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> AFTER SHE GOT HER ORDER ON HER WAY OUT OF THE RESTAURANT <

"CHARLIE?!"

"CHARLIE JIN!"

CHARLIE LOOKS AROUND AND LOOKED FOR THE PERSON WHO CALLED OUT HER NAME.

"BEN!" CHARLIE LOOKED SURPRISE.

"OH MY HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? WHO KNEW WE'D CROSS PATHS HERE!" CHARLIE SOUNDED ENTHUSIASTIC AND A LITTLE NERVOUS.

"I KNOW RIGHT?! IT'S PAST SIX ALREADY, IS IT OK IF YOU STAY OUT THIS LATE? AND AT THIS PLACE?" BEN JOKINGLY ASKED.

CHARLIE REPLIED WITH A TAUNTING LOOK "WELL I'M IN MY MID- TWENTIES NOW, SO TECHNICALLY I CAN STAY OUT AS LONG AS I WANT TO, I BELIEVE."

THEY BOTH LAUGHED.

"AND I NOW LIVE SOMEWHERE NEAR THIS PLACE SO IT'S NOT LIKE I'LL HAVE TO DRIVE FOR AN HOUR OR TWO. WELL MAYBE ON WEEKENDS."

"ON WEEKENDS? WHY? YOUR'E LIVING ALONE NOW?!" HE LOOKS SHOCKED.

"SHOCKING RIGHT?" SHE SAID WITH A NOD AND A SMILE.

HE SMILED BACK "WELL SOME THINGS DOESN'T CHANGE THOUGH, YOU STILL LOOK THE SAME. LAST WE SEE EACH OTHER WAS WHEN WE WENT OUT FOR LUNCH RIGHT?"

"THAT WAS THREE YEARS AGO, WITH A FRIEND OF YOURS!"

"AHH.. YES."

"BEN! WHAT WAS YOUR ORDER AGAIN?" SOMEONE EXCLAIMED AT THE BACK.

"WELL I SHOULD GET GOING NOW, I'M ON NIGHT SHIFT THIS MONTH." CHARLIE SAID.

"OH, SO WHERE DO YOU WORK NOW?"

"AT ST. LUTHERAN MEDICAL CENTER."

"IT'S JUST 15 MINUTES AWAY FROM MY PLACE!"

"OH IS THAT SO?!"

"YEAH! WE SHOULD CATCH UP SOMETIME."

"SURE!" CHARLIE REPLIED.

"WELL I BETTER GO NOW."

"OH.. YEAH.. TAKE CARE ON YOUR WAY."

"YEAH.. THANKS! YOU TOO." WHILE SHE WALKS AWAY.

STILL SURPRISED BY THAT SUDDEN MEETING, CHARLIE CONTEMPLATED ABOUT THE PAST.

IT WAS 11 YEARS AGO WHEN SHE AND BEN MET, HE WAS A YEAR AHEAD OF HER.

FRESHMAN YEAR HIGHSCHOOL DURING BREAKTIME.

"HEY JIN! ARE YOU DATING ALLENS?" A CLASSMATE ASKED.

"HUH? WHO'S ALLENS?" CHARLIE DUMBFOUNDED.

"COME' ON YOU CAN'T LIE TO ME" THAT CLASSMATE WAS THE "GOSSIP GIRL" OF THE CLASS, ONLY, IT'S A HE.

"I'M TELLING YOU I DON'T KNOW HIM!! SO BUG OFF!!" CHARLIE HAS A SHORT TEMPER FOR SILLY THINGS.

THEN ONE DAY DURING A FLAG CEREMONY,

"JIN! OVER THERE! ITS ALLENS!" GOSSIP BOY POINTED OUT A FAIR, TALL GUY WHO'S KINDA CUTE (HOW CHARLIE WOULD DESCRIBE HIM) AND LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE WHO CAN PASS CHARLIE'S "HIGH STANDARD TYPE" WHO JUST PASSED BY.

CHARLIE GLARED AT THE CLASSMATE WITH SARCASM "THAT IS ALLENS? THAT'S JUST A BUSMATE OF MINE DUHH!" (CHARLIE DOESN'T REALLY TALK WITH HER BUSMATES THAT'S WHY SHE HAS NO IDEA WHAT ARE THEIR WHOLE NAMES ARE, SHE ONLY KNOWS THEM BY WHAT THEIR BEING CALLED BY OTHER PEOPLE AND WITH BEN'S CASE, HE'S OFTEN ADDRESSED WITH HIS SECOND NAME "JEAN".)

AND THAT WAS THE LAST OF THOSE FALSE RUMORS ABOUT THEM.

HOWEVER, SOMETIME DURING SENIOR YEAR..

CHARLIE GOT A TEXT MESSAGE.

"HI" FROM AN UNKNOWN NUMBER.

"WHO'S THIS PLEASE?" CHARLIE REPLIED.

"BENEDICT JEAN ALLENS."

HER PHONE BEEPED AGAIN.

"I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND ME TEXTING YOU. I ASKED YOUR NUMBER FROM ONE OF YOUR CLASSMATES."

"OH IS THAT SO? WHY ASK FOR MY NUMBER? SHE REPLIED.

"JUST WANT TO CATCH UP. SAW YOU AT THE PROM THE OTHER WEEK, I THINK I WAS ABLE TO CAPTURE YOU ON TAPE. :)"

(BEN WAS AT PROM NIGHT AS A CHAPERONE FOR HIS SISTER WHO'S A YEAR YOUNGER THAN CHARLIE, HE WAS THERE WITH HIS FRIENDS BACK FROM THE SCHOOL AS WELL.)

"AHH.. REALLY?"