128 Freddy

At a spot in the intersection of the 23rd and 24th streets in New York, a food truck could be seen doling out hot, steaming food to a long, waiting line.

This line was mostly made up of individuals wearing expensive clothes, which made for quite a strange sight, given that this seemed to be a place that was quite out of the way.

If anyone heard that the CEO of the most valued technology company in the world was obediently standing in queue at this place, they would definitely not have believed their ears.

Will kept looking around, fascinated at the smells that were wafting towards them from the unmarked cart.

Only a small name could be seen on its side if one squinted- "Freddy's"

Feeling a nudge behind him, he turned around to see a beautiful woman wearing a cap that covered her ears. The temperature was around -2 degrees, so although they were covered in multiple layers, the cold still managed to get in.

The woman had her arms inside the sleeves, trying to preserve what heat was there, and she had a beautiful blush on her cheeks due to the cold.

Of course, it was Liz.

"Are you Ok? You should have worn another layer. Luke and I usually wear even more layers when we come here."

Nodding, Will replied, "I'm good. I have a high resistance to cold. Keren used to call me a zombie due to that during our childhood. Anyway, who's Freddy?"

In response, Liz shouted, "Hey Freddy, move your ass faster! How long are you going to make me wait? I told my friend that I knew you! Come on!"

While Will looked around puzzled as to whom Liz was talking to, a booming laugh was heard from the direction of the cart.

There were 6 people in front of them in the queue, so Will couldn't clearly look ahead.

However, he didn't need to as a bulky man wearing a grey coat walked towards them with a wide smile on his face.

He was missing one eye, and his face also had a multitude of scars, but his jovial expression made it so that he did not look scary or unpleasant in any way.

He was also tall, and this became apparent when he came near and hugged Liz so tightly that she got lifted off the ground.

Will wondered whether he should intervene, but seeing the very happy expressions on both of their faces, he stopped himself.

"Where's Luke? Who's this bozo?"

"Luke got into a fight, Freddy. He's fine, he's fine, don't go calling your prison buddies to take revenge. I've already taken care of that. Anyway, this is someone from where I work."

Chuckling, the large man said, "Ooh, I pity them. Mate, you look like you're from a high family, so let me give you a warning. When Elizabeth Red-f@@king-Maine gets your hands on you to take revenge, you better just give up on living. She's the devil, I tell ya. Anyway, what do you two want? I got Benny handling the regular orders, and I hope you folks don't mind if I show an old friend some courtesy?"

The last sentence was said to the 6 in front who had been staring ever since this man made his way over. Hearing his question and the ferocious expression that passed through his face, they all vigorously shook their heads, making Freddy laugh out loud again before saying, "That's good. Let's go."

A few minutes later, Liz and Will were sitting on a park bench in Central Park while savoring the food in their hands.

Liz had already finished hers as she was a fast eater, so she was currently watching the CEO dig at his with an enthusiasm that she had never seen in the man.

They were having traditional Arabian shawarma today, which was one of Freddy's specials.

He had this special trick which made the chicken filling extra soft and gooey, oozing with a rich, spicy flavor that made one want to lick it all up without pausing.

As the CEO finished it and stared at his hands, looking for more, Liz chuckled and said, "That's how everyone reacts when they have Freddy's food for the first time. He went to prison due to being wrongfully convicted of **** by a woman who was jealous because he rejected her. Luke and I met him when…Err, a story for another time. So, how was it?"

In response, Will only chewed harder and widened his eyes before raising his eyebrows and nodding with approval.

Growing up eating delicate flavors, he had never been exposed to something that didn't pull its punches when it came to flavor.

He loved it, and wanted more.

However, when he looked up, he saw that the cart was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing him get a disappointed expression on her face, Liz laughed and said, "We can come again later! Freddy only makes food in limited amounts, and he even shifts locations around New York. Don't worry, I know how to track him. Let's go grab some dessert."

Nodding, Will stood up, still holding that food in his mouth as he wanted to experience the flavor for as long as he could.

"BOWOW!"

Suddenly, a loud dog bard was heard from behind them, startling Liz.

She was standing beside him, so she instinctively grabbed his hand and flinched back.

Will hadn't been startled due to the bark, but when he felt her soft hand in his, he felt his breath stop.

It was warm, and when he held it, he felt as if his entire body was loading up with energy and…light. Vibrant light.

Inadvertently, he squeezed, and because Liz had already noticed that it was just a dog, she had already returned back to normal.

This squeeze made her realize what she had done by mistake, so she quickly pulled away her hand, saying, "Sorry, I was startled…"

Stopping mid-sentence, Liz looked down and saw that even though she had pulled back, the CEO hadn't let go.

He first looked embarrassed, but taking a second, he built up his determination and said, "You don't need to let go."

Will couldn't help it. It had felt just so…right. And at that moment when she pulled away, he had decided that he didn't want that to happen.

So, he asked this, but immediately wondered whether he had gone too far.

Nervously, he looked at Liz and saw a slew of emotions pass through her eyes.

Yet, when she finally responded after 2 seconds, he felt like jumping in the air as if he had cracked a billion-dollar business deal.

"Of course,", she said, before squeezing his hand in return, and making him lose his breath once again.

Little did he know that Liz was having the same reaction, only at least 10 times magnified.