why I ordered the best of the best," said Mark as he put his glass on the table.351Please respect copyright.PENANAd6rd5Jlk6a
351Please respect copyright.PENANAyHhyXmMx8q
"I might end up drinking the whole bottle. But that won't be so ladylike of me."351Please respect copyright.PENANApSAUoY4gYw
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"I should be worried." Mark raised his eyebrow at her. "Do you easily get drunk, Angel Barclay?"351Please respect copyright.PENANAc9eVDZNADt
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Angel took another sip of her wine. "If I have too much, then yes. I can get a little tipsy."351Please respect copyright.PENANA8YnSNWB8pX
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"Then we can take it a little slow, shall we?"
"Slow is good."351Please respect copyright.PENANAPvE9SExK7x
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It didn't take long for their to starter arrive. And as they had their meal, they continued to chat unaware of how much they enjoyed each other's company. But they had more matters to discuss, and they both knew it.351Please respect copyright.PENANAGW47lrjTOs
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***351Please respect copyright.PENANAMwRUrLmott
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The white tulips in his hands smelled fresh and divine as he walked, his eyes focused ahead. The place around him was quiet except for a few words he heard aloud at a distance. As he walked, he turned to the voice and saw a group of people, almost all of them dressed in black, gathered together surrounding a white casket. The person speaking before them was a priest, all dressed in white and purple robes with the Holy Bible in his hands. Those closer to the casket, crying silently and holding tissues to their noses were obviously the family to the deceased.351Please respect copyright.PENANAiXkV2jOxaD
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Death was a sad thing, especially if it happens to take a loved one away from you. But such was life. Death itself was inevitable and it was up to those alive and in the present to move on. Though it's hard for many others to do so.351Please respect copyright.PENANAUSzUerGB65
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As he continued to walk away from the funeral procession and through the neatly arranged tombstones in the graveyard, he approached her grave. There stood a white marble tombstone that he had set up just a day after her burial. He was glad that his wife hadn't visited the graveyard with him. She would have been pissed to see such a magnificent tombstone and would have blamed him for wasting so much money on a dead person.351Please respect copyright.PENANA0qTUOiABQE
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As he got closer, he stood there for a minute as he read her name in big black capital letters. He bended over to put the white tulips on the ground, next to the tombstone. After straightening up, he took a few steps back.351Please respect copyright.PENANADxBgGNQadg
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He sighed as he smiled at the white tulips. If she were here, she would have smiled back at him, taken a sniff out of them and said thank you.351Please respect copyright.PENANA6KDEUfYS2V
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"God, how I've missed you," he muttered to the wind.