Not the One
Chapter 6
“I want to do something different today. Something different from what I usually do,” Tina said, walking next to me.
“What’s that?”
“I want to take public transportation and explore the town with you in a new way. Somewhat like a tourist kind of way,” she beamed.
“That’s great. Have you ever taken public transportation?” I asked.
“Once. When I was in elementary school. It was because my dad forgot to pick me up and he couldn’t leave his job at the time. My mom was unfortunately away at Paris.”
“Was it scary?”
“No and yes. It was fun because I was doing something grown-up all on my own. It was scary because I was afraid I was going to get lost.”
“Do you know the way around town using public transportation?”
“I’m not quite sure, but I’ll figure it out. If we do get lost, at least we’ll be together.” She looked into my eyes.
My heart was beating fast. I really liked Tina. She was so nice and caring. She kind of reminded me of Jane, but a blond hair blue eyes version.
We stopped at a nearby bus stop. “Where are we going first?” I asked.
“How about the mall and nearby shops? It’s mostly stores here in Malibu.”
“Sure.”
Tina sat down on a bench. “Sit down, Leo.” I did as she said.
A little while longer, the 41 bus came and stopped. Tina got on first. “I’ll pay for you,” she said.
“Thanks. I’ll make sure to return the favor somehow.”
We took seats in the far back. She sat down first, but then got back up. “Here, I’ll let you have the window seat since you’re new here. My dad always told me that rule.” She winked.
“I’ll be getting used to the window now.” I smiled.
The bus ride was a quiet one. Not many people were inside. I paid full attention to the thin, tall palm trees that we sped by. They lined every part of the city. I wondered how they could withstand all the wind and rain that hit them. They must be very strong.
The bus suddenly came to a halt. “I think this is our first stop,” Tina said. “We should get out.” I followed her lead out the bus door. The air was nice and cool outside. I couldn’t see the beach from here, so we must be farther in the city.
“Oh! I see the mall!” Tina exclaimed. She pointed her index finger in the direction of the right. “Let’s go!” She held my hand and we sped walked across the street.
Before I even knew it, we were inside the huge mall. It appeared that there were at least 10 floors inside. Two whole floors were for food. My stomach growled. How could that be? I ate breakfast not too long ago. Or so I thought. I glanced at my black, secondhand watch my dad gave me when he didn’t want it anymore. It was already 12:30 in the afternoon. I ate breakfast around 8:00. Tina must have heard my stomach rumble.
“Um, Leo, are you hungry?” She asked, quietly.
I chuckled. “Yeah, actually, I am.”
“We could go get some food. What are you craving?”
“Anything is fine.” I had never eaten out in a restaurant at the mall before. There were no big malls like this near my house.
“Okay. I think I want Vietnamese pho. Do you know what that is?”
“No. What is it?”
“It’s pretty much noodles in soup with meat and vegetables. You should try it. I really like to eat it at this one Vietnamese café called Lisa’s Café.”
“I’ll give it a try. I’m really hungry so I’ll go with anything.”
We went to the second floor. All I could smell was delicious, savory scents all around. This floor was packed with people. When we approached the café, we went inside. Tina greeted the lady at the door. They looked like they knew each other well.
“That’s Mrs. Tran. She used to work for my dad before she decided she wanted to open up a café and put her special pho to the test,” Tina informed me.
“I can’t wait to eat!” I slightly shouted.
“Haha, okay, Leo. Let’s go sit down over there.”
I loved the café. It was nice and small. The room was dimly lit with several candles around the room. It looked like a nice romantic place for a date. Too bad I wasn’t on an actual date with Tina.
“Hi, what would you two like?” A waitress came by.
“The chicken pho. How about you, Leo?”
“I’ll take that too.”
“Anything else?” The waitress took down our orders.
“A small cup of green tea for me,” said Tina.
“Um, I’ll just have water. Thanks.” I wasn’t really familiar with ordering at restaurants. I hardly ever dined at any. The few times that I did were for birthday parties or baby showers, where I didn’t actually order anything. The food was pre-ordered by the hosts and was just delivered to the tables. So, more firsts for me.
Tina said, “After we eat and shop, I want to show you my school.”
“I still can’t believe you’re going to graduate soon. Are you thinking about going to grad school?” I asked.
“I really don’t know yet. I was thinking about travelling after I graduate.” Tina sighed.
“Well, whatever you do, make sure you’re happy doing it.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
Then our food came. The noodles looked boiling hot, but I was eager to eat. I grabbed the fork and dug in.
“Wait! It’s hot. Don’t eat it yet,” Tina instructed.
“Aw, but I’m really hungry…”
“It’s worth the wait. I don’t want you to burn your tongue. Trust me. It has happened to me before.”
I rolled my eyes. I knew Tina was right. I should just wait no matter how much I wanted to eat it. No matter how much I was starting to fall for her, I should wait. I didn’t want to ruin anything yet. After all, we just met. It was nothing like how it was between Jane and me.
“What’s that?”
“I want to take public transportation and explore the town with you in a new way. Somewhat like a tourist kind of way,” she beamed.
“That’s great. Have you ever taken public transportation?” I asked.
“Once. When I was in elementary school. It was because my dad forgot to pick me up and he couldn’t leave his job at the time. My mom was unfortunately away at Paris.”
“Was it scary?”
“No and yes. It was fun because I was doing something grown-up all on my own. It was scary because I was afraid I was going to get lost.”
“Do you know the way around town using public transportation?”
“I’m not quite sure, but I’ll figure it out. If we do get lost, at least we’ll be together.” She looked into my eyes.
My heart was beating fast. I really liked Tina. She was so nice and caring. She kind of reminded me of Jane, but a blond hair blue eyes version.
We stopped at a nearby bus stop. “Where are we going first?” I asked.
“How about the mall and nearby shops? It’s mostly stores here in Malibu.”
“Sure.”
Tina sat down on a bench. “Sit down, Leo.” I did as she said.
A little while longer, the 41 bus came and stopped. Tina got on first. “I’ll pay for you,” she said.
“Thanks. I’ll make sure to return the favor somehow.”
We took seats in the far back. She sat down first, but then got back up. “Here, I’ll let you have the window seat since you’re new here. My dad always told me that rule.” She winked.
“I’ll be getting used to the window now.” I smiled.
The bus ride was a quiet one. Not many people were inside. I paid full attention to the thin, tall palm trees that we sped by. They lined every part of the city. I wondered how they could withstand all the wind and rain that hit them. They must be very strong.
The bus suddenly came to a halt. “I think this is our first stop,” Tina said. “We should get out.” I followed her lead out the bus door. The air was nice and cool outside. I couldn’t see the beach from here, so we must be farther in the city.
“Oh! I see the mall!” Tina exclaimed. She pointed her index finger in the direction of the right. “Let’s go!” She held my hand and we sped walked across the street.
Before I even knew it, we were inside the huge mall. It appeared that there were at least 10 floors inside. Two whole floors were for food. My stomach growled. How could that be? I ate breakfast not too long ago. Or so I thought. I glanced at my black, secondhand watch my dad gave me when he didn’t want it anymore. It was already 12:30 in the afternoon. I ate breakfast around 8:00. Tina must have heard my stomach rumble.
“Um, Leo, are you hungry?” She asked, quietly.
I chuckled. “Yeah, actually, I am.”
“We could go get some food. What are you craving?”
“Anything is fine.” I had never eaten out in a restaurant at the mall before. There were no big malls like this near my house.
“Okay. I think I want Vietnamese pho. Do you know what that is?”
“No. What is it?”
“It’s pretty much noodles in soup with meat and vegetables. You should try it. I really like to eat it at this one Vietnamese café called Lisa’s Café.”
“I’ll give it a try. I’m really hungry so I’ll go with anything.”
We went to the second floor. All I could smell was delicious, savory scents all around. This floor was packed with people. When we approached the café, we went inside. Tina greeted the lady at the door. They looked like they knew each other well.
“That’s Mrs. Tran. She used to work for my dad before she decided she wanted to open up a café and put her special pho to the test,” Tina informed me.
“I can’t wait to eat!” I slightly shouted.
“Haha, okay, Leo. Let’s go sit down over there.”
I loved the café. It was nice and small. The room was dimly lit with several candles around the room. It looked like a nice romantic place for a date. Too bad I wasn’t on an actual date with Tina.
“Hi, what would you two like?” A waitress came by.
“The chicken pho. How about you, Leo?”
“I’ll take that too.”
“Anything else?” The waitress took down our orders.
“A small cup of green tea for me,” said Tina.
“Um, I’ll just have water. Thanks.” I wasn’t really familiar with ordering at restaurants. I hardly ever dined at any. The few times that I did were for birthday parties or baby showers, where I didn’t actually order anything. The food was pre-ordered by the hosts and was just delivered to the tables. So, more firsts for me.
Tina said, “After we eat and shop, I want to show you my school.”
“I still can’t believe you’re going to graduate soon. Are you thinking about going to grad school?” I asked.
“I really don’t know yet. I was thinking about travelling after I graduate.” Tina sighed.
“Well, whatever you do, make sure you’re happy doing it.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
Then our food came. The noodles looked boiling hot, but I was eager to eat. I grabbed the fork and dug in.
“Wait! It’s hot. Don’t eat it yet,” Tina instructed.
“Aw, but I’m really hungry…”
“It’s worth the wait. I don’t want you to burn your tongue. Trust me. It has happened to me before.”
I rolled my eyes. I knew Tina was right. I should just wait no matter how much I wanted to eat it. No matter how much I was starting to fall for her, I should wait. I didn’t want to ruin anything yet. After all, we just met. It was nothing like how it was between Jane and me.