"Are you going to tell me your name?" Chad asked, gazing into Mila's eyes with a smile that made her heart flutter. Mila felt her knees weaken at his captivating smile, grateful she was sitting down.
"My name is Mila," she stammered, correcting herself, "or actually it's Carmila, Mila is just a shortened version."
"That's a beautiful name, Carmila," Chad commented, his eyes locked onto hers without blinking. "And you have the most stunning blue eyes. If you don't mind me asking, who's the lucky guy?" he added, gesturing towards the ring on Mila's finger.
Mila hesitated and removed the ring, placing it in her handbag. "Oh...um, no, it didn't work out," she confessed.
"I'm so sorry," Chad said. "His fault?"
"I'm not exactly sure what happened. We were happily engaged, and then he just texted me saying it was over." She sighed, looking out the window.
"He was a fool," Chad said sympathetically. "I wouldn't let someone as beautiful as you go...ever. You are sweet and soft and too precious to let anything hurt you." He reached out, gently touching her hand. Mila looked up into his big brown eyes, and they locked gazes for a few seconds. Eventually, Chad broke the stare and looked away.
Trying to ease the awkwardness, Chad asked, "So, tell me, Mila are you on vacation or are you going for work to Singapore?"
"Neither, actually," Mila replied, "I'm moving to Singapore. I'll be living there now."
Chad's face lit up. "Well, that's great! If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. I actually live in Singapore too. I was born there." He said proudly.
Mila's expression turned into a frown as she asked, "Wait, you're Singaporean?"
Chad chuckled and replied, "Yes, Mila, I am. Why? Don't I look like a Singaporean?"
Mila stuttered a bit, "N...no, you don't. You look more Italian."
Chad smiled and explained, "You're not completely wrong. My father is Italian, and my mother is Singaporean. They never got married, so I was born here in Singapore, and my mother raised me on her own."
Feeling sorry for assuming, Mila said sincerely, "I'm so sorry to hear that."
"Hey, it's okay" Chad reassured her, "My father didn't abandon me, he was always there for me. But that's a story for another day. By the way, you look kind of like a 'half-breed' too," he said teasingly.
Mila laughed and playfully corrected him, "Half-breed is a strong word. They call it a hybrid these days. And yes, I am. But I'm not going to tell you. You have to guess."
Chad pondered for a moment and then said "Well, one part is definitely Italian, that much is clear. But your blue eyes seem different from Italian eyes. I would guess Russia, because women there have such beautiful eyes."
Mila laughed once again and replied, "Italian, yes, but Russia, no. My father is Italian, but my mother is from South Africa. And I have a twin sister who looks exactly like me."
"Nice," Chad said, smiling widely. "So, in case you don't like me, I have a back door to your sister." Mila looked at him in disbelief. "What?" She asked.
"A guy need a backup plan," he said winking at her teasingly, and they both burst into laughter.
For the remainder of the flight, they talked and laughed like old friends, exchanging numbers before landing.
"Flight 0679 is about to land. Please fasten your seat belts," they heard over the intercom. As they fasten their seat belts, Chad took Mila's hand and kissed it softly. "Please stay in contact," he whispered, looking deeply into her eyes. "And if you need someone to show you around Singapore, I would love to. We can have dinner afterwards. How does that sound?"
"I would love to, and I will definitely give you a call," Mila said, beaming with the biggest smile she ever had.
While waiting for her luggage, Mila was lost in thought about her time with Chad, not realizing she still had a massive smile on her face. The lady standing next to her remarked. "If I were sitting next to such a handsome guy like that for eleven hours, I would also walk around with a smile that big too." The lady then turns round and walk away, leaving Mila in shock. She stared at her with surprise, grabbed her luggage, and headed towards the exit to catch a cab.
Standing in front of the airport, waiting for her cab, Mila felt an odd sensation and glanced up ahead, suddenly her heart started pounding in her chest. "No, it can't be... it must be a mistake," she whispered in confusion. Just as her cab arrived and blocked her view, she darted around the vehicle to catch another glimpse, but the black BMW had vanished without a trace. Panic searched through her, shaking her head, she scanned the area again. "I must be losing my mind," she muttered.
As the cab driver loaded her luggage into the trunk, he then went and stood beside her, attempting to figure out what had grabbed her attention so intensely, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Curiosity piqued, he asked, "What are you looking at, miss?"
Mila's expression remained shocked as she pointed to where the car had been parked. "Did you see that black BMW that was standing there?" she asked. The driver shook his head. "No, miss. That's a no parking zone, so I don't think anyone would be standing there."
Still grappling with disbelief, Mila climbed into the back seat of the cab, waiting for the driver to take her to her new apartment.