Tickle Stories

story_arc Ten Set 03 [index]

Prompt: spell / original characters
Words: 1035

Everything seemed pretty ordinary, up until the end.


Tala wasn’t thinking much about it when they first made plans. Actually, she might have been the first one to mention meeting up over lunch or dinner and everyone had been so busy she almost forgot about it. She wasn’t thinking much about it either when he said he’s the local so he’ll know a good place to eat and he’ll just pick her up at six-thirty. Anyway, she has the worst luck with picking restaurants that she was more than happy to give up that responsibility. It’s always best when other people make plans and she only has to tag along.

She was quite impressed with this restaurant at a peak, where you could see a good evening view of the city below. She wasn’t that well-traveled so she hasn’t seen a lot of cities, nor does she regularly enjoy good views, so this was a pleasant break from the ordinary. Daniel was either good at choosing restaurants, or good at showing off.

“Never eat here before, right?” he asked, as a waiter brought them to a table.

She shook her head. “I didn’t even know there was a restaurant up here.” She was really lucky to hitch a ride, too, since the nearest bus stop wasn’t really that near.

Even before they were handed the menu, Tala already decided to order the most affordable option. For a place with a view, food surely won’t be cheap. She got the fish and chips while Daniel ordered steak. Steak, so tempting, but she should save, she should save… It doesn’t matter. Whatever she ordered will be better than her usual dinner.

“I thought Kannika’s coming. Don’t want her to say bojio later.” She can't complain that she wasn't invited, since she was part of the chat group who planned this.

Daniel laughed. “Bojio? Impressive! Really sounding local.”

“Blending in is my specialty,” she grinned mischievously. "Besides, I've been here three months already."

“Three months only? Really cannot underestimate.”

She shook her head and laughed.

“Kannika just said something came up at work, and I didn’t ask,” he said, finally answering her question. Actually it was Kannika who finally made plans for them to have dinner that week. Kannika picked the date and Daniel picked the place, and Tala just agreed.

It didn’t take long for the food to arrive. She’s a bit hungry now, and she’d been looking forward to dinner since lunch ended and she made no effort to hide that enthusiasm.

“I see your love for food hasn’t changed.” Was that a compliment?

“Good, right?”

It’s been four years since she’d been back to this city so naturally they didn’t run out of topics to talk about over dinner. They weren’t in the same circles when they were at uni, but she still remembered some students from their community service group. She learned that he was in Australia for a while after graduation and just returned a year ago. He sounded so accomplished just after four years. She really should work harder!

The fish batter tasted good and the chips were crisp. It was a much bigger serving than she's used to, but she didn't want to waste food so she tried her best to finish as much as she could. Between eating and chatting, Tala was a little surprised when it’s been two hours since they sat down. She felt like it was a good time to go when he asked, “Want to grab dessert after this?”

She didn’t even have to know what dessert he had in mind. “Yes!” She always made room for dessert.

The waiter brought the bill and she pulled out her wallet. Daniel shook his head. “No need.”

“But —”

“It’s a welcome dinner, just late,” he said as he handed the bill with his card back to the waiter.

She mumbled a thanks. Won’t it be weird if she just let him pay? It wasn’t a cheap meal, and it’s not like she imagined they’d meet often for her to treat the next round. But it’s also embarrassing to argue over the bill so she felt like she had to relent. Never say no to free food, she told herself. You never know when blessings will come.

“Then dessert is on me,” she said instead.

Tala stopped thinking much about it because she’d found a way to balance the books somehow. She didn’t think much about it when they drove all the way to the opposite side of the city for ice cream, nor did she think about how the shop was closed because it was late and they had to walk to another nearby ice cream place to get their sugar fix. She didn’t think much when he brought her home, because friends do that much. But it confused her when he asked to walk her to her flat, even if it was just on the 2nd floor and she only needed to take two flights of stairs. It’s not like anyone’s going to mug her in the minute it takes to go up, open her door, and get to her room. Singapore is such a safe city, isn't walking to her doorstep a bit excessive?

She couldn’t think much about it when she reached her floor because he was right behind and she wasn’t sure if this was normal. “Uh, this is my place,” she said, feeling silly because it really was just a few steps from the stairs and there was absolutely no need to walk her all the way. “Thanks again!”

She doesn’t even remember how she said good bye after that, because she started wondering if that was weird, or if that was normal. It was already so late so she couldn't have invited him in for tea or a drink. She tried not to think too much about it when she washed up and got ready for bed because she still has to wake up early to get to work tomorrow.

She still tried not to think too much about it as she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep. Really, walk all the way to the front door? 

She must be lucky to have such a gentleman friend.

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Notes; it’s been so, so long since I tried writing fiction. I’m so rusty I feel like I write like a twelve year old. This is also the first time I’m exploring my characters. This ended up being set years after university, which was the original setting I had in mind. I first tried writing Tala and Luis during their uni days, but after my third failed attempt I wrote Tala and Daniel four years later instead.

Things didn’t go as originally planned but it’s the first day of the new year, after all, and I’m just glad I got to write something. As Viola from ‘She’s the Man’ said, flow is flow.