“Look at you, being so dramatic!” Charlie said with a grin.
“Fine, fine. I’m wrong. I take it back, okay?” Evelyn replied with a nod.
“That’s more like it. But I wonder if Alexander is free tonight,” Evelyn muttered as she pulled her phone out of her bag.
“Damn it, Evelyn, you’re teasing me!” Charlie suddenly snapped, her face red with anger.
“I’m just calling to ask,” Evelyn said, trying to calm her down.
When a dog is cornered, it jumps over the wall. When Charlie is cornered, she might actually bite!
Evelyn called Alexander. The phone rang for a while before he answered. “Are you busy? Should I call you later?” she asked.
“It’s fine. What’s up?” Alexander said.
“Are you free tonight? Charlie is heading back to school in two days. Let’s take her out for dinner together!” Evelyn explained.
“Sure. What time?”
“What time works for you? We’ll match your schedule!”
“Is 7:30 okay? I can book the restaurant.”
“7:30 works. I’m not sure what we want to eat. Let Charlie pick, and I’ll send you the address later!”
“Okay.”
“Great. It’s settled. I’ll text you after we confirm!”
“Okay,” Alexander said.
“And Charlie wants to invite Noah too.”
“That’s fine. Anyone else?” Alexander asked.
“No, just the four of us. I’ll let you know. See you later!”
“See you.”
After hanging up, Evelyn turned to Charlie. “Alexander said it’s fine. He’s free after 7:30. We’ll let him know once we decide where to go!”
“Anywhere is fine?” Charlie asked, winking.
“Of course. Whatever you like!” Evelyn nodded.
“Then I won’t hold back!” Charlie replied with a smile.
“You don’t need to be polite with me!”
“I won’t be polite with Alexander!” Charlie corrected.
“He’s my man. You don’t have to be polite with him either!”
“Tsk, tsk. ‘My man,’ huh?” Charlie patted Evelyn’s shoulder and laughed. “It’s rare to see you so possessive. I like it!”
Evelyn laughed too.
“Did you call Noah?”
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Charlie suddenly remembered she hadn’t called Noah yet.
She picked up her phone to call him, but after a moment’s thought, she put it down again. “Let’s decide where we’re eating first. Then I’ll call him!”
“Okay. You pick the place!”
“Evelyn, do you remember that snack bar we used to go to in middle school?”
“There were a few. Which one do you mean?” Evelyn asked, confused.
“The one by the creek. The one with the braised snacks!”
“Oh, I think that place was torn down.”
“What?” Charlie looked at Evelyn, disappointed.
“Noah and I went back to our old school last year. We passed by, but that shop was gone.”
“When did you go back to our old school?” Charlie asked curiously.
“Just last year. When you were back in China!”
“So you two were secretly on a date last year!”
“No, we just went back to visit our alma mater!”
“I’m just kidding! I miss the taste of that snack bar.”
“Let’s try another place. We can go back to the school now and see which one we like.”
“Alright. That’s the only way!” Charlie nodded.
The two took a taxi back to their old school. They strolled around, checking out the restaurants.
After a full circle, Charlie said, “Let’s find a reliable one. It’s all students here!”
“Don’t you want to feel the vibe?” Evelyn said with a smile.
“Oh, I’m old now. Seeing those young couples makes me jealous!” Charlie sighed.
Evelyn shook her head, laughing.
They finally settled on a well-known Chinese restaurant.
Charlie called Noah, and Evelyn sent Alexander a message with the restaurant’s location.
“Noah is nearby, but he has something to do. It might take him half an hour,” Charlie said after hanging up.
“Alexander is coming from the company. It’ll be about the same time. Let’s order something and eat while we wait,” Evelyn suggested.
“Let’s have some tea first. I’m so thirsty!” Charlie said, turning to the waiter.
Noah arrived ten minutes earlier than expected. Alexander arrived almost at the same time. They even entered the elevator together.
“Hello, Mr. Sterling,” Noah said.
Although Alexander didn’t know Noah personally, Noah knew who Alexander was. Besides, he was Evelyn’s husband. They were about to have dinner together.
“Hello, Noah,” Alexander said with a smile.
“You know me?” Noah was surprised.
“You’re Evelyn’s classmate. I remember correctly. I’ve seen your photos, and Evelyn has mentioned you,” Alexander said.
In truth, he had never seen Evelyn’s graduation photos. But last year, when he was drinking with Owen, he happened to see Evelyn and Noah together. He had someone look into Noah afterward.
“You have a good memory, Mr. Sterling,” Noah said with a smile.
“You flatter me.”
When the elevator arrived, they stepped out and followed the waiter to the reserved private room.
Noah entered first, and Alexander followed.
After some polite gestures, Alexander let Noah go ahead.
Tonight, Alexander was the host, and Noah was the guest.
“Noah, you’re so fast! I thought—hey, you’re with Alexander?” Charlie started to say Noah was early, but then she saw Alexander walking behind him.
“We met downstairs,” Noah explained.
Evelyn looked at Alexander with a smile. “What a coincidence! You two came together!”
“Yeah, what a coincidence,” Alexander replied.
“Then I don’t need to introduce you!” Evelyn said, though she gave a brief introduction anyway. “This is my middle school classmate, Charlie. And this is Noah. Charlie, you already know Alexander. Noah, this is my husband, Alexander!”
“Hello,” Alexander said, shaking Noah’s hand.
“Hello. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Noah replied.
Although it wasn’t their first time seeing each other, it was their first formal meeting. Some things were unspoken between men.
After a moment, Noah said, “Please, sit down. Let’s order.”
“You didn’t order yet?” Alexander asked, looking at the menu.
“Of course not. We were waiting for you. Otherwise, we might order something you don’t like,” Evelyn replied with a smile.