Chapter 26 RECONCILIATION
Godiva's POV
I stared at this stranger. His lips were so cute, his eyes were sky blue, almost inviting.
Diva, snap out of it. You can't possibly think of kissing a stranger.
He just stayed there, smiling. “Alright, let me help you up,” he replied.
He put his jacket on me and led me to a private area, a local but very beautiful mini restaurant.
It had this traditional look to it. It felt like paradise, the local lighting system, the cozy weather, the cool traditional Chinese music playing in the background.
Did I mention the lighting? It felt almost as if it was alive, the way the bamboos were arranged and interacted with the evening sun, with some natural plastic in between tied with different colours, making the bamboo look like a shield, a work of art.
When I sat on the chair, it was cozy, as if it was made from animal skin, yet so soft. This was literally the most drawn to nature and beautiful restaurant I have ever visited in my short lifetime.
“Do you like the setting here?” the strange handsome guy asked.
“Yeah, I do,” I replied almost immediately.
“It’s owned by my uncle as a memorial to his late wife. He uses Saturdays for charity, giving out free food to anyone lucky enough to visit from the evening hours of 6pm to 11pm.”
“Wow, I must be a lucky girl,” I smiled.
“Yeah,” the stranger replied.
“Please, what’s your name?” I asked him.
“I’m Ethan. What about you?”
“I’m Godiva, but you can call me Diva,” I answered shyly.
“Such a nice name for a beautiful girl,” he said, showing all his teeth. “What would you like to have?”
“Anything you offer,” I replied hurriedly.
He just smiled and brought me a plate of steak with a beautiful local wine made from bamboo.
“This is my uncle’s signature dish. I hope you enjoy it,” he offered the plate shyly.
“Thank you so much,” I replied as I took a bite.
The steak melted into my mouth. It was so tender and warm, it felt like heaven, better than anything I had ever tasted.
“Damn, this is soooo niceee. How was it prepared?”
“You would want me to go revealing the secret to my uncle’s restaurant now, would you?” he answered jokingly.
“Awwwwn, I’m sorry,” I apologised sincerely. “This is literally the best dish I have tasted in ages. Meeting you was really a medicine for my soul,” I replied.
“I’m glad to have met you too,” Ethan answered.
I was very excited. I felt like rushing to go reveal all the juicy gist to Dina, then I frowned a little.
Dina was literally the one that betrayed me.
I felt at a loss.
“Do you think I’m overreacting?” I thought out loud for Ethan to hear me.
“Why did you say that?” he replied keenly.
I narrated the whole incident with Leo and even the complications with Jerald. He listened to every detail, smiling, with his hands on his jaw.
“I think you should talk to Dina,” he said.
Just then, an alarm began to buzz loudly.
“It’s officially time for my shift to start. I need to go,” he spoke in a hurry.
“Oh, I’m so sorry for keeping you.”
“It’s no problem,” he answered flatly.
We exchanged contacts, and I hugged him warmly for a long time. When he let go, I felt loved, and I kissed him on the cheek as I blushed, my face turning all red.
“What was that for?” he asked, a smile obviously written all over his face.
“It’s a thank you for the lovely dinner, for listening to my boring love story, and for giving me your honest reply. I’m sooo grateful,” I bowed slightly.
“You don’t need to,” he replied shyly. “You literally made my night spectacular.”
...............
I walked out of the cozy restaurant, the evening wind invading my face with its awesome fragrance.
I walked towards the bonfire once more. People still stayed there, but the number was less. About half the population had scattered into the bushes and lonely parts to commit fornication.
I felt lonely as Leo left me. Then I saw Dina sitting quietly in the field, staring blankly into space.
“Babes, what the heck? Why the drama?” I asked Dina, this time in a low voice.
"Babe, you have to trust me, he was the one who made a move first. I was completely serious, but he just kept laughing like it was all a joke. The only time I laughed was out of pure disbelief, especially when he claimed I was meant to be his,” she said, her expression filled with genuine honesty.
“Look, I just need a moment to clear my head,” I replied, forcing a sarcastic smile as I began to walk away.
“Wait up, girl,” she said, holding me back. “Walk with me, I’ll prove to you I meant exactly what I said,” she added, dragging me back to the circle.
Whispers filled the air again the moment we both sat in the circle. I wanted to stand up to leave, but I knew it was going to be more awkward.
I was stunned the second Dina’s hands went up when it was time to confess something. The feeling that gripped me was like déjà vu. My heart began thudding in a worse manner than it did earlier on.
“You all busy gossiping about Div and I, but keep cheering on Leo, the main villain, making him look all classy. Well, news flash, Leo said what he said because my girl rejected his kiss twice,” Dina said, causing the air to go wild with murmurs.
“Earlier on, he got punched in the face by Jerald when he tried forcing himself on Div. If you doubt me, how then did he suddenly get dark circles around his eyes?” she added, leaving my side to where Leo was seated.
The murmurs from the crowd turned into laughter of mockery, channeled to Leo.
The air suddenly went quiet the moment Dina landed Leo a slap across the face and warned, “never try to come between sisters.” The silence turned into a feast of laughter the second Dina walked back.
“I have something to say,” I shouted, leading the atmosphere to yet another round of silence.
“Leo, you’re a coward and a joker for thinking you can come between us, for even thinking Dina would ever look your way. I’m always perfect, too bad you had to be my first mistake,” I continued as I walked toward him.
“This will serve as a reminder that you should never try forcing yourself on any girl,” I warned as I slapped him hard across the face and walked out of the circle.
Finally, Dina and I were back, but Leo was unpredictable. He smiled this evil, defeated smile. The darkness in his eyes was glaring, giving that feeling that he was not going to let go that easily.