Chapter 8
An Exchange
“There’s somebody outside who has asked if you could be his server today,” Tom said as Alianna exited the staff room after reapplying her lipstick.
“Has he now? What’s wrong with you doing it?”
“Not sure. Maybe my hair isn’t as shiny as yours. Maybe my boobs aren’t big enough.”
“Tom!” Alianna laughed, not taking these comments as anything other than a joke, having spent enough time with Tom over the years now that she knew what his humour could be like.
“It’s probably because I can’t remember the prices of the specials, and if he’s been here before when I served him, he might have saved himself five marks. ”
“Yeah, to be fair, you are hopeless with that.”
Alianna made a vulgar gesture at Tom while she remained out of sight of the customers who were sitting inside.
She picked up a menu, notepad, and headed out to the front of the café, plastering her server’s smile on her face.
Her smile faltered in shock as she saw Max sitting at one of the tables, leaning back, smirking at her.
“Hi, Ali. Look what I went and got. Just for you.”
She peered at his table, realising he was pointing towards a mobile phone.
“I told you I wasn’t lying. This one is brand new. If the offer is still there, I would very much like your number.” He unlocked the phone with his fingerprint and pushed it across the table towards her, intimating that he would like her to input her number herself.
“You really didn’t have one,” Alianna muttered, picking up the phone. “So, you got this today?”
“I did. I did not have a need for one before, but things changed.”
Alianna smiled but didn’t reply as she typed in her number and named herself simply in his contacts: Alianna. She handed him his phone back and watched him pocket it carefully.
“You know that I’m not from around here. I was thinking, maybe you could show me around Porthan. Clearly, I have been to West Beach – I presume there is an East Beach. If you wanted to, we could…”
“…go for a walk on the beach? Are you asking me on a date?”
Rionan paused, considering the word: date. He flared his nostrils subtly enough that she did not seem to notice, scenting no fear, no concern emitting from her. Only the smell of salty air, coconut, and coffee.
“I might be.”
“I could go for a walk on the beach. Do you like dogs?”
“Of course I like dogs. Especially yours. He has helped me just as much as you have, from what I recall.”
“Then it’s settled. A dog walk on the beach. Text me, so I have your number. I get off at five today.”
“I’ll speak to you at five, then.”
***************
Rionan had returned to his hotel room almost immediately after, idling away the remainder of the day until 5pm came.
He stared at the mobile phone in his hand, amazed that he hadn’t broken it thus far.
He was grateful that asking her to put her own number in had worked, lest it become apparent that he had never used one of these before.
The gentleman in the shop had shown him the basics of how to work the phone: how to make calls, open and send messages, and how to take pictures. He didn’t question Rionan’s apparent lack of technological abilities at all, as Rionan had willed.
Rionan checked the time again. 16:58pm. He opened up the icon that he was told was for messaging, and began to type.