Back in Boba World, Karl was still stunned after seeing the conviction on Kaija’s face as she agreed to Charles Kosonen’s arrangent.
And not just that, she had even agreed to get that cunning fox a boba tea on her way back, from his favorite boba place.
"You agreed to that stupid decision," Karl stated, his tone flat.
"Stupid, indeed," Kaija said, slipping her phone back into her pocket, "but I think I’m ready, Karl. Plus, I need to make money as soon as possible. This will serve well too."
"You look ready," Karl replied, his voice thin as a thread as he dipped his mouth back to the straw, although his brow had drawn tight together in his own quiet protest.
Internally, he couldn’t help worrying about the rushed decision, but he kept his worries to himself, so he wouldn’t freak her out.
"Any advice for , then, Mister Superstar?" Kaija asked, finishing her boba at last.
Karl shook his head, the deep scowl from earlier easing into a bright grin. "Oh, birdie. If you get started on advice, I might have to cancel my flight just to tell you everything. But right now, I have a perfect example to give you a taste of what your life will be like after you make it big."
He leaned closer, his gaze darting toward the other end of the room as his voice dropped low. "See that short fella over there in the corner with the flowery beach shirt and shorts?"
Alerted by the shift in his tone, Kaija lowered her head as well and carefully stole a glance in the direction he was looking.
At the other end of the room, there was indeed a guy in a flowery beach shirt and shorts, sitting alone at a round table in the corner. His attention seed fixed on the book lying on the table, his eyes hidden beneath a pair of oversized sunglasses.
Kaija quickly dropped her gaze after getting a glimpse of him. "Uh, yeah? What about him?" she asked, acting as naturally as possible.
Karl leaned in closer, whispering over her shoulder. "I an, who the hell reads a book while wearing sunglasses indoors? And see how he keeps adjusting them, like that’ll sohow help him read better, when he could just take the damn things off?
"He’s just pressing the little button on the side to take photos of us. That model of cara sunglasses is ancient now, I’ve seen them enough on cheap-ass paparazzi."
Kaija stole another glance at the guy.
What Karl said was true. The man kept bringing a hand to the side of his sunglasses, and if she looked closely enough, there was a tiny circle that might pass for a logo at first glance, but was actually a small button.
"And see what’s on his table?" Karl added. "Who walks into a boba shop and orders coffee instead, when there are tons of cafés right next door? That’s just an insult to Boba World’s existence, and to personally.
"And even if those sunglasses weren’t cara sunglasses, there’s no way that dude just happened to show up here when I also spotted him outside the campus gate while we were waiting for a cab earlier. He’s basically begging to be recognized as either a clumsy stalker or a newbie paparazzo."
"What should we do then?" Kaija asked, though she could already guess what was coming.
Karl confird her suspicion as he adjusted his mask back into place and rose from the bench. "On your feet, birdie. Ti for a little exercise to burn off all the sugar we just enjoyed."
"Erm..." She raised a brow. "But can we stop by the counter for a bit? I need to get a drink for Charles too. I already promised him."
Karl’s brow imdiately drew together at the ntion of Charles’s na, his face twitching faintly.
"Have I not told you not to ntion other guys on our date?" he muttered. "Just place a delivery order for that old fox later."
His hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her to her feet. "Right now, if we don’t get out of here soon, you’re going to get hunted by my fans the mont you debut, especially if that dude over there starts spreading rumors that I’m dating you. Though, well, maybe that fella would have every right, because I am dating you."
With that, he dragged her out of the shop as casually as possible, leaving behind the two cups of his precious boba tea on the table, still unfinished.
They might have to run, and with Kaija’s hand already in his, the cups must be left behind no matter how much it tore him inside.
The streets weren’t busy at that hour, with most people already back in their offices after lunch.
It wasn’t hard to spot the fleeing couple, their outfits black from head to toe, though they tried to keep their pace asured so as not to draw attention.
Behind them, the man with the cara sunglasses was still following, carefully keeping his distance a few shops back. He had risen from his table and followed them out of Boba World the mont he saw them heading for the door.
After turning a corner, Kaija caught a glimpse of the man’s flowery shirt over her shoulder.
"That flowery-shirt guy is still following us," she leaned over and whispered to Karl.
The sudden comnt made him jump slightly, his cheeks instantly flushing red beneath the black mask.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat, whispering back, "See? My paparazzi radar is never wrong."
His gaze darted left and right, thinking hard about what to do, until an idea hit his mind. "Okay, change of plans, birdie," he said, pulling her closer, "Let’s keep pretending we haven’t noticed him for a few more blocks. When I tell you to run, we run, alright?"
"Okay," Kaija replied, nodding slightly as she squeezed his hand tighter.
A faint smile lifted on Karl’s face.
Their pace remained steady as they passed a few more shops. When they reached the next intersection, Karl nudged her hand and leaned in to whisper, "Let’s run."
Her feet moved on instinct as Karl dragged her forward at full speed, his hand still gripping hers tightly as he guided them through the empty streets like lightning.
Behind them, the mont they broke into a run, the man in the flowery shirt did the sa. Unfortunately for him, given his modest height, he couldn’t keep up with the couple he was tailing, both blessed with legs much longer than his.
Kaija kept running, her breaths ragged as she struggled to match Karl’s pace, following his quick, unpredictable turns as they crossed one intersection after another.
After a few more turns and several blocks, Karl suddenly veered to the side, darting through a set of wide-open doors and pulling her into a low-profile building in the middle of the street.
Reviews
All reviews (0)