Lock You In My Heart

The two of them went back to the private room of the barbecue restaurant. The atmosphere there was tenser than Gabrielle had expected. Mia and Austin sat at opposite ends of a rectangular table that was designed for eight people. They sat far away and with so much distance between them. They seemed to be seated at the two ends of the world.

They sat so afar and were barbecuing their food in the baking tray that lay in front of them. This created a weird atmosphere in the room. They were behaving like strangers.

‘What is going on between Mia and Austin?’

Gabrielle wondered as she looked up at Westley. She nodded her head towards their direction, as if to get some information from him. Both of them had just left for a moment, but when they returned these two had completely changed. They were acting strangely, as if they were two people who just happened to dine together on the same table.

Gabrielle felt that if they sat down and joined them, it wouldn’t really help in relieving the embarrassing atmosphere in the room. She had expected that Mia’s easy-going and warm personality would help her get along with Austin easily.

But it looked like she was mistaken. It was not like what she had imagined, rather it was the opposite. The two of them sat separately like enemies compelled to have dinner together.

It was also a fact that Austin and Mia were not friends at all. Indeed, it was normal for them to feel embarrassed to be asked to sit and dine at the same table. Gabrielle realized that probably she was just too naïve to understand these things.

“Hey Gabrielle! You’re back. Come and sit beside me. I’ve roasted pork here for us. It’s delicious!” Mia waved at her and patted the chair by her side, gesturing for Gabrielle to sit beside her.

“Hey!” Gabrielle said as she walked towards the seat. After taking the seat next to Mia, she asked in a low voice, “What’s happening here?”

“If you want to know what happened between us, you’d better ask him. This gentleman seems to be dissatisfied with me!” Mia murmured as she put the roasted meat into Gabrielle’s bowl. She urged her to eat.

In fact, Mia too wasn’t aware of what went wrong. She had entered the room first, and was followed by Austin. Without saying anything to her, Austin moved ahead and took the innermost seat. He said nothing and sat in sheer silence. Mia felt that Austin was deliberately keeping a distance between them.

She was surprised at his behavior and felt that Austin didn’t want to get close to her. ‘If he isn’t interested, then why should I make efforts to be his friend?’

Mia was a straightforward and open-minded person. If someone liked her and treated her well, she would reciprocate in the same manner, ten times more. But if somebody was not nice to her, she would not befriend that person.

She didn’t expect everyone to love her. She was fine if someone hated her too. But she preferred clarity and would never want to be friends with someone who didn’t like her. In spite of all her flaws, she was not a person without friends.

need

that Mia was annoyed and would not tell her anything more, Gabrielle turned towards Austin. “So, Austin, are you all right?” she

“Nothing. It’s just that I don’t know this lady much and

something to upset him. After all, Austin was not a man with

wouldn’t have behaved like this unless he

to pay attention to him. He has a bad temper only when it comes to something related to me. I don’t think in future we will appear at the same place together. So, Gabrielle, think carefully about it and answer me. If needed to choose, between him and me, whom will you choose?” Mia raised her eyebrow and put forth an extremely difficult

a question. She could

safe and said, “I

was hopeful that her answer would not offend

was apparent that it had disappointed Austin. He had expected her to answer

a decision between him and Mia, and not abruptly bring in Westley. Even if she had

Mia were sincere and caring towards

h other.

she chose Westley, it instantly made him feel jealous. He wasn’t

Let me barbecue something for you now!” Westley said. Upon hearing his wife’s words, he was extremely happy. With a broad grin on

“So, why should I have dinner with you and your husband? You are a

come to dinner with them. In the end, she was the one who was

relationship with Gabrielle. It was you who insisted on having dinner with us. So what’s the problem if you have to watch us show off our

you’ve said just now, really hurts me. I think I’d better have meals with only Gabrielle from now on. I will never dine with both of you anymore,” Mia said

grumbling and complaints in a joking tone. Austin moved a little nearer and nearer.

beef is mine. So, leave

what’s wrong with you? Why don’t you roast your own food? Don’t touch

each other. The

could do was to leave them alone to fight with each other. After all, those were not real quarrels, but childish

Austin said as he turned over her meat, which was