Limited Hate

Chapter 8: Night Walks

          The next few days go by in a sort of a blur, but they are much more enjoyable now that Felix and I are on good terms. We visit new places and try new things together, and I find myself having a lot of fun with him. Never would I have ever thought that the man I hated would become my friend.

          Thinking back to my seven-year-old self, I don't think that what is happening now even crossed her mind once. It's hard to believe I had such a strong hatred towards him. After talking with him for a while, I find that we do have a lot in common, similar thoughts and interests. He supports me in all my decisions, no matter what they are, but always voices his opinions first.

          It feels as if a whole new chapter of my life has been unlocked, with him as the key. I smile to myself as we walk down the crowded sidewalks of Las Vegas.

     "What are you smiling at?" he asks, wrapping his coat tighter around himself. It had unexpectedly begun to snow as we made our way back to the hotel.

     "I never thought I would be doing something like this with you." I say honestly, shoving my hands into my pockets.

     "Yeah? Why is that?" says Felix, taking my left hand out of my pocket and placing them between both of his hands. I shrug slightly and frown.

     "I'm not sure, exactly. Maybe because I hated you so much before. Maybe because not even a week ago I yelled at you for doing basic things. There's no proper answer, I guess. At least for me."

     "Well, you have me now. Enjoy your time," he says as he rubs some warmth back into my palms. "Where would you want to go next?"

     "The M&M store?" I suggest while looking around for ideas. "Or the Hershey's store. Your call."

     "No, I mean where do you want to visit after Vegas," he says, laughing airly while placing my hand back into my pocket. "I do want to go to the Hershey's store, though."

     "Oh. I'm going back to Korea. I'm only here because of the world tour. And to have a vacation, I guess." I say.

     "You were born in Korea?" Felix asks, surprised.

     "Yeah," I say, realizing we don't even know where each other were born. "My parents are from China but they moved to Korea after I was born. I took English lessons in high school because I was obsessed with moving to the US. I really don't know why I was, honestly. But where are you from?"

     "Sydney, Australia, but my parents are Korean. I would love to go back to Korea as well, but I haven't spoken Korean in a while. I think I'm still fluent."

     "You do have an Australian accent! I couldn't tell what kind of accent it was before."

     "Really? I moved to Nevada when I was eighteen and I thought my accent was gone by now."

     "No, I can still hear it pretty clearly. Why did you move here?"

     "I don't know. My parents never told me, but I think it had to do with more business opportunities. This is where I learned to speak English, to understand everyone. Anyway, your parents are from China? You're Chinese? Can you speak Chinese?" he asks.

     "I think if my parents are from China it would make me Chinese. Yes, I can speak Mandarin fluently, but other than Korean and English, that's it." I respond, staring at the traffic light as it turns red. I hadn't even realized we had arrived at the crosswalk.

     "You speak Mandarin too?" he says as we walk into the Hershey's store. "In that case, 从商店给我买东西."

     "Yeah, in your dreams!" I laugh, pushing him playfully.

          Las Vegas's atmosphere seems ten times brighter and happier with a friend. Never, ever would I have found myself looking forward to my future with him.

          Hello everyone! So sorry for taking so long to publish this chapter, even though it's shorter, re-writing it took longer than expected. Next chapter will hopefully be on Thursday!