Sparks Fly

Chapter 9

I looked at the time. Jace is four minutes late. What if he never comes? What if something happened to him? What if he got into a car accident like Mum did five years ago? So many 'what if's ran through my mind as I sought a reason for his tardiness.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Jace called out, panting. He stopped in front of me and took deep breaths to catch his breath. "I was running some errands. Mum wanted me to go grocery shopping with her. She's cooking dinner."

"Cool," I muttered. "It's fine. You should spend more time with your mother. She's busy most of the time after all." And you're lucky to even have a mother to spend time with.

He nodded. "Yeah, she is. But when she doesn't have shows to act in, she's very free. Being an actor is awesome because you have flexible working hours. You can choose whether you want to do it or not."

I smiled. "It's not easy to be an actor, though. You have to endure the paparazzi and reporters. They're terrible. Look at all the photos they take and the news they write about celebrities! Such invasion of privacy!"

"You're absolutely correct about that," he chuckled.

"So, where are we going for lunch?" I asked.

He thought for a moment and replied, "How about Virgil's Real BBQ? Is that okay with you?" I nodded. "Okay, Let's walk there. It's nearby. It's very good and the price is reasonable—"

"Um, what seems reasonable to you might not be reasonable to others," I replied.

He grinned and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Oh, silly Belle. Don't worry about the cost. I'm treating you. Anyway, the Texas Beef Brisket Melt is good. You should try that out. Ooh, maybe you can get the Georgia Chicken Fried Steak. Would you like potato salad?"

I sighed. He's so generous with spending money on me. Where can you find a guy as nice as him? "I think we should get a table first. If it's crowded, we can't even eat there. We might have to wait around half an hour before we can go in."

"Ah, that won't be a problem. They aren't that busy at this time of the day. Besides, we can always take away and eat somewhere else," he replied. "I promise you'll love it. I come here with my Dad to eat when he's free. He loves barbecue too."

"Hmm, then I hope I'll love it too. That way, we can come here and eat frequently," I said. Can anything replace my love for sushi, though? Maybe I'll try to love sushi and barbecue at the same time. I wonder what barbecued sushi tastes like?

We went into the restaurant and placed our orders. Of course, we ordered whatever Jace mentioned just now. You should listen to the recommendations of the person who always dines here, right? We also got ourselves the Trainwreck Fries.

They sure have interesting names for their dishes.

"Hey, I'm not trying to make this date awkward but... I have to discuss something very important to you," I said. Oh, boy. Here goes nothing.

"Sure, what is it?" he asked.

I scratched my head in nervousness. "Okay, so I told you about my parents and like... I want to set boundaries so things won't get too far. You know?"

He thought for a moment. "Yeah, that sounds fair. We should have some rules set. We're teenagers with raging hormones after all," he laughed.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, anyway, jokes aside, let's set some rules. No sexual intimacy other than kissing and hugging, mainly because we've already done that. Also, you can't pay for all our dates! It simply isn't fair."

"No, it's okay. I can afford it. You don't have to worry about the costs," he uttered. I gave him a blank look and he sighed, "If you insist, we can split the bill. But on one condition. I will pay for all the expensive dishes. You can pay for the drinks and side dishes."

"What? No! That's still unfair! I don't want you to be the only one spending money. Going for meals and watching movies together aren't the only ways for couples to hang out. We can go over to each other's houses to play games, for example," I suggested.

He shrugged. "That's quite a good idea," he said. "So, let's agree on the rules. No sex. No Jace paying all the time. We will split the bill when we go on dates, with me paying for the expensive dishes and you paying for the sides."

"Okay, those are our rules," I affirmed. This turned out better than I thought. What did I do to deserve such a nice guy like him? "So, later, I'll be paying for the salad and the fries, and you will pay for everything else. Deal?"

"Deal," he replied.

Just then, our food arrived one by one. They looked delicious. They smelled delicious. I took a bite into my beef brisket. They taste delicious too! I officially love both sushi and barbecue. "Ooh, it's good! What have I been missing all my life?"

Jace burst into laughter. "Did you like it?" I nodded and he continued, "That's great. We can try Korean barbecue for our next date! We can go to Baekjeong. It's the best South Korean barbecue in New York. It's actually from South Korea. Authentic."

"That's cool," I muttered. "What's the difference?"

"American barbecue's taste is tangy and bold. It has a smoky flavour. Meanwhile, Korean barbecue's taste is generally sweet. The meat is also thinly sliced. Let's not forget about the best side dish in K-BBQ, kimchi. It's very good."

I nodded in acknowledgement. This man surely has seen a lot of the world. He has tried many things I haven't tried before... except for sushi. I beat Jace Leighton to eating sushi. That makes me feel a lot better. "We're such foodies."

"We sure are! One day, let's travel together and taste food from all over the world!" he declared.

"Sure, I don't mind," I chuckled.

We spent around one hour in the restaurant before asking for the bill. We followed the rules and I paid for the potato salad and Trainwrecker Fries while he paid for the rest. We are now walking around Times Square, allowing for our food to digest.

Jace looked up from his phone and asked, "Hey, my mum asked me to invite you over to dinner. Do you want to come? Don't worry, you can say 'no'. I'll tell her you're having dinner at home or something. Do you?"

"No, I don't but I can always cook for myself. Anyway, I don't mind going over for dinner! That way, I don't have to cook and I get to meet your mother. It's a win-win situation, I guess. Who wouldn't want to see the famous Avery Hudson?" I replied jokingly.

"Okay, I'll tell her exactly that," he said.

"Oh my God, no!" I hollered as I snatched his phone. "Don't you dare send that to her!" I continued, hugging his phone close to my chest. Gosh, I was a few seconds away from disaster! What will his mother think of me?

He laughed, "Come on, Belle. It was a joke. I'm sorry for pulling such a terrible prank on you. Now, give me back my phone. I need to tell her that you're coming home with me. It's quite cool, though. We only went out on three dates and you're meeting my mother!"

I blushed. "It's not funny, Jace."

"Okay, I apologise. It's just dinner. Come on, let's go window shopping to pass the time. Perhaps we could watch a movie! By the time it ends, it's dinnertime!" he suggested.

I grinned and nodded. "But I will pay for my own ticket."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine."

***

A/N:

Am I making you hungry? ;)

Cuz I just made myself hungry...

Here's some food knowledge for you! There'll be more in upcoming chapters because people who love food gotta know about food.

I hope you're enjoying this book so far and thanks for reading!

Look forward to lessons conducted by Belinda and Jace! That means you have to keep going :)