Chapter 9

My paranoia was catching up to me again. 

I had a car following me. 

The drive from Coffee Tales to the restaurant that Mom and Dad had chosen for our dinner tonight was no longer than ten minutes. But time seemed to have stopped moving. The restaurant seemed to be miles away.

I turned on a busy road and then checked the rearview mirror again. 

That car was nowhere in sight. 

I let out a breath I did not know I was holding, and my shoulders relaxed. Maybe I had misunderstood. Maybe I had mistaken a coincidence to be a deliberate tailing. 

With my anxiousness at ease, I looked forward to the dinner date with my parents. Family time was something I cherished deeply because I had come to realise how uncertain this life was. I wanted to revel in every moment and capture every second of it before it became a fleeting memory.

The signboard of the restaurant caught my eye and I turned into the parking lot to park my car. 

Mom and dad had already arrived about fifteen minutes ago. I was late, as usual. 

I got out of the car, locked it, and double checked. Then I headed into the restaurant, the cool breeze of the night making me smile to myself. 

As the glass doors of the restaurant opened, I found myself enveloped in the comely warmth of the place. 

My eyes found my parents sooner than I had expected and I made my way over to our table.

"Hi," I said, taking my seat. "I'm so sorry for—”

"Aw, come on," said Dad, interrupting me, "it's a tradition, ain't it? There's no fun in being on time." 

I laughed. "Oh, dad." 

Mom sighed, a forlorn look in her eyes. She was staring off into a distance, unaware of my arrival. 

"Mom?" I said, waving my hand in front of her eyes. "Where are you lost?" 

Mom glanced at me, and a wide smile broke across her face. "You're here." 

I nodded in amusement. "Most certainly am. But where were you lost?" 

"That poor guy seems to have been stood up by someone, probably his date," said Mom, her gaze directed somewhere else again. "He was already here before we arrived, and it was clear that he was waiting for someone. Now he got a phone call, and he looks crestfallen."

I followed her gaze. "Stop staring, mom, it—"

The rest of the words trailed off as my eyes rested on the person that mom was talking about. 

Kol.

And Mom was right. He seemed terribly upset. 

What a coincidence…

"That…that is Kol," I said, "the person I was telling you guys about recently." 

"You mean the one who…?" Dad asked.

I nodded, my eyes still on Kol. Who had stood him up?

Must be someone important if he looks this sad.

All of a sudden, Kol turned. 

His eyes fell on me. For a moment, he seemed surprised, taken aback even. Then he smiled and did a small wave of his hand. 

I waved back and beckoned him over. 

He hesitated for a few seconds and then stood up and walked over to us.

"Hi," I said, getting up. 

"Hi." He smiled. "What a surprise." 

I made the introductions between him and my parents. Then mom and dad thanked him profusely for his help all those months back. 

"I will take your leave now," he said, "please carry on with your dinner." 

"Are you leaving?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. There's been a change of plans." 

Now it was confirmed that he had been stood up.

"If you're not busy, then we would love for you to join us," said mom.

Dad agreed. "Definitely."

"That's really kind of you." Kol smiled. "But I'm sorry. I don't want to intrude."

"Oh, come on," I said. "We want you to join us."

He hesitated. 

"Consider it as a thank you dinner from us," said Dad.

"Yes, dear. If you do have other plans, then we won't force you. But if you don't, then please do join us," added Mom.

Kol looked at me and our eyes met. 

There was a little flutter in my stomach. 

What on earth was that, Zuri?

"I would love to join you," said Kol finally, a small smile on his lips. "Thank you." 

We all took a seat again and Kol ended up sitting next to me.

The waiter came to take our orders and while that was underway, I found myself marveling at the way of the world. Unexpected situations could spring up out of nowhere.

"So, Kol, what have you been doing?" asked Dad.

Spending time at Coffee Tales. 

Well, he did tell me that he was working but his answers were quite vague. What was his work exactly? And why the big secrecy about it? 

"I'm taking online classes at the university. My major is literature," he said. 

"So, you're studying all day long at the cafe?" I said, the wonder clear in my voice.

He smiled warily. "Not all the time. I also freelance as an article writer." 

"Nice," said mom, "you're clear about the field you want to mark your place in." 

Kol shrugged with a smile. 

Even he had his life sorted out. He knew what he wanted to do, what he wanted to achieve. It seemed like I was the only person I knew who was still unsure about her career and her future.

I really need to sit down and think about this. I'm just letting days pass without striving for anything. 

Well, I'm striving to be safe and hidden.

That doesn't count, Zuri.

"What are your plans?" asked Kol suddenly. "You don't plan on working at a cafe for the rest of your life, do you?" 

"Who, me?" I blinked.

"Who else?" He shook his head at my idle questions.

"Even if I did plan on spending the rest of my life working at Coffee Tales," I said, "it would still be a good enough life choice. Why are saying that in such a demeaning way?" 

He frowned. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just curious about your plans." 

"And so are we, to be honest," said dad, pointing between mom and him.

I looked down at the table, my cheeks growing warm. What was I supposed to tell them when I had no idea myself? 

"You've not thought about it yet, have you?" said Kol.

He was too good at reading my mind. Creepily enough.

"I don't really blame you, dear," said mom. "So many things changed for us at a time when you should have been choosing your career. You never got a chance to think about all of that." 

"Yes," said dad, "but now you have plenty of time to sit down and ask yourself what you want to do. I'm sure there's something that you desire for yourself." 

Their words instilled a new hope in my heart. They were right. It was time to do something new, to find my calling.

"I will." I smiled at them. "I'll definitely think about this."

The waiter arrived with our food, and everybody got busy. 

I silently mouthed a sorry and a thank you to Kol, who grinned back in response.

Then we started to eat.