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Alicia sat at the bar of the same cafe/bakery where she and Gerard met up a few hours earlier. She sipped from her water and tapped her phone.
9:20
She was ten minutes early. She was contemplating on whether to order a drink when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“Hey, sorry I’m late. Couldn’t find my wallet.”
“Hey. It’s fine, I got here a little earlier.”
“What are you drinking?”
“Just water but we can order if you like.”
“Hmm… Um, If it’s ok with you, my hotel’s just across the street. We can, um, relax there. You know, talk in private.”
“Oh ok.”
“Cool.”
Gerard’s heart was racing. He had spent most of the afternoon thinking what to say and decided to just give it to her straight but one step at a time. Step one: check.
Alicia gathered her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Part of her was scared but the other part knew it was at the back of their minds all this time. And she had to admit, she was excited.
As he followed Alicia out of the cafe/bakery, Gerard looked at her back from head to toe. She was wearing a dark blue dress that hugged her body, accentuating Alicia’s curves. He loved the way her buttocks would bounce with each step. He was still staring, imagining if she was wearing a thong or not when she laughed.
“See anything you like?”
They were walking past a store that had a huge mirror outside. Gerard looked to his right and saw her looking at him.
“Um, I thought I saw a mosquito…” Gerard stammered.
Alicia stopped and faced him. She put both her hands on his cheeks and planted a kiss on his lips. Softly. After a few seconds, she pulled back and smiled at him.
“It’s fine.”
She went beside him, held his hand and nodded at him. They started walking in peaceful silence, whatever awkwardness and nervousness wiped away by their kiss.
It was like they just knew.
They understood.
Gerard and Alicia crossed Orchard Road and walked a short distance to Holiday Inn Express where he wax billeted.
“I’ll just stop by the concierge. Meet you by the elevators.” he said.
“No problem.”
Alicia made her way to the elevators and saw Gerard’s reflection on the lobby’s mirrors. He wasn’t that tall. A little round, actually but he didn’t slouch and had that dignified and confident look. He was wearing a brown long sleeved button down shirt, dark blue jeans and black Onitsuka Tigers. She then looked at herself and softly pulled on the fabric near her tummy. She made a face…