The Subtle Art of Love and War

Chapter 11: Why Me?

Hero parks by what looks to be an abandoned building. It's looming emptiness made even more intimidating by the darkness of the night. Is he planning on killing me now since the motorcycle ride didn't do the job?

"What are we doing here, Hero?" I say, my voice hushed and just above a whisper.

"Why are you whispering?" He chuckles loudly and I wince at the noise he doesn't seem to have a problem making compared to the eerie silence surrounding us.

"I don't know... I just feel like it's too quiet and it's scary!" I whisper, my eyes roaming around the area. It feels like a ghost town out here though I could see some lights coming from the buildings close by.

"There's nothing to be scared of Jo, you're with me. Now come on, dinner's waiting." He grabs my hand, once again lacing his long fingers between mine, pulling me until we're inside the abandoned building. We walk towards the elevator. Is this even working and safe to use? Hero punches the up button and it opens to reveal a decently clean lift. Hero steps in first and pulls me in after a moment of hesitation on my part.

"Are you going to kill me here?" I can no longer help myself as I blurt out the words, breaking the silence between us.

"What?" He laughs, his dimple appearing and distracting me from my growing panic. "What gave you the idea?"

"Well... you took me here. In an abandoned building. Where on one else could witness your crime."

"I won't kill you if you say yes to being mine, then," he winks at me. He slowly leans down to me, my lips already tingling in anticipation but just before his lips could brush mine, the door opens to reveal a flight of stairs. He straightens his back and guides me out of the lift. We take the stairs which leads to a door. I can already guess what's behind it even before Hero pushes it open. My guess is confirmed as a gust of wind smacks me right in the face.

We're at the rooftop.

"Hero..." I whisper when we round the corner and I see the twinkling lights strung up ahead, under them is a table for two with a chilled bottle of champagne and two flutes and a single red rose laying between them. At one corner is a man dressed in all black with a wheeled tray which I would assume holds our dinner. That's not all though. The most eye-catching thing about this setup Hero has somehow pulled off—I don't even know how he did this—is the sight we have beyond the rooftop. In the distance is the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower looming over Paris. I know I've seen the same magnificence multiple times before but just the ambiance of this setup, the fact that there's only Hero and I and the peace and quiet away from the crowd adds magic to it.

Hero's full of surprises today.

Well, he's been full of surprises since I've met him. That tiny folder containing information about him is nothing but a boatload of crap compared to everything he's been showing me. But who is he, really? Is he the intimidating young businessman who fools around on his free time? Or is he the daredevil who rides motorbikes and prepares romantic dinners like this? Or is he still hiding the real him from me? What do I have to do or give to make him reveal his true self to me?

"Come," he says, pulling me along. He seats me on one chair as he sits on the one across from me. The man at the corner places two plates of filet mignon with glazed carrots right in front of us.

"How...?" I trail off as Hero proceeds to pour us some bubblies after the man pops the bottle open.

"We own this building. It's set to be renovated to its former glory starting next week," he tells me matter-of-factly.

They own this kind of property, with this view of the Eiffel Tower?

Wish I was lucky enough to have known this kind of property was up for grabs. This would have been perfect converted into a hotel.