Ginny excused herself to the restroom after paying for the meal. While waiting for her, Alan didn't waste a second and started reading through the list. As he read about her hobbies and habits, he realized most of them related to food. The only things on the list he could fit in today's schedule are visiting an animal shelter and grabbing drinks.
Skimming through the list the second time, a smile formed on his face. "I got it." He picked up the pen used to sign for the bill, took a clean napkin and started scribbling on it. Within the few minutes time frame, he successfully wrote out a love letter for her to read.
"She likes solving puzzles, so this should do the trick. Luckily, I was part of the Physics Department. Heh." For once, he felt proud of himself for choosing physics as his studies. When Ginny came back, she picked up her bag and made sure she had everything before leaving.
Patting her stomach satisfyingly, she turned around with a bright smile, "Was the food filling?"
"Yep. It was a very good meal. Thanks for the treat. How about I treat you to bubble tea? I saw a review on a grand opening spot that isn't far from here. Maybe ten minutes of walking, if you are okay with that." He stuffed the napkin in his back pocket as he searched his phone for directions to the bubble tea place.
"Sure. It's good for digestion to walk around after eating." She took this chance to look at her phone and check for any missed messages. Seeing a blank notification screen gave her a slight relief. Since she was out to hang out with him, she wanted to wholeheartedly focus on him.
Following Alan around closely, she avoided crowd spaces that required her to squeeze through. Of course, Alan wouldn't walk into groups of people as he wanted her to walk comfortably on the streets. When they reached the bubble tea spot, he took a menu and shared it with her.
This time, both of them ordered a different flavored milk tea with additional jelly toppings. Lucky for them, the store wasn't too busy and the line was not long. The employees were friendly and patient with their customers. While he went to order, she found an empty table for them to sit down and chat.
Before taking the seat, she looked around to confirm others weren't desperately looking for a table. Since they didn't talk about their plans after getting the drinks, she decided to take the empty spot. If someone comes in and needs a spot, then they could always leave to go elsewhere.
"Here, your drink." Placing the drink and straw onto the table, he took the seat across from her.
"Thank you. By the way, what do you want to do after this?" Penetrating the plastic on the bubble tea with a straw, she brought the drink closer to her mouth.
"Hmmm, I have something to give you first." He slipped the napkin from earlier out of his pocket and unfolded it on the table. Sliding it towards her direction, he watched with anticipation for her to respond to his letter.
His heart skipped faster than the time he was nominated to run in the marathon by his friends. Her hands held onto the napkin and a crease formed between her brows.
"This..."
He gulped subconsciously when he heard her response. She looked up to meet his solemn expression and then back on the napkin. Tilting her head sideways while rotating the napkin in all directions, she looked at him again.
Unlike the response he had expected to receive, her question crushed his efforts to scattered pieces. "What's this?"
"It's physics. Physics formulas." He pointed at the napkin where he had written rows of long formulas mixed with numbers and letters.
"Uh...It's unique." She didn't understand why he had given her these formulas. Judging by his expressions, he really wanted her to give him a feedback. Facing a minute of silence, she quickly sipped the drink and praised it.
"Hahaha, the drink is very good! I'm not sure what you wanted me to do with the formulas, but you're better off asking someone else if it's to solve the questions. My worst subject is science. When it's mixed with math, forget showing it to me. I failed Physics twice in college." Waving her hand to brush off the awkward silence, she mentioned how she was far from being capable of handling these questions.
"Oh, never mind then. About your earlier question, I do have a place that I want to visit. There's an animal shelter around this area and visitors are allowed to play with dogs and cats. If you don't mind, then we can walk as we drink and then play with the furry buddies." Shoving the napkin into his back pocket, he cursed himself for not doing something simpler.
"What if I tell you that I have allergies towards pet fur?" She smiled teasingly at him.
"Do you really?" He paused the moment he heard her question. 'Did I make another mistake? But she liked furry pets on that list!'
Staring into his eyes, she chuckled, "I'm kidding. I don't have allergies. Hehe, in fact, I love pets. How far are we from the shelter?"
"Around ten blocks away. With our pace, we'll finish the drinks by then." He said as he gathered the garbage on the table and walked over to the trash can. Ginny followed along and exited behind him. As they walked, she kept her eyes on his free hand. 'I need to hold that hand no matter what today!'
As he had estimated, the timing was just right. When they arrived at the shelter, the bottom of their drinks could be seen. After tossing away their garbage, they walked into the shelter and heard many welcomes from furry buddies. Registration was quick and efficient. They also sanitized their arms and hands before greeting the pets.
The smile on her face grew wider as her eyes twinkled at the sight of many furry little ones with staffs and volunteers. "Wahhhhh!!! So many cuties!!!!"
Smiling along, he said, "You're the cutest."
Due to the loud barks around them, she leaned towards him. "What did you just say?"
"Oh, I said they're all very cute." He couldn't imagine himself saying it to her face. Perhaps in the future when he gets her to say yes to being his girlfriend, but now was too early.