While Wendy was still lost in her own thoughts, she overheard a hushed discussion from the assistant teachers in the other room.
“Oh, right! Mr. Taylor didn’t come to campus today either,” the first one chirped up.
“I heard it’s most probably because his mother already quit her job, so he can’t have his way on campus anymore,” the other party explained.
“I wish he’d resign too,” the first one lamented.
“Ugh, exactly. His mother isn’t here anymore, so what’s he still doing here? Desperate, much?” the other party scoffed.
The two of them secretly laughed as they spoke.
She merely knitted her brows and shook her head, forcing herself to get her head out of the clouds.
When the faculty match ended, she ushered a few of her students away from the court.
Howell was walking beside her when he whispered, “Sister Wendy, promise me you’ll help me out with something if our university comes out on top,”
She turned her head to look at him. “What is it?” she probed.
“Something within your capabilities,” he replied cryptically.
“Why do I feel like you’re trying to trick me?” she pouted.
“I would never. Even if I have the means to trick people, I wouldn’t dare trick anyone who’s associated with my brother. My brother is most cunning, and I’d be dead meat if he finds out. So you needn’t worry, I assure you that this isn’t some shady agreement,” he assured her.
“Well, let’s have a chat after you manage to get into the basketball team and win the match then,” she said and rolled her eyes.
“You have to agree to my conditions first. If not, I won’t attend the match tomorrow at noon,” he huffed.
She glared at him. “How dare you threaten me, kid,” she scoffed.
“You know I can only do this when brother isn’t around. So promise me, Sister Wendy. Again, don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’d definitely be up for the task. We’re family, after all, so I promise not to make things difficult for you,” he reassured.
After giving it some thought, she obliged. “Alright… All the best then,” she wished.
He looked pleased at her answer. “Just you wait,” he gloated.
With that, he hurriedly sprinted to catch up with his classmates.
After clocking out in the evening, she phoned Henson up while walking towards the campus gates. “Any cravings tonight?” she asked.
“Anything goes since it’s your treat,” he chuckled.
“Aren’t you the picky type though? You know I can’t afford to go to those high-end places, yet you’ll never give those food trucks a try,” she huffed.
“So long as it’s not at a food truck, and that we have a private room, I’ll be fine with anything,”
“Why a private room?”
“My name has been making the rounds in the news lately, but if you don’t mind getting caught by the papparazi, then I won’t mind eating somewhere that doesn’t have a private room either,”
“I won’t book a private room then. I’ll text you the address later. Come look for me by then,” she said in a mischievous tone after giving it some thought.
After hanging up, she got into Baron’s car which was already parked by the gates.
“Baron, I won’t be going home just yet. Please drive me to a restaurant near the beachside. I know the exact location so I can show you once you reach the area,” she instructed.
“Understood, Miss Evans,” he obliged.
In the meanwhile, Henson followed the address she gave and had arrived at the entrance of a dimly-lit restaurant.
A smile formed on his face as he stepped into the place.
A waiter enthusiastically welcomed him inside. “Do you have a reservation, sir?” they asked.
“Table number 3, under Miss Evans. She’s already here,” he answered.
“Alright, sir. Now, will you please put a hand on my shoulder, so that I may escort you inside,” the waiter requested as he put on a pair of night vision goggles and led him through two doors.
Wendy’s eyes had already adapted to the darkness. After Henson was escorted to her table, she lifted her head to take a look at him with a cutesy smile on her face. It was a shame he couldn’t see it though.
“I’ve already ordered for the both of us,” she announced.
“Nice,” he replied as he took a seat.
After the waiter had left, he inched forward in his seat and joked, “What kind of place is this? I can’t even see you. What are you treating me to?”
“I’m doing this because I don’t want to book a private room and that I don’t want you to be hounded by the paparazzi. Why can’t you acknowledge my efforts,” she huffed.
He frowned as he stood up and slowly made his way to her side by feeling the edges of the table in the dark.
She jumped a little and whispered, “What are you doing here?”
“I’ll have you know that some things are easier to do in the dark,” he teased.
He then put his arm around her shoulders and leaned over to give her a peck on her cheeks. “I’m just happy that you picked out a nice place for us,” he said.
“Don’t you dare, Henson Charles! Last time when Judy brought me here to have a meal, I felt at ease as I couldn’t see anyone. I’ve always wanted to bring you here, but never got a chance to until now.
This’s a shame that your face is everywhere though, so you’d definitely be spotted easily in a crowd. I just thought this would be the perfect place to get away from all that, which is why I picked it out in the first place. By the way, this chair isn’t big enough for the both of us, so you should move your butt back into your own chair,”
He merely grinned in response, then stood up and returned to his seat.
After his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he could finally see the contours of her face through the dim glow of the light fixture on the table.
A waiter then came over to serve the steak, spaghetti and chicken wings she’d ordered.
“Although this place pales in comparison to Star Restaurant which you frequent, the atmosphere here is still pretty great, huh?” she asked.
“It isn’t half bad,” he answered.
“Judy also told me that this is the best place for men and women alike to confess to one another especially if they’re hard to read. I remember I had a roommate back then who wanted to confess her love to the boy she liked, but was afraid that she’d be rejected, so Judy recommended this place to her.
After my roommate invited him to this restaurant for dinner, she said to him, “I like you very much and I want to be with you. If you feel the same, hold my hand when the lights come on in another five minutes time, but if you don’t, then can you do me a favour and leave without even looking at me after the lights come on?”
The guy held her hand after the lights came on in the end, and this was after she told us the thought of her becoming his girlfriend had never once crossed her mind before this. But because the dark atmosphere in the restaurant gave her the courage to confess, if she hadn’t visited the place, she said she would regret not having confessed to him for the rest of her life,” she rambled.
He scanned his vicinity and asked, “Oh, really? Then are you implying that this place is indeed suitable for couples to confess to one another? Do you have anything to say to me then?”
“Me?” she asked, perplexed.
After everything she’d said, he couldn’t possibly have misunderstood her intentions of inviting him here because she wanted to confess, right?
“I invited you here just to have dinner, by the way,”
“It seems that you don’t plan to confess, but no matter, I shall be the one to confess then.
“I’m sure you’ve heard these words a million times before, but I still need to say it once more. I want to marry you and make you my lawfully wedded wife, Mrs. Charles. Do you accept?” he said with a dazzling smile.
Just as he finished his sentence, the lights in the restaurant suddenly came on.
After being sieged by a bright light for a moment, he frowned and looked at her.
She stared him back with eyes that were as wide as saucers.
“How about it? Do you want to take my hand or get up and leave?” he smirked.
Her eyes reflected the conflict that was raging in her mind at the moment.
He’d never seen her look at him this way before.
He raised an eyebrow and inched forward. “Care to admit that you like me a little more now, Wendy? Hmm?”
The lights then went out again. She closed her eyes and gently heaved a sigh.
“Seeing as you didn’t leave, it seems that you’re more tolerant of me now,” he chuckled.
“I just haven’t finished my meal yet. Don’t play these games with me anymore, Henson. Hurry up and dig in already,” she grumbled.
He later moved his plate of steak he’d finish slicing into smaller chunks to her side and exchanged it with hers.
“Don’t you think our bet has stretched out long enough, Wendy? Would you believe me if I told you I’m sure that I can make you mine in less than half a year’s time?” he teased.