Never Love Again

131. They Look Suspicious

"You are late. Why did you change meet up locations last minute?"

"Oh, sorry, I was dropping Yeon off..."

"Yeon?" Niel glanced behind Stan and apart from the people walking around the crowded foodcourt, there had been no familiar face of Yeon. "Where is he?"

"Meeting up with Mora." Stan seemed displeased as he replied. "Let's get this done with, I have something to do after this."

Niel nodded, not wanting to delve deeper to connect with whatever was bothering his long term nemesis. He'd been dealing with enough as it is with his fated's mood swings that he hardly had the energy for another person. Additionally, he'd dreaded meeting Stan alone for the longest time. It took him a lot to swallow his pride and show up, asking for help.

"How's Elric?" Stan asked, his eyes wavering elsewhere.

"You can ask him yourself. He's been..." Niel hesitated briefly and decided upon not discussing his current predicament with Stan. He concluded that if Elric did want his best friend to know about his status, he'd have disclosed it to him already.

Unfortunately, Stan misunderstood Niel's hesitation. "You mark him and all of a sudden no one should ask after him, is that it?"

"Hey, what has your knickers in a twist?"

"The hell?" Stan returned his gaze back to Niel and frowned.

"Look, I don't know what happened to you before we met today but can we be civil about this meeting. I only came to you upon Elric's mom's recommendation, and to think you'd suggest such a noisy location..."

"I only agreed to see you since she insisted on it."

Standing up, Niel concluded. "Let's just postpone. This was a bad idea after all. You and I will never get along..."

"You're planning to get married to my best friend?"

"Wha- How'd you find out? I thought you haven't spoken to Elric?" Niel sat back down seeming frustrated and confused at the same time. "He's been winning about secrecy yet you knew..."

"His mother told me."

"Oh, right. Yea." 'That makes sense.'

"That's why you're meeting me." Looking away behind where Niel was sitting, Stan added. "Look, I didn't want to meet up with you either so can you just tell me what you need so I play my part and be over with it?"

"Why do you keep gazing outside the foodcourt..?" Niel turned to look behind where Stan had been constantly drifting his eyes off to. "Isn't that Yeon....and Mora?" Shooting an accusatory eye towards Stan, Niel asked, "You chose this place knowing they'd meet here?"

Stan whispered, pulling at Niel's sleeves. "You'll get me caught. Stop looking at them!"

"What the heck man! You're crazy!"

"Just ignore them and tell me what you want! Pretend you didn't see them and stop wasting my time..."

"You already know why I'm here! I told Elric's mom my interests..."

"What would you like to invest in? Let's start from there." Stan asked, peeping again at his fated and Mora sitting a few feet away from them in another booth.

"I'm as green as it can get. You can guide me."

"How can I guide you into a direction you yourself don't know where you're going?"

"Man, I really hate you."

Stan sighed and shook his head in frustration. "What I'm saying makes sense so don't take it personal and even if you do, I don't care. What is your main objective for wanting to invest then? At least tell me you have an answer to that."