341 I Know Her Very Well

"Hello, ladies!"

Both Nora and Cali looked up to see Dylan standing right beside their table. While Cali was raising her brows in surprise, Nora was grinning knowingly. He really came running, eh!

"When did you come back?"

The question came from Cali who didn't expect to see him here at all. Obviously they weren't close enough for her to know about his schedule but Darren still had informed her that Dylan was gonna stay out of town for another day or two. So, seeing him here was something that never even crossed her mind.

"This morning," answered Dylan inviting himself to sit at the seat which was previously occupied by Xiu. He seemed to have taken a leaf out of Xiu's book without knowing it himself because she was the only person he knew who would fit herself anywhere without any invitation.

"Hey! That's Xiu's seat. Do you want to start another world war with her?" This reaction could only belong to Nora who was one of the witnesses of the war scenes between Xiu and Dylan. And she really didn't want them to start here.

Dylan waved her off saying, "Dear Nora, if I and Dazi are standing side by side, who do you think will catch Xiu's attention? Whether she'd be interested in starting a world war with me or would she be more than ready to jump on her boyfriend?"

"Of course, the latter. Between you and Darren, she'd always go with Darren."

"Bingo!" Dylan clicked his fingers together. "That's exactly she's going to do even now."

"You mean, Darren is here?" inquired Nora while craning her neck to look around for even a shadow of Darren.

Dylan placed his hand on her head and rotated in the direction of where he left his best friend with his love. "He seems busy. Do you want to disturb them?"

From her position, Nora could clearly make out the silhouette of two people who were stuck together and didn't even have to know further than that to understand where this was going. "I guess she's not coming back."

"I'd be surprised if she really did come back," answered Dylan knowingly.

"Wait!" Cali finally cut their conversation short as she questioned, "Bai Xiu is Regan's girlfriend?"

"She didn't introduce herself?" asked Dylan strangely. He really couldn't believe it when Cali shook her head in reply. "How is that possible? She loves to show off her boyfriend. How did she forget to flaunt her love before you?"

"Perhaps, because she didn't know that I'm acquainted with Regan," said Cali.

"She knows," answered Dylan. "She knows it very well."

Hearing Dylan's answer made Cali wonder if that was the reason why Xiu called her 'tattoo girl' earlier. She definitely seemed to recognize her but even she was in bewilderment at that time since she had never met Xiu before. But now it made sense that Darren must have talked about her. 

Anyways, she was more interested in this new information that Xiu was actually Darren's girlfriend. She really didn't expect someone like Xiu to catch Darren's attention. He was a calm and collected kind of person but his girlfriend wasn't one. And even in the past, all his girlfriends could say be the exact opposite of Xiu.

"She's trying to keep her public display affection to a minimum these days."

Nora's voice broke Cali's trance.

Dylan pointed in the direction of Xiu and Darren before voicing out, "That's keeping it down?"

Nora coughed awkwardly. "I mean she's not at least shoving her flirting down your single throat!"

"Look who's talking," was Dylan's biting remark.

Nora narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, unlike you, I know where my feelings are leading me."

Dylan's jaw tightened at the way she so bluntly insulted him. "Oh, yeah? Then what are you doing here? Why aren't you going where your feelings are leading you?"

"Are you trying to pick a fight, Dylan?" questioned Nora. She could tell Dylan was in a bad mood and she obviously had an inkling about the reason behind his foul mood as well. But it oddly pleased her.

"What if I am?" challenged Dylan.

Nora slowly stood up from her seat and spoke in a low voice, "I'm not Xiu who is only happy verbally assaulting you. I'm Nora Cartwright! Mess with me and I'll poke your bloody eyes out!" Dylan glared back at her but seeing how she was turning to walk away, he was taken aback.

"Oi! Where are you going now?"

Nora looked over her shoulder as she replied, "I'm gonna take the advice my best friend gave me earlier." Dylan frowned in confusion. "I'm gonna knock at the door that my heart wants me to." Also, I don't want to be the third wheel here. It's better to run than to suffer between you dumb people; one who can't speak her feelings out and the other who doesn't even know his feelings. What a pair!

"Huh?" Dylan didn't know what she meant and honestly, he didn't care. Because now that he noticed, he was left alone with Cali who was silently staring at him. But the way she looked at him was different. Is she drunk? he thought to himself. He had just opened his mouth to speak when Nora slammed her hands on the table startling him. "What the hell! Why are you back now?"

Nora grinned at him widely. "I forgot that I don't have the address of the door I want to knock at."

"Are you kidding me? You don't even know where Ah-Si lives?" Dylan really had the urge to either laugh at her face or hit her for being a dummy.

"I don't. But you do," she replied while blinking at him with pleading eyes.

Dylan being Dylan pretended like he wasn't listening. "I do know. But why should I give it to you? Didn't you say you're gonna poke my eyes out? Why should I help someone who's thinking of assaulting me?"

Nora placed her hand on his shoulder and stared at him squarely. "Don't make me repeat myself or..." the way her eyes shifted to Cali made Dylan curse under his breath. This is the reason why friends who know your secrets are the worst! Now, he would have to fall for this blackmailing. How annoying!

"Fine, fine! I'm sending it to you," said Dylan before he got his phone out and typed in the address before sending it Nora who after checking to confirm patted his shoulder and ran off saying bye to the both of them. Dylan was shaking his head at her when suddenly his eyes fell on the table and his eyes went wide. "What is this?"

The spread of alcohol on the table was really eye-catching, to say the least. He really couldn't imagine that three girls were the ones who actually finished it all. But what he didn't know was that most of it were done by Xiu herself alone. She needed company, which didn't mean she needed help to finish her drinks. She was more than enough for that.

"Hmm... Xiu said this is the variety of flavors that one should not miss in this life," replied Cali calmly. Her words weren't slurred, she didn't even look tipsy but her eyes weren't really focused. Her face was also flushed which was clearly showing that even she had quite a few drinks this night.

Dylan facepalmed himself, "I really can't even say that I'm surprised." Then with a small smile on his face he went on, "It's safe to say that Xiu is the one who drank the most."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know her very well," answered Dylan.

There was something in the way he said those words that bothered Cali for some reason. With knitted brows, she pushed herself off the chair and turned around to leave saying, "I should get back to my room."