Dr Jackie & Mr Hideo

Chapter 9: Rendezvous

The Grill House was buzzing with the Saturday night dinner crowd. Aroma of sizzling steaks and the low murmur of conversation filled the whole space. I spotted Cheryl at a table near the back, a reserved sign perched beside a vase of fresh flowers - roses, not Soma, unfortunately. She was wearing a simple but elegant black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. She looked up as I approached, a nervous smile flickering across her lips.

I offered a polite smile, pulled out the chair, and sat down without waiting for an invitation.

"Thought you might stand me up," Cheryl said.

"Sorry, traffic," I said with a shrug. "That, and I had to fight off a groupie who was trying to steal my lucky guitar pick."

Cheryl snorted, but her eyes were twinkling with amusement.

"Right, because every college band guitarist has hordes of adoring groupies."

"Okay, so maybe it wasn't a groupie," I admitted, leaning back in my chair. "It was just Chloe."

Cheryl burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking with amusement. "No, seriously," she said, once she'd regained her composure, "Chloe wouldn't stop talking about you after the festival. You were apparently the highlight of her weekend."

I tried to imagine what Chloe had told her. Hopefully, she'd left out the part about our little "experiment" in the campus bathroom.

"So, what are you having?" I asked, picking up the menu. "They're supposed to have the best wagyu burgers in town. Although, I'm tempted by the lobster mac and cheese. Decisions, decisions."

"I'm not really that hungry," Cheryl said, her gaze fixed on the wine list. "Maybe just a salad."

"A salad? Come on, Cheryl, live a little. You can't come to a place like this and order a salad. It's like going to a rock concert and wearing earplugs. You gotta experience the full sensory overload."

Cheryl laughed. "Fine, you've convinced me. I'll have the wagyu burger. Medium rare."

"Excellent choice," I said, snapping the menu shut. "And a side of fries to share, of course. We can't let all those delicious carbohydrates go to waste."

"You're going to make me fat," Cheryl said, but there was a smile in her voice.

"Nah, you've got that effortless 'rich girl' metabolism," I teased. "You could probably eat a whole pizza and still fit into those designer jeans."

"You're terrible," Cheryl said, shaking her head.

We placed our order, and as we waited for our food, Cheryl leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "So... does she know you're here tonight? Or is this a secret rendezvous?"

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Who?"

"The girl you went to the botanical gardens with," Cheryl clarified. "You said you were there two weeks ago."

"Oh." I shook my head. "No, I went alone."

"No way," Cheryl said, her voice laced with disbelief and amusement at the same time.

"You're telling me a rock star like you spends his afternoons strolling through a botanical garden? Alone? You're lying."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "No, I'm serious. I actually like flowers."

"Is that like... a romantic thing? Or are you secretly a botany nerd?" She raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a playful smirk.

"My Po Po, my grandmother, she loved gardening," I said, a flood of nostalgia washing over me. "She had all kinds of flowers, and I used to help her out when I was a kid. I guess I've always had a soft spot for them ever since."