Fighting For Him

Chapter 26

“Where are we going?” I ask my curiosity peaking.

“For Chinese food.” He continues on ignoring my raised eyebrow and I settle back into step with him, the smell of his jacket teases me and I have to resist sinking my nose into the material, just to be safe I block it out completely and take in the smell of the city. It is not really the most pleasant experiences but at the same time it’s so different from home that I don’t care. The city air is thick and far from fresh, there are different food smells mingling together which is alright and the general scent of Chinese spices and herbs is the strongest proving that Liam is right, but then there is also car fumes, peoples rubbish and just a general unclean man made scent that to me is quite strong but is one that humans may only get hints off.

When we turn the next corner the motor traffic disappears however the flow of people only increases and we are pulled along in a wave of human bodies, that only add to the scents in the air for the good and the bad. Due to my height, or lack of, all around me all I can see are people however if I look up towards the sky strings of red lanterns sway in the breeze and the roofs of the buildings are sloping, pointed and tiled like those recognised as traditional Chinese architecture.

“This place is packed Liam.” I helpfully point out. “We aren’t going to get a table anywhere.” He doesn’t look down at me but he does smirk.

“Don’t worry about it.” This boy is truly a mystery. He guides me to the side of the crowd and holds open a glass door for me before slipping in himself and blocking out the sounds from the busy street. When my sense readjust to their new surroundings there is a lot to take in, spices, herbs, fried food, fish, meats you name it and it’s probably in the air of this restaurant along with perfumes and aftershaves that I automatically block, something that is a habit for me, when all different man made beauty fragrances blend together the air becomes pungent and I get one hell of migraine.

I can hear the chefs in the kitchen, calling to each other, barking instructions and laughing. There is the clattering of pots and pans which overpower the clattering of knives and forks that occurs within the restaurant itself. I’m not going to say that shifters can’t go to nice places, or busy places, but it is difficult and it means we have to work hard on our internal defences, a really tiring process to keep up for the duration of a visit. Liam leads the way and guides us towards the hostess who glances up and smiles widely.

“Mr Miller it has been a long time.” Up close she appears to be middle aged, but her skin is flawless. Her smile causes her eyes to shine and her long dark hair is sleek from roots to tip.

“Hi Lucy.”

“And you have brought a friend.” She smiles pleasantly at me and I smile back.

“This is Scarlett, she is new to the city so I brought her to the best Chinese restaurant in this part of the country.”

“Flattery won’t get you a table Mr Miller.” She laughs but she is already picking up two menus from the pile on her desk. “Luckily for you I always keep a table or two spare… just in case someone special comes in. It’s nice to have you eat in for a change… and looking smart. How did you get him out of his usual hoodies Scarlett?” Liam snorts and I give him a confused look, I have never seen him in anything as casual as a hoodie.

“I have no idea.” I answer truthfully as we begin to weave through tables and happily chatting diners. She seats us in a corner and for such a busy place there is a sense of privacy in our little area, I hang Liam’s jacket on the back of my chair not ready to part with it just yet. Lucy is quick to depart and Liam is even quicker to flick his menu open. I scan the room first. There are lots of people crammed into the restaurant but at the same time it feels spacious, there are no windows out to the street so like a casino you never know how long you have spent in here. At the back is the bustling kitchen in which a large rectangular gap in the wall gives you glimpses of busy cooks. The floor is beige tiles and the walls are white, every now and then there is a scuff in the otherwise fluorescent like white paint, along the walls though there are paintings, each one depicting a scene of what I assume is Chinese countryside with lakes and hills, temples and waterfalls.