Chapter 120 - Macadamia

Jackson quickly regained his composure and shook his head, "No. I recognize her picture from her grave. Emerson took me to visit it yesterday."

Halia looked at Jackson and felt her heart break. Even though he was meant to be her boyfriend, there was so much she didn't know about this man.

How long ago did his mother die? How did she die? Halia had so many questions in her head.

Jackson handed the photo back to Auntie Lily indifferently. 

At that moment, the main meals arrived. Emerson already showed Halia the menu earlier that day so she could pick her main meal and the chef could prepare the ingredients. All the main meals sounded delicious, but she ended up settling with a dish of wagyu beef rolls. The rolls resembled sushi, but thinly sliced wagyu was used in place of seaweed and instead of rice in the middle, there was a variety of high-quality fillings including truffle, caviar, and saffron. 

Halia glanced next to her and realized Jackson had ordered the same dish.

Just like the entree, the dish was plated beautifully, so Halia couldn't help but admire it for a little while before eating.

Meanwhile, next to her, Jackson had already cut open one of the rolls and was eating it. As he bit down, he nodded his head in satisfaction. All the ingredients melded in his mouth with a burst of flavor and the beef was cooked perfectly, melting deliciously against his tongue like butter. But, when he went in for the second bite, something suddenly crunched between his teeth and he froze. The flavor was familiar, but he hadn't eaten it for a while. 

It was Macadamia; a kind of nut.

Jackson glanced next to him and noticed Halia take her first bite.

All of a sudden, he turned to her and said, "Stop!"

Halia looked at Jackson in surprise and swallowed. Why was he suddenly stopping her?

Jackson's eye opened wide in shock as he stared at the woman beside him.

"What's wrong?" Halia asked.

Jackson continued staring at her as though he was waiting for something to happen. He then turned and looked curiously at her plate.

What was wrong with this man?

Jackson's eyes darted suspiciously. He then picked up a napkin and handed it to Halia. "You have something on your face," he said.

Halia took the napkin and wiped her face. "Thanks, is it gone?" she asked as she checked her napkin. It looked clean. What was on her face?

Jackson quickly nodded and returned to his meal as Halia stared at him with confusion. Did he stop her just to tell her she had food on her face?

Halia looked down at her plate and slowly cut into her wagyu beef roll again. But, just as she pressed down on her knife and fork, something round popped out onto her plate. At first glance, Halia thought it was a chickpea, but when she went to stab it with her fork, it was hard.

Jackson noticed it and frowned. He almost thought she had requested for it to be left out of her meal. How was she so reckless?

Halia picked up the slightly round ingredient between her fingers, stared at it curiously and decided to place it in her mouth.

At that moment, she felt someone grab onto her wrist. She looked at her wrist in surprise. The heart pendant on her bracelet swung from side to side and clasped around her wrist were some warm and slender fingers. Her gaze followed the fingers up a muscly arm, across a broad shoulder and her eyes eventually fell on the familiar handsome face next to her.

It was Jackson.

Why did he stop her again? 

"It's Macadamia," he whispered under his breath.

Halia looked into the man's eyes. So what if it was Macadamia? What was wrong with it?

But then, a memory suddenly came to her mind and she realized what was happening. That was right, Jackson had previously saved her from what appeared to be a nut allergy! 

With a smirk, she whispered, "You remember me, don't you?"

...

Not too far away, inside a hotel room, Sean was staring at his phone in confusion. A lot had happened that day; a lot of things that he couldn't explain.

Sure, he had an amazing day with Natalie: they held hands, they hugged and they even kissed, but now that he was alone, he finally got the chance to process everything. What exactly happened? Wasn't Natalie interested in women? And wasn't she Halia's girlfriend?

He wanted to call Natalie to clarify things, but he didn't know what to say. So, he continued to stare at the phone. Was he supposed to treat the day like a fling? What if he took things too serious and ruined their friendship?

But, just as he was hesitating, his phone began to ring. 

It was Natalie.

"Sean, what happened today?" the woman asked straightforwardly as soon as he picked up.

Sean was surprised by the woman's direct approach.

"I-I'm sorry," Sean replied.

"Sorry for what?" Natalie asked with disappointment. Did he regret kissing her? 

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I know you're already in a relationship. I should have controlled myself," he replied.

Natalie furrowed her brows in confusion. "Who told you I was in a relationship?" she asked.

"You might not remember, but the night you got drunk at the ball in Hong Kong, I saw you and Halia kiss. I'm an open-minded person, so..."

Before Sean finished his sentence, Natalie broke into laughter, "Do you think I like women?"

She knew what people thought about her; she had overheard the rumors. But, she never cared.

Sean froze. "Don't you?" he asked.

"Halia is my best friend, not my girlfriend. I am 100% straight!" the woman replied.

Sean's eyes lit up as his heart began to race, "Does that mean you like men?"

"Of course," Natalie replied.

There was a brief silence as the two remained on the phone.

After a short pause, Sean took a deep breath and asked, "Does that mean you like me?"