'one night'
Eric wound some noodles around his chopsticks, and for once managed to get them in his mouth before dropping the whole load in his lap.
"Tricky," he said through a mouthful of food. "But I'm getting the hang of it. I think."
She looked at him for a moment before taking a drink. "You don't talk a lot, do you?"
She shook her head.
"I figured out a long time ago there's not much point to it. Most of the time no one's listening to you anyway."
"Guess so." He ran a hand through his blonde hair and gave her a shamefaced smile. "You're probably trying to tell me something, aren't you? I do kinda talk a lot, I know it. I'm what the psych professor at home calls an extrovert. Happiest with people. This is just a venture on my part, but you're not."
She shook her head again, in agreement.
"I'm not afraid to be alone."
"That's good. More people should be like that. Wish I could be like that." He attempted another round with the chopsticks, and missed the expression that crossed her face. "So, um, do you go to school somewhere around here?"
She nodded.
"Me too. I mean, I'm still in school too. Third year of college at UCLA. It's a school in California."
She was watching him impassively, and for a moment he wondered if she knew where California was.
"It's on the western side of the United States. You know, Los Angeles, Hollywood, where all the actors live?"
"I know where California is."
"Right. Okay. I just – it's hard to tell what you're thinking." She raised an eyebrow. "Well, not right now it's not. You're thinking, gosh, what a stupid American, but hey, at least he's buying me dinner. Am I right?"
She rewarded him with a small smile of amusement.
"Aha! So you can smile. It's a definite improvement."
The light wasn't much better here, sitting at an outdoor table under the window of a steamy noodle shop. It was difficult to see into her eyes, but Eric found himself staring at them, captivated, anyway. Something happened to her face when she smiled. Before, she had been merely pretty. But somehow the alteration of light and shadows on her face when she smiled transformed her. She became beautiful.
It was pleasant to look at, but he got the feeling it didn't happen often. Sure enough, the smile faded away like an autumn sunset as she returned her attention to the food.
"So, I don't think I ever introduced myself properly. Eric Masters."
She was silent, and after an awkward pause he nodded in her direction.
"Yes?"
"Well, it's just customary when one person tells you their name, that you also reply with your name."
"Oh." She seemed oddly reluctant, and he tried not to take offense.
"Well?"
"Meilin," she finally offered.
"May-leen," he repeated, trying to replicate it as accurately as possible. He knew it was typical over here to offer only the last name first, but this sounded like a given name. "That's just one name right?"
"That's right." He waited, but there was only silence, and after a moment it became evident that she wasn't going to offer her family name. Well, he could hardly blame her. He was a complete stranger, after all, even if she had saved him. Besides, this was enough.
Mei-lin. Meilin. Nice name. It suited her well. It had a nice exotic sound, unlike boring Eric.
For a moment, the fluffy blonde curls and baby blue eyes of Jessica popped into his mind, and he winced. What he said earlier was definitely true; he was on the rebound and desperately trying to forget his ex. He couldn't believe how stupid he was being, sitting here and drooling at this surly Chinese chick like he was a teenager again. At this point in his life he'd probably go home with the cook if she showed interest.
But still… it was just dinner. And there was nothing wrong with enjoying dinner with someone. He did hate to eat alone. And the thought of parting company and going off on his own was not appealing.
She didn't seem to be in any hurry either, and dawdled over her food long after he'd finished. That didn't bother Eric at all, and he lit a post-dinner cigarette without missing a beat in the conversation. It was true that she didn't talk a lot, but she listened attentively as he rambled on about school, his life at home, his thoughts on Hong Kong.
"It's actually a pretty cool place," he concluded. "An interesting mix. Western common law superimposed on top of an ancient Chinese culture. Makes for contrast."
"I suppose. Why are you stuck here?"
That took him by surprise, and he remembered that he had mentioned that earlier. He really wished he hadn't.
"It's kind of embarrassing."
She said nothing, just looked at him.
"Well, in a nutshell, it's my dad." Still no reply. "Um, ever heard of Masters Electronics?"
She shook her head.
"Well, it's kind of a big name in electronics distribution. We import Sony and all the rest of it, sell it in our chain stores. Dad's the CEO, the boss. And doesn't let anyone forget it for a minute. We've been locking horns for years now, and we were in the middle of another big fight – please don't ask about what – when I took off for Hong Kong. When he found out that I'd skipped the country he blew a gasket and canceled all of my credit cards."
It really hurt to say that. He did hate being dependent on his parents; it made him feel like such a spoiled brat. He waited at that point for her to laugh, but he couldn't see any judgement in her eyes.
"So, basically, I've got plenty of money in my checking account for just hanging around. I did work through college, I mean, the account and that money is mine and he can't touch it. But I don't have nearly enough to pay for a ticket home. Which means I have to call him and ask for the money. Beg for the money, more like."
He jabbed the air with his cigarette emphatically.
"He thinks he can just make me do whatever he wants, just because he holds the purse strings. Tries to treat me like one of his regional directors. Jackass. He can't keep me over here forever. Eventually he's going to have back down. I refuse to beg for anything from him."
"Stalemate."
"Exactly. It's like, the weirdest game of chicken I ever played. And I'm not inclined to give in any time soon. So basically, I'm just stuck here." He gave a little shrug. "There are worse places than this to be stuck in."
"Thanks," she said, with a hint of sarcasm.
"No offense," he said quickly. "It's just, I think I'd like to go back home someday. You can identify with that, can't you?"
She gave her own little shrug at that, and looked off into the distance. Instantly his interest was piqued.
"You do have a home, right?"
"I have to go," she said abruptly, and pushed away from the table.
"Hey, wait a second!" Frantically he stubbed out his cigarette and grabbed his backpack. She had long legs and was hitting a pretty fast pace, and Eric was barely able to keep up.
"What's the rush?" he puffed by her side. "You don't want to talk about it, that's okay. I'm not going to press."
She slowed a little at that, and shot him a sideways glance.
"You're not?"
"Nah. I'm a libertarian, and it's none of my business."
"A what?"
"A – oh, never mind. It's not important. You don't want to talk about it, that's your business. I mean, just because I told you my life story doesn't mean you're obligated to tell yours, right?"
The look of surprise on her face was so funny that he almost laughed. The reasonable nature of his tone had shocked him, too. Truthfully, he was dying to know, but he was smart enough to realize that if he pushed the issue she'd just run off. And in a city like this, he'd probably never see her again.
"You want to go get a drink or something?" he tried. "Still on me."
"You don't have to do that."
"Hey, come on, I owe you my life. Or at least my wallet. You're like the Good Samaritan."
"The what?"
"Never mind. Someone that deserves a drink."
She hesitated.
"I don't drink."
"Oh come on. You must drink something. Water? Orange juice?" She was starting to smile again, though he could see she was trying to hide it. "Lemonade? Or do they call it a lemon squash over here?"
Finally she admitted defeat and that smile blossomed across her face.
"I suppose a lemon squash would be nice…"
"Excellent. Where's the nearest bar?" That she didn't know right off, and they wandered down the street for a while in companionable silence. Eric still felt awkward at the conversational pause, but he was slowly getting used to the idea that a break in the dialogue wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Not every minute had to be filled with words. It was new, but kind of nice.
*****
"I don't quite understand. Why can't I hit that ball in?"
"Because it's the eight ball."
"I can see that. It's solid, and you said I was hitting in the solids."
"But the eight ball is different." Eric sipped his beer and set the bottle down on the edge of the pool table. "It has to be last, always. Whoever hits it in while there's still another ball on the table will automatically lose. Even if it's by accident."
"Oh. So where should I hit?"
"Try that blue one over there."
"To where?"
"That pocket."
"They're on opposite sides!"
"I know. This is when you use angles. You know, math." She frowned slightly at that.
"I don't like math very much."
"You're kidding. I thought all Asians were great at math." She shot him a Look, and he cringed. "Okay, fine, you don't like math. I'm not too great at it either, but I learned enough to play this. Look, I'll show you."
He considered leaning over behind her to demonstrate, then wisely decided that she would never tolerate that. Instead he reached out and guided the stick to the appropriate angle. "Here. Shoot it to hit the rim, and it will bounce back and go in the corner pocket."
"Tricky."
"But doable. Trust me. You're really good for someone that's never done this before. You'll get it."
She gave him an unreadable look, then pulled back and hit the cue ball with a thwack. Sure enough, it deflected off the rim and went straight in.
"See? Told you."
She straightened, looking a little awed.
"Wow. I did it."
"Yeah. Now you get to go again."
"I did it."
"Yeah, I know." He gave her a calculating look. For someone who had trounced three hefty muggers earlier in the evening, she looked unbelievably amazed. "Don't let it go to your head or anything, okay? I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a beginner."
"You said I could do it."
"Yeah, I know. I was there, remember? Now come on, pick another ball to hit."
Finally she shook her head and returned to reality.
He did win that game, though she was picking it up pretty fast. When they played again, she almost beat him. The third time, she did.
"Damn, girl. How do you learn so fast?"
She gave him a noncommittal look.
"It was just luck."
"Don't be modest. Trust me, if my frat buddies were here right now, I'd never live it down. I see I'm going to have to pay you off to keep this little secret."
"You don't have to pay me off- oh. That was a joke, right?"
"Slowly but surely, she is picking it up. Yes, that was a joke."
He glanced at a clock on the wall and was surprised to see it was two o'clock in the morning. How had time passed so fast?
"I can't take another bruising to my pride. Wanna get out of here, take a walk?"
"Well, I…" She too was looking at the clock, then back at him. "Aren't you tired? Don't you want to go to bed?"
"Please. I think I got up about noon today, I'm not in any rush to sleep." He didn't feel tired at all. He was desperate to keep this going, unwilling to end the night just yet. He was having fun with this girl. "Are you tired?"
"Well, not really."
"Great. Then a walk it is. You can show me all the cool sights of nighttime Hong Kong."
"Sounds to me like you've already seen a lot of Hong Kong nightlife."
"Well, that's true, but…" But this was different. He didn't know how to say it, so he settled for lighting up again.
She paused and watched him coax a flame out of the lighter, in the glow of the windows of the bar. The weather was misty still, but it wasn't so bad as to discourage outdoor activity.
"You smoke an awful lot," she observed.
"It's gotten a lot worse since the breakup, yes. My pacifier. Used to be only a couple a day." He exhaled lovingly and watched the smoke join the mist. "But you know how it is when the love of your life leaves you. You latch onto whatever you can."
"I suppose," she murmured thoughtfully. Eric's ears pricked up at that, but he knew better than to pry. He still knew almost nothing about this girl, after so many hours of conversation. Bringing up her love life was definitely not the way to start.
"So, how did you get into kung fu? I'm assuming it was kung fu back there."
She nodded as they began to walk.
"Yes. I was taught by… a kind man."
"When?"
"I was three when I began."
"No kidding? Your parents must have really wanted you to do it. Wow."
"I wanted to do it," she said firmly, by way of correction.
"So you've been training ever since you were three years old? You're like a female Jackie Chan."
She looked puzzled for a moment, then her expression cleared.
"Oh, right. The actor."
"Of course the actor. You've seen his movies, right?"
"I think so. I don't really see movies very much."
"Oh."
And after that he couldn't think of anything else safe to talk about, so they continued in silence. They walked for hours like that, in a comfortable quiet, broken only when she pointed out a particular temple or landmark. He was paying more attention to her than their surroundings, and was surprised when he found himself standing by the railing of the harbor. The lights of the city were reflected in the oily calm water, rippling slightly.
"Pretty," he said thoughtfully, his eyes never leaving her face. She wasn't looking at him, but leaning over the railing and gazing out over the water.
"I like to come here sometimes, and look out over the ocean. Think about what's across the water."
There was no mistaking the longing in her voice.
"You ever think about going and finding out?"
"I know what it's like. Besides, I can't." She turned around and crossed her arms, leaning against the rail.
"What, like you can't afford it? It's really not that expensive, you know. A couple months of working, maybe. Depends on where you're going."
"I know."
Something nagged at Eric, and he wondered what she meant by saying she knew what it was like. She was looking up now, looking at the darker mountains that surrounded the port city. High up on the hills there were scattered lights. The high income homes, if he remembered the guidebook correctly.
"View of the city must be really nice from way up," he ventured. "Can't even imagine what it would cost to have a place up there. My dad would buy one just to prove he could do it."
"Mm."
She was hugging her arms to her chest now, gazing into space. In that moment, there was a look of such utter desolation and sadness on her face that Eric almost flinched.
Ouch, he thought. She looks how I felt the morning after I found out. I wonder what happened?
"Meilin?"
"What?" She turned her head slightly to face him, and the look was gone. Her eyes were as guarded and cool as ever.
"Uh, nothing. I mean, are you cold?"
"No."
"Just checking."
It was getting easier to see her, he realized, and turned back towards the water.
"Hey look, the sun's about to come up. Can you believe we've been together all night?"
He almost kicked himself when he said that; it sounded so stupid. She looked a little taken aback, but then she smiled again.
"No, I can't."
"You know, it's been a long time since I've seen the sun come up. I guess the last time was the all-nighter I pulled last spring. When I was done typing my term paper I realized it was about time, so I went up to the roof of my fraternity house and just sat there, drinking a Gatorade or something. It was really peaceful and quiet, just sitting there and watching the sun come up."
But it was definitely nicer to be with somebody. Trying not to be obvious about it, he inched closer. Her gaze was riveted on the rosy light in the east.
"But I've never seen a sunrise over the ocean before. Have you?"
"Yes."
"Uh-huh. Funny to think that this sun was just over California a little while ago, shining down on the roof of my frat house."
"Do you wish you were there?"
"No. Not even a little bit."
She didn't say anything at that, as they watched the sun creep upwards, its light reflected brilliantly in the still seawater. But he had the feeling that she was happy to be here too.
A light breeze ruffled his hair, lifting it off his face. And for the first time since that awful moment when Eric walked in on Jessica, a little more than a week earlier, he began to think it would be all right.
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Disclaimer: I do not own these characters