Chapter8
At 6:30 she was finally ready and dressed. She took her backpack and threw in her shorts and shirt, a pair of sneakers, a maglite, knife and her HK. 'You never know' she thought, although she felt guilty that she assumed something could happen to her when she went out with him. She went down to the reception, just in time. Kazuya was already waiting for her. Her heart jumped when she saw him, but she reminded herself that this wasn't right.
"Lara, you look lovely tonight."
"Thank you." she replied.
****
They drove into town to a very beautiful restaurant. Lara left her bag in the car it didn't go very well with her dress but she was the bag pack girl. She told herself she wouldn't need it there anyway.
"Most of the time you won't get a table here unless you book it early." Kazuya said when they entered.
Lara looked around.
"I see why." she replied.
They were brought to a table in a quiet corner.
"How was your day?" Kazuya asked Lara when they had ordered their meals.
"I stayed in bed till 11."
"I envy you. I had to go to work at 7."
"Oh no, I feel sorry for you, and I kept you that long yesterday night."
"Not your fault. I knew I had to get up."
"But that's not even three hours of sleep."
****
At that moment Kazuya's mobile phone rang. "Excuse me for a moment." he said to Lara and then picked it up. He was speaking very fast and sometimes Lara thought she felt anger in his voice. Two minutes later he put the phone down again.
"My father" he said "his favourite son didn't show up all day. He won't pick up his phone either. But that's normal for him if you ask me."
"Chaolan is his favourite son? I wouldn't have guessed, I mean, you are driving an expensive car and are only wearing the nicest clothes. But he..."
"Chaolan had a very expensive car but he crashed it when he was drunk. And well, his taste in clothes is as bad as his taste in women. Besides I am the one who brings home the money. He never manages to finish a task. That's what I always have to do for him."
"Do you have a guess where he is?"
"Well he is still with Nina or some other ... "
He didn't finish the sentence but Lara could guess what he wanted to say. She had seen Nina and the other girl that was with her yesterday night.
"I don't expect him to show up till tomorrow, when he has his next fight. Oh, before I forget it... If you are interested I could get you tickets for the rest of the tournament." he then continued.
"That would be great. How many fighters are left anyway?" Lara said.
"Eight. There are two fights tomorrow. My brother against a girl called Michelle and Baek against Nina - whoever wins there will be my next opponent and I hope it's not Chaolan's girlfriend. Then on Saturday my father has to fight against Ganryu and I have to fight against Law."
"I met Law at the tournament, he sat next to me. He was really hoping that Paul would win."
"I can imagine. He still can remember our last fight. But let's leave it at that, or you might feel sorry for him." he said with a nasty smile.
"I am not sorry for anyone; you all know what you are doing when you enter one of these tournaments."
"That's correct. Anyway, let's talk about something else. Let's talk about you."
****
Lara had feared that. She still hadn't told him what she was really doing. And she probably never would. She was afraid that if he found out she would be in big trouble.
"About me? I am really boring to tell you the truth."
"I don't believe you. I find you very interesting. What do you do besides travelling?"
"My parents wanted me to get married... I was engaged."
Lara took a moment to drink her water. And then continued: "My fiancée, my parents and I were on a plane which crashed. I was the only one who survived."
"Oh Lara, I am sorry."
"Don't worry, that happened a long time ago. That wasn't the perfect life for me anyway. Since my life was turned upside down I searched for a new purpose. So I studied Archaeology and Egyptology." she said, hoping she wasn't telling him too much.
"So what do you do with that?"
Now Lara was getting nervous. She didn't know what to say so he wouldn't suspect that they didn't meet coincidentally.
"I travelled to Egypt a lot. There are still things to be found that no one has seen for many many years. I earn my money by writing books about what I have found."
She didn't want to tell him that this wasn't the only thing she did.
"To tell you the truth I don't know very much about Egypt. For me Europe is much more interesting." he said grinning.
Lara took the opportunity to change the subject.
"Then you should visit me in London when I'm back there."
"I will... whenever my father let's me go. I probably have to tell Lee to say hi to you." he said ironically. "You are lucky that you can travel the world and earn money with it too."
"I guess I am."
****
By now they had finished dinner. Kazuya called the waiter and gave him his credit card. Then he turned to Lara again.
"Shall we go then?"
The waiter came back and returned his credit card. Kazuya signed the receipt and then they left the restaurant. They both got into the car.
"Where do you want to go now?"
"When do you have to get up tomorrow? I don't want to feel guilty again?"
"At 7, like today but don't worry, I will drop you off when I'm tired."
His phone rang again.
"I hate those things, they can annoy you anywhere."
He picked up. After cursing a couple of times he put the phone away.
"That was my useless brother. His car got stolen. He wants me to pick him up and drive him home. And I bet Nina wants to come with him. Well she has to walk, there is no way I can transport 4 people."
"You can drop me off at the hotel before you pick them up."
"No, no. Not our fault his car got stolen."
At 6:30 she was finally ready and dressed. She took her backpack and threw in her shorts and shirt, a pair of sneakers, a maglite, knife and her HK. 'You never know' she thought, although she felt guilty that she assumed something could happen to her when she went out with him. She went down to the reception, just in time. Kazuya was already waiting for her. Her heart jumped when she saw him, but she reminded herself that this wasn't right.
"Lara, you look lovely tonight."
"Thank you." she replied.
****
They drove into town to a very beautiful restaurant. Lara left her bag in the car it didn't go very well with her dress but she was the bag pack girl. She told herself she wouldn't need it there anyway.
"Most of the time you won't get a table here unless you book it early." Kazuya said when they entered.
Lara looked around.
"I see why." she replied.
They were brought to a table in a quiet corner.
"How was your day?" Kazuya asked Lara when they had ordered their meals.
"I stayed in bed till 11."
"I envy you. I had to go to work at 7."
"Oh no, I feel sorry for you, and I kept you that long yesterday night."
"Not your fault. I knew I had to get up."
"But that's not even three hours of sleep."
****
At that moment Kazuya's mobile phone rang. "Excuse me for a moment." he said to Lara and then picked it up. He was speaking very fast and sometimes Lara thought she felt anger in his voice. Two minutes later he put the phone down again.
"My father" he said "his favourite son didn't show up all day. He won't pick up his phone either. But that's normal for him if you ask me."
"Chaolan is his favourite son? I wouldn't have guessed, I mean, you are driving an expensive car and are only wearing the nicest clothes. But he..."
"Chaolan had a very expensive car but he crashed it when he was drunk. And well, his taste in clothes is as bad as his taste in women. Besides I am the one who brings home the money. He never manages to finish a task. That's what I always have to do for him."
"Do you have a guess where he is?"
"Well he is still with Nina or some other ... "
He didn't finish the sentence but Lara could guess what he wanted to say. She had seen Nina and the other girl that was with her yesterday night.
"I don't expect him to show up till tomorrow, when he has his next fight. Oh, before I forget it... If you are interested I could get you tickets for the rest of the tournament." he then continued.
"That would be great. How many fighters are left anyway?" Lara said.
"Eight. There are two fights tomorrow. My brother against a girl called Michelle and Baek against Nina - whoever wins there will be my next opponent and I hope it's not Chaolan's girlfriend. Then on Saturday my father has to fight against Ganryu and I have to fight against Law."
"I met Law at the tournament, he sat next to me. He was really hoping that Paul would win."
"I can imagine. He still can remember our last fight. But let's leave it at that, or you might feel sorry for him." he said with a nasty smile.
"I am not sorry for anyone; you all know what you are doing when you enter one of these tournaments."
"That's correct. Anyway, let's talk about something else. Let's talk about you."
****
Lara had feared that. She still hadn't told him what she was really doing. And she probably never would. She was afraid that if he found out she would be in big trouble.
"About me? I am really boring to tell you the truth."
"I don't believe you. I find you very interesting. What do you do besides travelling?"
"My parents wanted me to get married... I was engaged."
Lara took a moment to drink her water. And then continued: "My fiancée, my parents and I were on a plane which crashed. I was the only one who survived."
"Oh Lara, I am sorry."
"Don't worry, that happened a long time ago. That wasn't the perfect life for me anyway. Since my life was turned upside down I searched for a new purpose. So I studied Archaeology and Egyptology." she said, hoping she wasn't telling him too much.
"So what do you do with that?"
Now Lara was getting nervous. She didn't know what to say so he wouldn't suspect that they didn't meet coincidentally.
"I travelled to Egypt a lot. There are still things to be found that no one has seen for many many years. I earn my money by writing books about what I have found."
She didn't want to tell him that this wasn't the only thing she did.
"To tell you the truth I don't know very much about Egypt. For me Europe is much more interesting." he said grinning.
Lara took the opportunity to change the subject.
"Then you should visit me in London when I'm back there."
"I will... whenever my father let's me go. I probably have to tell Lee to say hi to you." he said ironically. "You are lucky that you can travel the world and earn money with it too."
"I guess I am."
****
By now they had finished dinner. Kazuya called the waiter and gave him his credit card. Then he turned to Lara again.
"Shall we go then?"
The waiter came back and returned his credit card. Kazuya signed the receipt and then they left the restaurant. They both got into the car.
"Where do you want to go now?"
"When do you have to get up tomorrow? I don't want to feel guilty again?"
"At 7, like today but don't worry, I will drop you off when I'm tired."
His phone rang again.
"I hate those things, they can annoy you anywhere."
He picked up. After cursing a couple of times he put the phone away.
"That was my useless brother. His car got stolen. He wants me to pick him up and drive him home. And I bet Nina wants to come with him. Well she has to walk, there is no way I can transport 4 people."
"You can drop me off at the hotel before you pick them up."
"No, no. Not our fault his car got stolen."
