It was past nine at night. Mary, Nicholas, Helen, and Yong, all tired but satisfied after a busy day full of painting, were walking back to the hotel. A cool breeze blew through the narrow alleys, and the sweet scent of summer hung in the air.
Yong suddenly stopped and pointed at something.
"Helen, look over there... an ice cream stand!"
Helen's eyes lit up. "Shall we get some ice cream?"
Nicholas, who was always a bit cautious, gave the stand a suspicious look and said, "I'm not sure if their ice cream is hygienic or not."
Yong laughed mischievously. "Oh come on, have you forgotten your obsession with hygiene? Remember back in college when you ate those expired shellfish because you were starving, and you were poisoned for three days?"
Mary chuckled curiously. "Really? You didn't even taste it?"
Nicholas replied with a serious and slightly arrogant face, "It tasted normal. But since that day, I decided never to eat anything suspicious again."
Yong smiled again. "Now you've probably forgotten last year when you ate expired milk at the training center and were stuck in the bathroom all night!"
Helen burst out laughing; Mary tried to stay serious but couldn't help smiling and laughing.
Nicholas grumbled, "Yong! You only care about my stomach. Enough already!"
Yong smirked, "Alright, just go get some ice cream before I remember an even newer story!"
Nicholas gave him a sideways glance. "One day, I'll get my revenge for all this."
After a few moments, Nicholas returned carrying six ice creams—one he was eating himself and five more in a bag.
Yong asked in surprise, "Why did you get five? There are only three of us and you're already eating one!"
Nicholas replied with his mouth full, "It's delicious... I got the extra two for myself."
Mary laughed. "But you said you wouldn't eat any!"
Nicholas dismissed it, "I couldn't resist!"
Yong whispered to Helen, "That's exactly why I let him go buy it himself!"
Laughter continued as all four entered the hotel lobby with their ice creams. Suddenly, Nicholas stopped and fixed his gaze on a spot.
Helen asked curiously, "What's wrong? Why are you standing still?"
Nicholas said seriously, "Look over there."
Rachel, Mary's colleague, was sitting on one of the lobby sofas holding a cup of coffee. The soft light of the lobby glowed on her face.
Yong said indifferently, "So what?"
Nicholas whispered quietly, "That girl kind of gets on my nerves..."
Mary calmly said, "Forget it. Better not to linger around her. She's a bitter person."
Nicholas frowned, "I'm bitter too... Deniz said she really went after you."
Mary replied with fake calmness, "It doesn't matter. I don't care."
Nicholas paused and said, "Okay, you guys go ahead. I have something to do."
Yong frowned, "Nicholas, don't mess around. Mary herself said don't get close to her."
Nicholas calmly said, "No, man, I'm not after her. I just have a bit of a stomach ache. I'm going to the pharmacy to get something."
Helen laughed, "It must be because of those three ice creams!"
Mary shrugged, "Alright, we're going."
They left and Nicholas headed toward the pharmacy. A few minutes later, he was standing behind the counter talking to the pharmacist.
"Hello, I've had a stomach ache and severe constipation for a few days. I want a strong laxative syrup."
The pharmacist replied, "Wait a moment..."
A few minutes later, Nicholas returned with the syrup in hand, looking like he had just won a prize. Without delay, he entered the lobby and went to Rachel.
"Hi, you're here too?"
Rachel looked up and said, "Hi. When did you come? I didn't notice."
Nicholas sat down and said, "I just came. I was tired but thought I'd have a coffee before bed to refresh myself."
Rachel, seeing a chance to get info from Nicholas, smiled, "That's interesting, I was about to have another coffee too. Shall we order together?"
"Sure," Nicholas said.
When Rachel ordered a simple coffee, Nicholas quickly said, "No, no, let me order for you." He looked at the menu. "Ah, this one's good! Please bring two of these."
Rachel said, "Okay... I'll try your suggestion this time."
Nicholas muttered under his breath, "My suggestions are never wrong..."
A few minutes later, the coffees arrived. Nicholas mischievously dropped his spoon on the floor. Rachel bent down to pick it up. At that moment, Nicholas dropped a few drops of the laxative syrup into her coffee and hid the bottle in his pocket.
Rachel took a few sips of the coffee, "Oh... this tastes a bit strange!"
Nicholas smiled, "I love it. Isn't it tasty?"
Rachel said, "Not bad... So, tell me about yourself. How did you meet Mary?"
Nicholas quietly said, "At the art exhibition... the first day I saw her, I knew she was very talented."
Rachel smiled, "Right, Mary is really smart. Your friends are also very close to her, especially that guy... What was his name?"
Nicholas calmly replied, "Yong? No, they're not that close. Why do you think that?"
Rachel said, "From their looks. We girls know how to read men's eyes well."
Nicholas stepped closer and looked at Rachel's eyes mischievously. "Well... what do you make of my looks?"
Rachel was a little startled but smiled, "You have a penetrating gaze."
Nicholas handed her his coffee, "So relax... drink up. You said penetrating gaze? Does it affect you too?"
Rachel smiled, "I'll see... maybe... the effect has started."
Nicholas smirked, "No, seems like it hasn't started yet."
A few moments later, Rachel's expression changed, twisting in discomfort.
Nicholas asked, "Are you okay?"
Rachel said, "Yeah... just a bit of stomach ache. Maybe from the coffee. I usually only have a simple coffee at night."
Nicholas feigned concern, "Oh no, if I had known I wouldn't have ordered it. By the way, are you sensitive to spices? This coffee has a special blend..."
Rachel, shaking a little, said, "What spices?"
Nicholas said, "There are some things that might not agree with some people's stomachs. But don't worry, if it was going to be bad, it would've happened by now."
Rachel got up worried, "Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom..."
And rushed out of the lobby.
Nicholas watched Rachel, smiled softly, and said:
"Exactly where you should be..."
Suddenly, a hand tapped his shoulder. Nicholas jumped in fright, turned around, and saw Yong standing there.
Yong said quietly, "You did your thing..."
Nicholas, panting, said, "Wow! I almost had a heart attack! Why don't you come up like a normal person?"
Yong sat down and said, "I saw your head was hot; I didn't want to bother you. But you were staring at her like that, I thought what would Mary think if she suddenly saw?"
Nicholas replied seriously, "I'm doing this for Mary."
Yong smirked, "You always blame others for your screw-ups. Mary herself said don't go near that girl."
Nicholas: "It was just a little joke. She needs to learn her place gradually..."
Yong: "Forget it, with this talk you're only getting Mary into more trouble."
Nicholas: "Here you go again with the advice?"
Yong: "Advice is for those who listen, not you who's only looking for trouble. I came to talk to you, I guessed I'd find you around here."
Nicholas: "What do you want to say?"
Yong: "You've got a golden opportunity... don't waste it."
Nicholas: "Exactly what do you mean?"
Yong: "Don't play dumb. It's obvious you like her. At least your behavior screams it. I've never seen you react this much for a girl before. This week is the best chance to win Mary's heart. Got it or should I explain more?"
Nicholas: "I don't know why you think that, but I'm comfortable with this distance."
Yong: "If someone else gets close to her, will you still be comfortable?"
Nicholas: "Don't be ridiculous. You're testing me."
Yong: "I'm not testing... just heard something you might want to know. One of the training center guys has his eye on Mary... plans to get closer."
Nicholas: "Who? Who dared to do that?"
Yong laughed, "See? Even when you try to stay cool, you can't hide it. So stop pretending you don't care."
Nicholas: "Tell me who?"
Yong mischievously put Rachel's coffee cup in front of Nicholas, "Calm down. For now, you're the one close to her, not that guy. If you show her your feelings sooner, he won't stand a chance."
Nicholas drank the coffee without paying attention, then immediately spat it out with disgust. "What... what was that? Yong, you're really mean!"
Yong stood up, "Go to sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow. Less bothering people is better for you."
Nicholas looked after him, "Is he right? What if someone else really tries to get close to Mary?"