It was raining outside that restaurant!
The black coffee they both had asked for was already placed on the table.
Ryan looked around the VIP room he was sitting in. The four walls were covered in paintings of different kinds of flowers. Red, pink, purple, orange and there were blue flowers as well. But Ryan was not in the mood to check if they were pretty or not.
After thinking about it for a while, he finally had to give in. He came there to meet Rhea!
Rhea had agreed to meet him there around four p.m. He was worried whether she was caught in the rain. Ten minutes later, Rhea entered the room.
He was right! She was caught in the rain. He could see a few drops of rainwater on her forehead. The white knee-length dress she was wearing, was also slightly wet. Her backpack was almost changed from grey to black because of the wetness.
Half of her long black hair was neatly tied into a half-up ponytail leaving the latter half free. A few hair strands, near her forehead which were not long enough to be placed into the ponytail, glued to the side of her wet cheeks.
She looked gorgeous that way!
Ryan was used to seeing her in winter dresses. The first time he met her in China, she was wearing a dress almost the same as now. She indeed looked pretty. But that day, he was too emotional to just focus on her beauty. He was busy being happy, feeling nervous, and also sad in the corner of his heart.
But today, he could see how alluring she was in a white dress, with damp hair, and a few water droplets on her face.
As he was beholding her, she sat on the chair before him.
Rhea took a glance at him before drifting her eyes to the table in front of her. Ryan was still wearing a black mask and a black cap. He had always used to wear them whenever he went out. Rhea was familiar with this appearance of him as well since he looked the same in most of the photos taken by the paparazzi.
Since that was a VIP room, there was no one other than the two! The two of them sat quietly for a minute or two. Ryan was still closely looking at her face. Rhea's eyes were fixed on the coffee on the table. The steam was still rising from it.
"Wipe your face" He handed her a wiping tissue to wipe her forehead from the table. Rhea shook her head, took her backpack, and searched for her napkin.
As for Ryan, he was lost in his thoughts and forgot to remove the mask when he entered the room. Since his voice sounded muffled, he remembered that he is still wearing the mask. He removed the mask and the cap.
When he returned his gaze to her, she was taking a napkin from her drenched bag and started dabbing it on her face.
"Drink the coffee. You must be cold"
Rhea obediently took the coffee cup carefully in both of her hands but still not looking at him.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Ryan cleared his voice and spoke.
"Liam told me that you have saved me. Thank you!"
"…."
'She must be angry'
From her silence, he understood that what she wanted was not his thanks. He also couldn't forget about yesterday. He had used harsh words towards her. She was angry and hurt!
"Sorry about what I did yesterday!"
This time she quietly started to sip the coffee a little. Still not looking at him!
Ryan had always been the one to behave nonchalantly before others. But now, when Rhea did the same towards him, he couldn't do the same towards her. He could only wonder what to say next!
If it was a normal day, Rhea would have melted by his care. But every story has two sides.
Before Rhea arrived at the restaurant, she had received a call from Liam. He had repeated the words Yuan Yu already told her.
'Be bold. Don't give him the chance to convince you. You must be the one to win this argument. It's all in your hands now. Don't give in. Be stubborn and cold. Speak a few words.'
Rhea's mind which was already smeared by the advice from the two, was only able to stay obstinate, focussing only on the goal.
"Is there a way I can repay you?" Since he didn't know what else to talk about, he directly jumped to the thing he wanted to ask her the most.
"Accept the film offer!" she boldly replied.
"Other than that?"
"I only want that!", she chose her words wisely.
"You… You will get into trouble if you…"
"That's my problem!" she cut in and looked at him straight into his eyes. By the sudden intense stare from her and the bold words that came out of her mouth, Ryan was out of words.
"And, I'm not asking you to continue acting. Just one film. Then you can retire just as you wish"
"…." He seemed to be thinking.
Rhea was praying for all the gods she had ever known.
'Please make him agree! Please make him agree!'
After spending more than fifteen minutes like that he lifted his head. "Ok"
Rhea frowned looking at him, then hurriedly pinched her left hand as hard as she could. Since Ryan had observed that he tried to stop her.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking!"
He understood what she was checking.
"…." He speechlessly stared at her face as if she had gone crazy, then her hand which had already turned red from the pinching.
Fifteen minutes ago, she was like a statue who didn't know how to smile. But now, she was grinning.
"…." He was really shocked by the sudden contrast in her behavior.
'Is she that happy just because I agreed to act on that movie?' he was amused and amazed at the same time.
Rhea was busy pulling out a file from her bag. Once she grabbed it, she opened it and checked if it was the right one.
As Ryan was still staring at her beaming face, he didn't notice what was in her hand. Once she finished reading it, she handed him the document, with a grin!
He calmly grabbed that file from her hand.
"What is it?" he asked before opening it.
"Contract"
"Did Yuan Yu asked you to make me sign?"
"No, it's not that one. It's between you and me"
He was going to look at that agreement, but now confusedly looked at Rhea again.
"You and me?"
"Yeah. That's right"
"What for?"
"About the thing, you have agreed a moment ago". After a pause, she hesitantly said "And…. I have added two more clauses"
Ryan titled his head and frowned.
"........Didn't you say that you don't need anything else?"
"I did. But these are too small things to ask for", she made a hand gesture and changed her expression to show him how small it was.
He shook his head, it turns out that she is still the child he had met a year ago! A faint smile bloomed on his lips.
But Rhea couldn't see that since it was almost unnoticeable. She misunderstood the reason he shook his head.
"I had saved your life, Mr. Ryan. But you are not even willing to let me add two clauses in the agreement!"
As he didn't seem convinced Rhea had to shamelessly mention that she had saved him.
To Ryan, what she said really made sense. She had saved him. Now she made him agree to act in the movie as a method to repay her. But this was also for him. The movie was more like another debt he had to repay. At that moment he felt like he could do anything she asks for to repay her. It won't be enough! He somehow wanted to repay her and that was all he could think of at that moment. So he just turned the agreement's last page and even without reading it, he signed it!
"Mr. Ryan, you should read it!"
"No need!"
"No, you should. You better read it!", what she told him sounded like a warning!
"......I know there won't be anything that'll harm me!"
"Please read it!" her face clearly showed that she was guilty.
Now Ryan felt like he should read it once. He slowly opened the agreement file.
The first clause was about him acting in the movie.
-Party A must be acting in the main role of the movie 'Just Met You' which was scripted by party B-
There was nothing wrong with that clause.
The clauses were so simple without paying any attention to legal stuff. He didn't know if these words were legally valid or not. But if signing such an agreement can make her happy, why not?
He slowly drifted his eyes to the second clause and ended up shocked!
-Party B will be working as party A's assistant in the period of shooting time-
He had agreed to appoint her as his assistant!
"You want to be my assistant?"
She hastily nodded.
"Why?", this time he sounded like a helpless guy. It was not safe for her in many ways.
"That one was a fan girl's request.", Rhea who was in her own world just continued to explain her clause.
"Didn't I clearly tell you that if you associate with me more, you'll have to face troubles?"
"You did."
"Then what's this?"
"Mr. Ryan, even if you disagree on this term, I'll daily visit the shooting spot using my writer rights." Rhea used her writer trump card here. "You can't stop me from coming there every day anyway."
Ryan could now understand the recklessness Liam told about yesterday.
"I'm also worried about my safety. So if you are really worried about me, why don't you keep me close and protect me? Just like you did in Alaska"
What she really meant was hiring Xander to protect them both but to him, it was like a whip hit. At the point when he heard her say, 'Just like you did in Alaska', he was dumbstruck.
Ryan unbelievably looked at her. Though what she said didn't make sense, his brazen heart was ready to accept the condition, a moment ago. But now, he couldn't. This girl is asking the wolf to guard the sheep! If she was his assistant… he started to imagine her being his assistant.
The thought of keeping Rhea with him every day...
Scared him!
He was already guilty to the core because of what he had done. He didn't even know what he will end up doing in the future. He was not ready to play with fire.
"No! Rhea, this is not a joke."
"Then why did you sign it and gave me hope?", she was clearly in another world, not aware of the dangers.
"That's…" as he was going to speak, she pouted as if she was about to cry!
"Ok, ok. OK!" he desperately agreed to that clause as well.
"Don't cry over this" he said as he thought, 'I'll cry instead!'.
Now he was really scared to read the third and the final clause since the second clause was an eye-opener. When he finally read the third clause, he couldn't help but read it once again to confirm. Just as he thought, it was far more than scary and funny as well. He didn't know if he should cry or laugh over that. Finally, he drifted his gaze towards her!
"Which kindergarten are you going to?"
"…." She couldn't help but drop her head in embarrassment.
That idea of the third clause was from Flynn! After listening to their story, he had told her, that this method is applicable if she wanted to know any truth from him. If he is not willing, to tell the truth, she can use the chance to make him do whatever she wanted.
Truth or dare!
The third clause clearly stated that;
-Party A must agree with party B to play truth or dare, whenever she asks him to. He cannot deny this no matter what-
Ryan once again read all the clauses and looked at the signature he had already put there under party A.
It was the craziest contract he had ever signed.
There was a cute signature 'Rhea Frank', beside his.
Although he wanted to revoke that contract, seeing her signature his heart was growing soft. He looked up at her face. She was still repenting, head lowered due to the shame caused by that third clause. When he looked over her head, his heart grew even softer.
'What to do? I have to agree at last, since she saved my life!', he gave himself a reason to agree with that contact!
He handed the file back to her.
"I agree to all your conditions!" he said. She happily beamed once again.
"But…" he paused! The smile on her face slightly froze.
"You can never ask me why I kissed you that day."
Since he mentioned the kiss, her hands which had stretched to accept the file retracted a little.
After a pause, she spoke. "Ok!" she smiled and accepted the file.
The way she simply said 'ok' made him wonder if she really didn't care about the kiss which brought him a few more doubts.
With a frown, he asked her those doubts, one at a time.
"Rhea, may I know why are you doing all these?"
He wanted to know, if it is out of care, or if it out of kindness, or... He didn't dare to think of anything else. If she didn't 'care' for him, then it must be out of kindness. A hundred percentage of kindness.
"Don't you think it's a bit too much?".
A bit too much, if it's really out of kindness!
"It's an obsession!", Rhea who had already prepared this answer a long time ago replied without any hesitation.
Now he was seriously stupefied by her reply.
"I'm a fan, who is so much obsessed with you. So I'll do anything for you. I don't want to see you stop acting!" she simply smiled.
She didn't want to confess what she feels for him and make herself into a laughing stock. So she simply found a better way as 'a crazy fangirl who is obsessed with her idol'.
Ryan was still sitting there so shocked by her reply. Rhea had already packed her bag.
Ryan was thinking. From the beginning of their meeting, though she liked him as a fan, she never behaved in a way showing any signs of obsession. She tried to avoid him many many times. She even tried to avoid eye contact with him. It was him! It was more like him, obsessing over her and following her. The contradictions between a fan and Rhea were also one of the factors which made him tease her more and more. So it was never an obsession!
'Liar!' he thought.
"I have another question for you", he spoke once again.
She awaited his question.
"How did you know that I was sitting on the balcony balustrade that day? Don't tell me it's a coincidence!"
This time, it was really difficult for Rhea to come up with a story that will make him believe her. So she ended up confessing about what she did. She also tried her best to save Mei Xing from any troubles.
With the explanation she gave, Ryan's eyes widened in shock followed by a faint glimmer. It was as if he was excited.
He was quietly listening to all she had to say while making himself ready to tease her.
Once she finished, he started.
"A stalker! Aren't you?", he friskily asked with a faint smirk, slightly tilting his head.
Rhea was embarrassed and shocked at the same time.
"I... I only wanted to make sure... if... if you are doing fine. But... But... Sorry...", she couldn't say anything clearly and confidently like before. Without words she lowered her head once again, averting her gaze from him to her hands which were clasped together on the table showing her nervousness. Once again, she looked like repenting of her mistake. She wordlessly bit down on her lower lip with a frown.
Though Ryan was enjoying her expressions for a few seconds, he couldn't continue doing so.
When he saw her biting her lip, he suddenly remembered the incident.
He quickly turned his head away from her. His adam's apple bobbed once.
He almost forgot the fact that he had kissed her without her permission. Compared to his crime, what she had done is almost... almost nothing. And he knew that she did that out of care, but him...
If what she did is stalking, then what he had done... he didn't want to think any longer. He fisted his hands and closed his eyes for a few seconds.
"I know Rhea. I won't ask about that anymore!", he let himself free, by letting her free.
He had already said 'sorry' thousands of times inside his head in the meantime.
Finally, he let out a verbal sorry as well.
Rhea thought that it was for making her panic a moment ago. She didn't say anything as a response.
Ryan understood one thing clearly. If he is going to keep her close, he will have to face situations like this. He clearly understood that it will be like torturing. He clearly could see the possibilities.
Just to divert himself from thinking too much he grabbed his coffee which he had forgotten a long while ago. He drank it anyway though it was not a 'hot' black coffee anymore. He was not in his senses to feel the taste anyway. He downed the cup.
He didn't speak after that.
Seeing him keeping quiet, Rhea spoke.
"Then, I'll be leaving. See you soon in the shooting!"
She got out of that room as she was really afraid to face more questions. She may end up exposing her feelings for him.
He was left alone in that VIP room. He seated himself in a more comfortable position with one leg over another. He rubbed his temple a few times, thinking about what happened that day.
Today he had agreed to act in the movie, after only talking with her for fifteen minutes! It was something Yuan Yu and Liam was trying to do for the past three months. He signed the crazy contract as well.
He checked the time. It was just 4.50 p.m. Everything happened within an hour.
"What am I doing?", he wondered.
He was unable to judge whether it was the right to do. But deep down inside his heart, he felt excited. He couldn't deny that.