Forget Me Not

Chapter 13

The guy eyed her carefully as he asked "Is there anyone else in the kitchen?"

Josie was standing near Allison as she snickered "Where do you think the food comes from?" she couldn't help her tongue from lashing.

One of the guys waved to his partner "Get them out." he then told the third guy to check the rooms. Surely enough, they dragged out everyone, including Nick, Amy and Steve. Surprisingly everyone remained calm.

Allison looked around and met eyes with Josh, his eyes widened as he looked around and while the burglers were busy, he crept down and crawled to her. Suddenly, she remembered Sunny. She looked towards the kitchen but they pulled out everyone but Sunny. She searched the room looking for him, but she couldn't find him. Maybe he got away?

"Everyone stand in that corner." one of the men ordered. Slowly everyone marched towards the corner while one guy held the gun pointed to the crowd.

Allison was the only that spotted Sunny who crawled out of the kitchen while all eyes were distracted towards the group. She also saw Josh who was on the opposite side of Sunny, they seem to have caught each other as both nodded. They crawled to where the two other burglers stood. One was taking the money from the register while one stood look out of the kitchen, the back door was open.

Sunny took his chance as he sprung on the guy and they began wrestling. The crowd yelled out and the guy that was pointing the gun to them was easily distracted. Nick and Steve were brave enough to attack the guy and with the help of the other waiters, they were in control as they held the guy down to the ground.

Allison's attention was at the two fights in front of her. She was worried for both of them. Her eyes glued tightly to the fight with Sunny, who was winning. He pushed the guy to the ground and punched him a few times, the guy looked to be unconscious as Sunny turned to Josh's fight, he watched carefully and looked for a flaw before he jumped in and helped him out with the other guy. The third guy struggled with the two stronger guys, finally Josh pinned him down from the back.

Unfortunately for the two of them, the other guy that Sunny thought was unconscious was actually faking it, he got up and reached for the gun that was knocked out of his hands during the struggle. Allison saw him pointing the gun at Sunny, she cried out "Sunny, look out!!!"

Sunny turned in time to see the gun pointing to him, he closed his eyes to take the shot for it was too late to run. Instead Josh pushed him to the ground and was shot in the left shoulder. Nick reacted quickly as he ran over to the guy that let the shot go and pointed the gun he took from their accomplice. "You shoot again and I'll blow your guts out." he said angrily. His eyes never leaving the guy as he slowly put the gun down and Nick kicked it far away.

Soon the sirens were heard from every direction. Allison wondered who called the police? She saw the double doors open and appeared Paul, he had slipped out when Sunny realized that the restaurant was being robbed. Allison was by Josh's side when she saw the cops coming, the stretcher was ready as they placed Josh onto it and rolled him out. His hand was gripping on hers "Miss, you want to ride in the back with him?" One of the Emergency crew asked.

She looked up and caught Sunny's gaze "Sure." she replied quickly and they drove off to the nearest hospital.

While driving in the ambulance car, her thoughts wer repeating over and over 'that shot was suppose to be for Sunny'. She recalled how scared she was when she saw the gun pointing to Sunny. Her quick flashes of his face came before her until she returned to reality with the help of Josh's grip. She turned to him and smiled gently. "your boyfriend will be just fine, miss." the nurse said while she patted Allison on the shoulder.

She didn't bother to correct the nurse as her attention went to Josh's injured shoulder. He was bleeding uncontrollably. When they finally reached the hospital, the doctors rushed Josh through the emergency room and tended to his wounds. Allison was pushed to the side "You can't come in, Miss." one of the nurses advised.

Allison nodded as she waited patiently outside. Soon, she saw a few people running into the waiting area. They looked well refined people. An elder man (Lo Lok Lam) who looked like he had authority barked at the receptionist "Where is my son?"

The girl replied calmly "Name please."

"Josh Lai!" he answered with much frustration. The elder lady dressed in a classy suit stroked his back gently but she didn't dare speak up.

Allison finally spoke up "Sir? Josh is in the emergency room with the doctors. They're taking the bullet out." she explained.

The man walked over to her "Who are you?" he asked rudely.

She didn't know how to respond "I'm a friend of his."

The man looked at her up and down and snickered "My son does not make friends with low class people."

The lady finally spoke up "Thank you, Miss." she did not dare to comment on her husband's rude remark "What is your name?"

Allison was beyond shock, she was never been treated like that before. Still she did not forget the people that were nice to her eventhough she was not in a good mood "My name is Allison Ng." she smiled respectfully at the lady.

"Thank you Allison." she smiled at the girl with kind eyes "How did he get shot?" she said with more emotion that the old man sitting next to her.

"He was at Phoenix Inn when three men tried to rob the restaurant. He was courageous enough to fight with them and in the mist of all the action, he was shot trying to save another person." she nodded at the lady "He was very brave. You should be proud."

The man snorted "Brave! Those kinds of acts do not get him through life. I've taught him plenty of times to be careful and your life should be put first. You see! You see what happens when he doesn't listen to me?" he said angrily to his wife.

Again she did not answer and continued to stroke his back. She turned apologetically to Allison, who nodded in reply. Together, they waited while the hours dragged by slowly. After what seemed like an eternity, the doctors came out. "How is my son?" The man didn't wait to introduce himself.

"He is doing well, the bullet was not too deep, but he did lose a lot of blood. We've taken care of it. You may see him but please be advised that he is very weak, don't provoke him to talk or get up." The parents nodded "Who is Allie?"

Allison looked up from her seat "I am." she said as she got up and walked over to the doctor.

"Mr. Lai was muttering your name during surgery. I think it will help if you came in to see him." the doctor explained.

The elder man grunted with disapprovement "Nonsense, who is closer than his parents." he turned to Allison "You can go home now."

She stood there in awe as the couple walked through the doors and went to visit their son. She was so angry that she wanted to leave but her face softened when she remembered that she was there for Josh not for his snotty dad. While she continued to wait, she wondered his parents looked so rich? Her faced clouded over as she recalled the man asking for Josh Lai. All this time she did not know his last name. Could he be the son of the owner of the well produce company that she has worked with all this time? She shook her head, unable to believe it. It can't be, why would he talk to a low class person as herself? And why would he hand deliver all the produce? She eventually convinced herself that it was nonsense by the time his parents came out.

The lady was in tears and the man looked even more aggrivated then when he first walked into the hospital. "Stop crying! He's not dead." he barked at his wife.

She nodded and looked up in time to see Allison still waiting. She smiled at the young girl "You want to see him, Allison?"

Allison nodded "Yes, if I can. I just want to make sure that he's okay."

The man straightened his face "No, you may not see my son, he is resting." he turned to the reception "Do not let her in, if anyone does, I will have them fired!" with that he left her standing there dumbfounded.

She was close to tears as she began to leave when the head nurse in a white uniform said to her "Miss, I'm a little deaf in one ear, I wasn't sure what that crazy man was saying." she gave her a slight wink "Did you come to visit someone?"

Allison smiled kindly, gracious that she was willing to help "Josh Lai. Thank you."

She smiled and nodded to the door "Some people act that way because they have money." she turned to the other nurses and reception area "If that man asks if you saw this lady visit his son, you know what to do."

The girls giggled and a few of them said loud and clear "See no evil." and a response was given "Hear no evil."

Allison was led through the double doors that lead to three different corridors. She followed the room number the head nurse gave her. She got to the room and opened it quietly. She peeked inside to see him in the room by himself, his dad probably requested that he did not share the room with anyone. She spotted him resting peacefully, his shoulder bandaged in white.

He must have sensed her presence because his eyes opened slowly and smile quickly sprawled across his face "Allie." he whispered.

She smiled "How are you feeling?" she didn't know what else to ask.

He nodded "Like I just spent a whole day at the gym. Are you shaken up?" he was talking about the heist earlier.

She shook her head "I was just worried...." she let her words fade because she really wanted to say that she was worried that Sunny was going to get shot.

He patted her hand "I'm okay."

"I had the pleasure of meeting your father and mother earlier." there was a touch of sarcasm in her comment and he knew why.

"I'm sorry. Did he insult you? I apologize for him." he quickly added hoping she would not be upset at him.

Allison chuckled lightly "You know him well. But you don't need to say sorry, you weren't the one that insulted me."

He nodded "He's always been like that. No one is every good enough for our family."

And then it reminded her of something "Josh, I want to ask you something..."

He knew the question was coming, especially if she met his father "Yes, I am the son of the man that owns Lai's Produce." he said straightforwardly.

She quickly let go of his hands "You are?!"

He was about to sit up when the pain shot through his shoulder. She quickly leaned in to help him up and he took her hands in his "Allie, I'm sorry for lying to you. But I didn't want you to treat me different because of my background. You accepted me as a friend and I knew it was because you thought I was just the delivery boy."

She shook her head "I saw you as a friend because I knew you had a good heart. I could care less about your money or background."

He gripped her hands tighter "I'm so glad to hear you say that." Suddenly Josh blushed over "I've been meaning to ask you out on a date."

Her smile faded slowly as she knew what her answer would be "I can't..."

He was still pushing "If it's because of my father, you can forget about him. He has no say in who I want to date."

She nodded "I know you're a strong person, but I'm not. I can't be ridiculed and then put on a smile in fron of the person that insulted me."

He laughed "Who said you ever have to see him again?" she looked up with questioning eyes "My father and I have never been close, he's always watching over me to make sure that I don't embarrass our family name. All that personal delivery I made has already caused alot of stir in the magazines, but I don't really care. All I care about is you."

She was deep in her own thoughts as she debated whether or not to give him a chance. Maybe if she did it will prove to Sunny that they were not meant to be. Afterall, there is no such thing as fate. She turned to Josh who was waiting patiently for her reply. "Sure, I'll go on a date with you."

He smiled happily as he reached over and hugged her softly using the shoulder that was not hurt "Thank you." he pulled away with a kiddish grin "How about a second? or Third date?"

Allison giggled "Don't get greedy now." she teased but added slyly "I would assume two people dating would have more than just 2 or 3 dates." she laughed at his reaction. His eyes bulged out and he was grinning from ear to ear. "You look like a hyena, smiling like that." she scolded lightly.

"I feel like a monkey though." he slipped his tongue under the top front of his teeth making a funny monkey face. The two laughed comfortably together.

Chapter 14

Phoenix Inn closed three business days due to the attemted burglary. Everyone was shaken up by the ordeal and some of the waiters/waitresses even thought about leaving the restaurant. Some thought it was a bad aura now that Richard has left.

Sunny heard of the rumors and he brushed them off lightly trying to take care of the situtation. He even helped out with the clean up himself eventhough he hired a group of people to help him. One night, he stayed late to do the work and was surprised to see Nick dropping by. "Don't you have a movie to shoot? Girls to flirt with?" he joked with his friend.

Nick laughed comfortably as he helped him with the fallen table that was too heavy for one person to pull up. "And miss the chance to help out a friend? I wouldn't dream of it." the guys heeved the wooden table up as Nick told him the true motive "Actually, I have a business proposition for you."

"I knew it!" Sunny exclaimed as he pointed a finger at Nick "Spill it."

"I fell in love with this restaurant the first time I stepped foot into it. If I knew that Richard was going to sell it, I would have beat you to it. I want to co-own it. YOu can have the bigger share, I just want to be part ownership." Nick explained.

Sunny smiled thoughtfully as he debated about the offer "How about I do this? I will sell you half of the shares?"

Nick smiled at the generous offer his friend was making "I knew you were a good guy!"

His smile faded "What do you mean? You thought I was a bad guy?"

"I thought you were a rich and spoiled kid back in high school cause your dad owned this restaurant in Hawaii." Nick remembered clearly "But we were kids then, how would I know. Anyways, you were always nice to me, but I thought it was because you thought I was rich too."

Sunny shook his head at the misconstrued situation back in high school "How many people thought this of me?"

"Everyone you could think of." Nick laughed "But you have to admit, you always had new clothes and you were very quiet, some people mistook that for being snobby."

"I guess." he shrugged. He let out a tired sigh "I think I should go home now. We'll worry about the paper work tomorrow."

Nick nodded "Sure. How about a late night snack? My treat."

Sunny agreed "That would be nice."

Nick took him to an upper end bar that only stars were allowed in. He waved to the bouncer at the club and the guy instantly let him in. "It's nice to be known." he sighed.

"Or famous." Sunny added as the two took their seats inside the bar. They talked about old times and their new business contract.

*****************

The next day, business was booming again, fortunately the burglary was not tainted in the people's minds. Many of the old customers came by for lunch as usual. He did not notice that Allie was late for work until Josie mentioned it "I'm surprised you're not all fidgety since your favorite girl is not here yet."

Sunny looked with with his brows ruffled "You're right. Did she call you?"

Josie shook her head "Nope. What did YOU do to scare her off?" she pressed.

They didn't have to question each other since Allie walked through the door with her arms linked through Josh's. He had a slight limp in his walk. Some of the waiters stopped to applaud while Josh smiled shyly. Sunny quickly walked over to them with a bright smile "How is your shoulder?" he asked with concern "I would have visit you but the nurses kept telling me that no one could see you."

Allie and Josh exchanged glances "You can thank my father for that one." Josh said sarcastically. "But thank you for caring."

"You saved my life, it's more than just care." Sunny pointed out.

Josh smiled as he patted Allie's hands which was gripping on his forearms "Every good thing comes out from a bad experience."

Josie heard his comment and she knew Sunny's heart was crushed that very minute. But he tamed his emotions as he brought out a hand "Congradulations. To both of you..." he shook hands with Josh and held it out to Allie.

She looked at it as if she didn't know what to do. Her eyes continued to avoid Sunny's while she shook his hand lightly "Thank you." her voice was barely audible.

"Glad to know you didn't forget about work." Josie tried to break the ice that was slowly building.

Allie's head instantly popped up "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot. Josh was being released today and I promised to come pick him-"

Sunny put up a hand "Its okay Allie. I know it's important that Josh has you by his side. Why don't you take the day off? We have a staff meeting at 9am tomorrow. Don't miss it." he smiled at the new couple and nodded "I've got to get back to work."

"Thanks." Allie smiled gratefully at him as the two left the restaurant.

"You're just going to leave it at that?" Josie asked. She knew her friend's feelings would be sensitive at a time like that.

"Don't...ask, Josie." he put up a hand to silence her. He took his station behind the cash register and began blanking out his mind to continue to work.

***************

The next morning, everyone came to the meeting on time. Some were shocked to see Nick there chatting with Sunny in a deep conversation. When the last of the employees came, Sunny clapped his hands to quiet everyone.

"I have some good news. You will not only have one boss, but now two bosses. Nick Cheung has offered to buy half of the restaurant. This can only be a good thing for Phoenix Inn. Hopefully prestige and publicity will come to our restaurant." Sunny clapped his hands as he presented Nick.

The group clapped respectfully, some people even whistled causing a laughing stir amongst the crowd. Nick stood up from his seat around the large table "Yeah, that's all you guys need, another boss." the group laughed at the joke. He always had a way to make everyone ease up, eventhough it was not necessary. "Thank you Sunny for this opportunity. Like I told him before, I fell in love with this restaurant the minute I stepped foot in it the first day. I remember clearly how Allie came to my rescue." he gave her slight wink causing a few 'whoo hoos' around the group. "Hey, hey she has a boyfriend now..." he smiled at everyone, his smile quickly faded at his next comment "I know the attempted burglar left us all very shaken up. Although we kicked their asses..." he paused at the roaring sound of applause and whistles "It just proves that we cannot be picked on. I am very proud of everyone for being calm and taking charge. I'm sure we will know what to do if this incident ever occurs again."

Everyone clapped their hands loudly but stopped when Sunny stood up "So there you have it. A new boss. It helps that he's a big movie star doesn't it?" he joked while winking at the crowd. They all clapped and whistle at the hint. Nick waved his hand as if he was shy about it but indeed he was taking it all in. Sunny glanced at his watch "Okay, let's start getting to work."

The employees scattered to their positions. Nick did not stay long as he had a shoot to start at 10am. Josie was more worried for her friend since he has not talked to her about Allie yet. It was unlike him to keep his emotions inside. She took her chance when the crowd died down after lunch. She entered his office "Sunny?" she whispered before closing the door.

Sunny looked up with a grin "Why are you whispering?"

She looked around the tiny office and lowered her voice "I don't want anyone to hear us."

He narrowed his eyes "Why not?"

"SHHH!!" she hissed "If they hear us, the plan will be destroyed."

"And the bomb will blow off at the sound of your hoarse voice." he whispered teasingly.

Josie frowned "This is serious!" she yelled but then covered her mouth to quiet herself "I mean, this is serious!" she repeated it in a whisper.

Sunny leaned back in his chair "What now?"

"I know that Allie does not really like Josh." she said clearly.

"How?"

"Because I can tell." she said insistently.

He rolled his eyes "Get out, Josie." he began to get back at his work.

She pouted "You'll regret not listening to my plan. It's a sure win." she said sadly as she got up and left. Expecting him to call her back she stood outside the door waiting for him to chase after her.

Instead he yelled from the office "Get to work!"

She stuck her tongue out at the door and stormed back to work. For the rest of the night Josie paid close attention to Allie who was working more dilligently than before. Every so often when she would steal a peek at Sunny, Josie would be by his side laughing or pretending to laugh at something he said.

At times Josie would even stroke his arm or push at his chest flirtatiously. By the end of the night Sunny knew what she was trying to do. He pulled her aside after she cleared off one of the tables. "What are you up to?" he whispered.

Her eyes darted towards to Allie who glanced at them strangely. Josie brushed Sunny's hand off of her arm as she let out a bright and cackly laugh "Oh Sunny, not in front of everyone."

He glanced around and a few pairs of eyes darted his way, including Allie's. He took Josie's hand and pulled into his office "What are you doing?"

Josie crossed her arms stubbornly "If you would have listened to my plan maybe you would not be lost right now." she said matter of factly.

He shook his head "What plan?"

She sighed "Don't you ever listen to me? The plan to get Allie back."

"What?" he cried out loud.

"Don't you want her back?" Josie asked in shock.

Sunny laughed "First of all, she was never mine to begin with. Second of all, what makes you think she'll be jealous if you are flirting with me? She knows how close of friends we are."

Josie wagged her finger at him "Not true. Because we are such close friends, she will find it strange that we are suddenly flirting. Second of all, if she does not like you then why has she glanced at us 32 times today?" she said victoriously "I counted." she added.

Sunny began to ponder the question "Maybe because you're acting like a hissy."

She gasp as she covered her mouth "That's an awful thing to say..." she said feeling disgraced.

He put up his hands in defeat "Okay, okay I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. But maybe you should stop paying attention to my life and find yourself a man?"

Josie smiled sly as her head curved to the side "I do have a man..." she linked her arms through his as she opened the door and led him outside. This time he did not bother to push her away as he let her head lay on his shoulder. He had a smile on his face, but he was not laughing at the situation, he found it funny that Josie really liked Allie. Her determination to put them together almost made him want to hug her. Maybe her strange little plan will work after all.

Sunny glanced towards Allie's direction and sure enough her eyes were glued to Josie and Sunny. "Hey, get to work." he told Josie quietly.

She nodded sweetly with a fake broad smile on her face "Yes, Mr. Lam..." she giggled.

He shivered from the sweetness of her tone of voice. Sunny never imagined he would have to test out a girl that he fell for but it was worth a try.

Chapter 15

For the next few weeks, Allie steered clear from the lovey dovey couple. Every so often she would steal a glance at Sunny but only to be blocked by Josie who seemed extra jealous when Allie looked at him.

She soon lost her courteous nature with the customers, she even snapped at a guy when he told her for the third time that his order was wrong "Sir, you ordered this!" she raised her voice.

He shook his head at her "I want to see the manager." crossing his arms as he dared her to raise her voice again.

"He's not here." she snapped.

She wasn't lying either, Sunny took the day off and by chance Josie had taken the day off too. If Nick did not drop by to see the business, he would have never guessed that Allie would be in a foul mood. "What's the problem?" he asked with a bright smile.

Amy was standing close behind as she observed the situation. The man continued to argue "Are you the manager?" he asked Nick in a heated voice.

Nick nodded "I am co-owner. What can I do for you?"

"This waitress has gotten my order wrong three times and she was curt and very rude. I want her to apologize." he said firmly.

Allie crossed her arms stubbornly "I will not. I did not do anything wrong."

Amy saw her chance to jump in and help "I'm sorry, sir. She's new here, I promise it won't happen again. Now what did you order? It's on the house." Amy gave Nick a wink to get Allie out of there.

He lipped out the words "Thank you" as he dragged Allie into the special room that he well claimed months before. "Allie, what is the matter with you?" it was the first time he raised his voice at her.

She sighs as she looks away, not wanting to answer his confrontation "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

Nick shook his head "I've never seen you like this." he took a seat and pointed to the empty chair next to him. She paused but eventually sat down next to him. "Now tell me, what is bothering my favorite employee?"

Allie's heartbeat seemed to slow down at his soft voice "I don't know. I've been feeling very tired and grumpy. I don't know why." she lied.

Nick studied her face carefully but she would avoid only his eyes. "You like Sunny." he said flatly.

She looked up from the gaze at the table "What?"

He smiled slowly "You do like him."

She turned away "I don't Nick. I have a boyfriend, it's Josh." she insisted as she began to get up only to be pulled down by Nick.

"I'm not Sunny, you don't have to run away from me." he pointed out. She knew he was right "Look, I don't want you to be comfortable working here. Maybe you should take some vacation."

"No!" she said quickly, her eyes almost fearful "I mean, I like working. I don't want to go anywhere." she said more calmly.

Nick smiled "Well you have to stop scaring off the customers."

She nodded slowly "I know. I'll be more in control of my feelings." he nodded for her to leave. She got up and smiled down at him "Thanks, Nick. Also..." she was too embarrassed to bring up the question.

"My lips are sealed." he made a zipper motion on his lips.

She nodded gratefully "Thanks."

***************

Later that night, Josie and Sunny returned from a day at the amusement park. It was her idea for her friend to forget about Allie for one day. He was too worked up with the whole thing. She landed on his couch with a thump "Gosh that was fun."

He smiled while sitting down with a sigh "Glad someone had fun."

She quickly sat up "Everyone has fun with me!" She exclaimed hurtfully.

Sunny rolled his eyes "Okay, it was really fun. The best time I've had in YEARS!" he said with obvious exaggeration.

"That's better!" Josie nodded happily.

He looked at his friend strangely "You know, sometimes I wonder about you."

She tilted her head with a crooked grin "Whatever do you mean?" she asked sweetly.

He sat up "I mean you know I was being sarcastic, how could you still be happy? And then there are times when you can't take it from me? What makes that little brain of yours tick?"

Josie wrinkled her lips as she tapped her index finger on her chin "That's a tough one. Do I have to answer it now?" she kidded. He gave her one of those brotherly looks and she let out a little laugh "Okay, I'll tell you. I really don't care if a person is being sarcastic, mean or even lying to my face, as long as they say what I want to hear, I don't really care. I mean life is about being happy isn't it? You hear what you want to hear...come on Mr. Fate, you were the one that taught me that."

He sighed "Maybe I lost that part of me?" he asked himself. Sunny got up abruptly "I need a walk." he left without saying goodbye to Josie.

**************

That night at the restaurant Josh came by to pick up Allie after work. He made a habit of making sure she was home safely every night. They were walking hand in hand down the street since she did not feel like going home yet. Her usually upbeat nature was replaced with a quiet and more melancholy Allie.

Josh was quick to notice "Anything wrong?" he asked gently.

She looked up with a shake of the head "Nothing."

He stopped as he pulled her back and placed his hands on her shoulders "You know you can tell me anything, Allie."

She smiled with reassurement "I know. But nothing is wrong." she took his hand as she led him further down the crowded street. Her eyes moved slowly up and it caught another pair of eyes looking back at her. She quickly let go of Josh's hand unconsciously. He gave her a strange look but followed her eyes and noticed Sunny standing a few feet away from the.

Josh nodded politely at Sunny, who acknowledge the couple before him with confidence. His hands in his pocket as he walked over to them "How are you two doing?" Sunny asked.

Josh smiled as he wrapped an arm around Allie protectively "Good, we're just taking a little walk."

Allie squirmed slightly at his touch "Yeah." she looked away while Sunny continued to look at her with the same intense eyes that made her blush.

"Well, have fun. Don't stay out too late." Sunny said with a tease in the tone of his voice.

Josh smiled as he led Allie away. She broke lose from his arm and quickened her pace, she ran to the nearest cart food on the street. She turned to Josh who had to jog to catch up with her, waving her hand as she called to him "Hurry, these are the best." she turned to the owner "Four sticks of fish balls please."

The elder man smiled as he placed her order in a brown paper bag and took the money she handed to him "Thank you." he nodded at them.

Allie began walking away as she muched on one of the fresh and hot sticks "Try some." she held it up to Josh's face.

He seemed uncomfortable but took a bite from the stick, afterall it was the first time she showed any sign of affection towards him. "It's good." he nodded when she gave him a questioning look.

"I know. I grew up eating this stuff. I know it's not good for you, but once in a while, it's like a treat." She giggled like a little girl as she started another stick. They eventually came upon the harbor as the two stopped at the edge of the bar that separated land from sea. Allie finished the last of the fish balls.

Josh was staring intently at her with a frozen grin, she looked so adorable chewing the balls, her cheeks were blown up. She was chomping away when she looked up at him with a smile "You look so cute when you eat." he commented.

Allie covered her mouth as she answered "You being funny?"

He laughed "You've got some stuff on your lip." he pointed to the edge of the left side to her lip. Josh reached over and wiped it with his thumb.

She swallowed the last bite and smiled at him "Thanks." her smiled faded when she realized he was leaning in for a kiss. She quickly turned away "Sorry..."

He took a step back "That must be the tenth time that you've done that. You tell me that nothing is wrong but you always dodge me when I show any sign of affection. Why?" he was demanding for an answer.

"I'm sorry...I'm just not ready." she said without much feeling.

"If you don't want to be with me, all you-"

She quickly cut him off "No! I don't mean it that way. It's just that I've never had a boyfriend before. I...I'm just nervous when it comes to intimate stuff..." she said shyly.

Josh sighed with relief "Is that all?" he laughed "I'm glad, I was beginning to think it has something to do with Sunny."

She laughed nervously "Of course not." she let out a small yawn "Maybe I should go home now. I have to work the early shift tomorrow."

He nodded "Okay."

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