for June

17. Dancing Queen with two left feet

Lin jumped forward and shook Chad's hand firmly.

"Wow, you work out?" Chad flexed his palm afterwards.

Lin laughed. "I do mix martial arts. Keeps me fit."

"And lethal, I bet." Chad smiled nervously.

Lin laughed as June joined them. "Who's lethal?" she questioned.

"I've hurt no one on purpose." Lin shook his head, stepping aside for her.

"Shall we go?" she asked, eager to get a move on.

"After you," Chad said as he followed her lead. "But you could be lethal," he muttered as the two walked ahead to Lin's car. He checked the door thrice before he followed them. "I hope you don't karate chop me for joining you uninvited, Lin."

"It's only a pub." Lin pulled the car out onto the road and Chad sat back, watching the sidewalk. When he thought he saw a figure that resembled a particular petite woman, he did a double-take, only to realise it was some blond kid on a bike, riding home.

"You okay, Chad? You seem a little jumpy?" Lin eyed him in the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah, nothing a good meal and sleep won't fix. Stress from work is getting to me and I may be seeing things." He laughed, hoping to sound casual.

"What do you do?" Lin fired the question. Obviously, he was as curious about Chad as Chad was about him. The war of the male species over the only female in their herd had begun. Let the best man win!

Chad scrambled for an idea, some lie he could make up something Lin could buy when June chimed in. "Chad's a writer."

DAMN. That was the last thing he would have said. Maybe an accountant, or a real estate broker, or something regular, but not writing. He had after all never asked her to keep his work a secret.

"A writer? What do you write? Anything I might have read?" Lin smiled ear to ear, glancing back at Chad for once. Status quo was on Chad's side now, but at what cost?

"Oh, nothing fancy." Chad blushed.

"Pish, posh." She waved him off, and it astounded Chad that anyone young said 'pish, posh,' like the good old days. "Chad's a bestselling author. You should grab his autograph or two tonight and keep it safe for a rainy day."

Chad laughed nervously in the backseat. "I'm not that popular. Most people don't even know who I am."

"That's because you write under a pseudonym." She giggled. She was not letting this go. He should have had that chat with her about his valued anonymity a long time ago, but this was not the time.

"What's your pseudonym?" Lin grinned, thrilled to have a celebrity in his back seat for once. At least that's what it felt like to Chad. Suddenly he'd gone from being the guy who was the third wheel to one of high interest.

"Zachary Eve," Chad finally resigned and answered thinking here we go, this guy has no clue who I am, thank God. Instead, he swore Lin did a double-take on the mirror, face flushed with shock, and trying to hide it well. Lin knew the name. He was a rare male who knew Chad's alter ego, the better ego.

"I bet you've never heard of it," Chad asked, leaning forward with interest. He was wildly curious to see if Lin would admit to knowing that name. Something told him Lin didn't just know Zachary Eve, he might have read a book or two and enjoyed it.

Lin shook his head. "No. I mean I might have heard the name from my sisters, you know, for gifts and stuff, but no." Lin pulled into a parking spot on the side of the road outside the pub, continuing his effort to appear completely blasé about it.