"Yes I am, so who will go next?" Mui replied feeling proud. He was actually pretty relieved that he didn't have to use the purse. It would have been embarassing.
Kai chose for them this time, "Our big brother should do the honors next." He had never actually seen Timo flirt so he was being a curious little cat.
"Ok fine." Timo accepted the challenge readily. In reality, he wanted to get over with the stupid charade. He was feeling tired and badly wanted to sleep. It was all thanks to those shots he drank in the club. He was a little buzzed but didn't want to dampen the guy's spirits.
After all, they were having fun after a long time.
They waited for a while but no one came into the cafe. The guys were all feeling tired waiting so they changed the venue of the game.
They all stood hidden in the dark in a corner on the street and Timo stepped out onto the road from the alley where they were hiding. They were practically behaving like retards and looking out for a good beating if one thought about it rationally but what could one say, sometimes friends tend to behave like idiots.
Timo waited patiently for a few minutes but as it was approaching midnight no one came around where they were. He had almost decided to give up and get back with the guys when he heard footsteps approaching.
Gearing up he looked out but due to little light, he could only see the silhouette of the person.
As the person approached he was sure that it was a girl. She passed him and he waited for a few moments before yelling, "Miss?"
The footsteps halted and the girl turned around.
"I think you dropped something." Timo held out the purse to her. He was starting to realise how stupid the whole plot was. His intentions could easily be misunderstood by people. Shaking his head he decided to hold his ground and not chicken out.
The downside of the whole matter was that he wasn't able to see her face as it was covered by a veil and dark glasses. Thus, he could not gauge her reaction.
She slowly glanced up and down from his face and the purse in his hands. A silent moment passed before she took off her shades. He felt as he was thrown back to the past because those eyes were familiar to him. He couldn't remember where he had seen them before but he felt as if those eyes were an important piece of the puzzle for him.
She spoke to him with her face still concealed in the scarf, "Sorry sir, it's not mine." Her tone was neutral. There was no emotion in them. He felt a chill run down his spine.
The voice too tingled a memory from the past for him but he wasn't entirely sure. Also, not wanting to lose the bet he tried again,
"How would you know without looking at it properly?"
The mysterious girl chuckled breezily hearing his words, "Because I didn't bring any purse with me tonight. Thank you for the concern though."
She turned around to leave and that didn't feel right to him.
These were the same feelings which he had felt five years ago. As a last attempt, he called out to her, hoping that she would not leave, "Wait-"
"Yes?"
She asked without turning back to face him.
"Would you like to have coffee with me?" Timo didn't beat around the bush and directly asked her out. He wasn't sure why he took that step but it just felt right.
"Well it's an intriguing offer but I have to turn it down sorry." She almost sounded apologetic and saddened to have turned him down.
"At least reject me by looking at me!" Timo didn't want to give up just yet. He didn't know that he was practically courting death.
At last, she turned back, "Happy?" She complained sounding impatient.
"I would be once you agree to go for a coffee with me." Timo tried again shamelessly. His ears were turning red as time passed but there was no sign of him backing down.
"Sorry I can't." The girl once again flatly rejected him. This time her voice was a little stern.
"At least tell me your name." He persisted. The members all watching from the corner started to feel embarrassed at his shamelessness. They didn't want him to humiliate himself like that. Moreover, it did nothing but make the girl disgusted at him.
"If we meet someday again I will but not today." She replied nonchalantly.
"Why?" Timo was agitated with her half-hearted replies. He was desperate to pull down the veil and see her face. He wanted to confirm his hunch but he couldn't do so. It was disrespectful to her.
She didn't bother to reply and only stared at him.
Timo hung his head down flustered from her burning gaze, "But how will I recognize you? I didn't even see your face." He asked feeling helpless.
"Don't worry you will." Her voice was so small that Timo almost couldn't hear them. Luckily, the street was empty and the cool wind was blowing in his direction.
His handsome eyebrows twisted into a cute frown when her words fell onto his ears. Her reply didn't make any sense to him but he just nodded at her once before she walked away and he stared until she vanished from his sight.
He sighed and returned to the members who were staring at him looking confused.
"I thought that I knew her from somewhere." Timo clarified his actions before they could question him.
They nodded in understanding and didn't bring up the topic again before calling it a night and parting ways.