It's a hot and sticky morning to be out for a walk, but Aileen and Cooper decide to take Aileen's broken phone to a repair shop. They exit the shop and Aileen follows Cooper down the street—Cooper is holding her hand quite tightly, walking fast and urging her to hurry up.
'C-Cooper. P-please slow down!' Aileen wheezes, tugging her hand back. 'I can't keep up!' She stops and hunches over with her hands on her knees.
'Sorry!' Cooper turns around. His hand cups the back of his neck as he takes a deep breath.
'I-it's OK. It's just... asthma! You know I can't walk this fast!' Aileen coughs as she regains her breath and stands up straight again. 'Where are we going? What's the big rush?' She asks. 'You yanked me out of bed so early this morning! And our stuff is still up at the hotel!' She crosses her arms, annoyed. 'Why aren't we heading back there now?'
'Don't worry about our stuff! I'll send my driver to collect it all. I'm sure Saki and Nadia can check out for us, too.' Cooper tries to reassure her.
'Wait, we're not even going back to the hotel?' Aileen is shocked. 'What do you mean? You're not making any sense, Coop.'
'I know, I'm sorry. Alright, hear me out...'
'You literally have thirty seconds to explain yourself before I sit down on this footpath and refuse to move.' She half-threatens him, raising an eyebrow.
'OK, OK!' Cooper pleads. 'Do you remember how I asked you about Daniel yesterday? Well... he was the old friend I was talking to last night.'
'Wait, as in Jenna's friend Daniel?' Aileen starts to panic, her eyes welling up with tears. 'Please, Cooper... don't tell me you went behind my back to... do something about Jenna and I.' She gasps as Cooper nods solemnly. 'Oh, God! Does Jenna know?'
'No, not yet!' Cooper says, hurriedly. 'I asked Daniel last night to bring Jenna to the club where you planned to have your first date. I also hacked into your dating app account before we took your phone to the shop and transferred all the messages onto mine.' He taps his phone with a slightly embarrassed smile. 'It's all in here.'
'Cooper, seriously! Promise me you'll go to a university with an amazing technology program.' Aileen teases him. 'Hell, before we know it, you'll be working for the secret service or something!' Cooper can't tell if she's joking or being serious; he opens his mouth to reply, but no words come out—he's stunned.
Finally, he gathers himself. 'Aw, thanks Aileen.' He shifts his feet. 'I thought you were going to be so mad at me. I know I could have just asked you for your login info, but hacking that dorky dating site was so much more appealing!' He laughs. 'So, will you agree to meet Jenna? I'll make sure Daniel and I are nearby, just in case anything goes wrong.' He flashes Aileen a warm smile.
'OK, sure. Let's do it...' Aileen agrees with a nervous smile, then takes Cooper's hand. They walk all the way to Maniac's together.
Jenna
Jenna walks slowly alongside Daniel. It's scorching today, a little uncomfortable for her, but Daniel had insisted the two of them go for a morning walk to clear their heads.
'How about this weather, huh?' Daniel says, absentmindedly, looking up at the sky.
'Mhmm,' mumbles Jenna in response, rubbing her tired, dry eyes.
'Are you still tired?'
'Yeah, I suppose I am,' Jenna says. 'Can we not spend too long out in the sun? Please? I'd really like to go home so I can finish my homework and send off the last of my university applications.
After that, we could play video games, if you want?'
'Yeah, that sounds fun! I'd love to! Didn't you tell me last week you bought Playtime Sweetie?'
'Yeah, I did! And don't you have the other one—Playtime Savoury?' Suddenly, she stumbles on the spot, feeling dizzy.
'You're looking a little pale. Is the sun getting to you?' Daniel gestures towards Maniac's, which is nearby. 'We should stop, find some water for you,' he says. Jenna halts very suddenly when she sees the restaurant, her eyes widening.
'Jenna? Hey, whoa! Stay with me.' Daniel fusses, sliding an arm around her waist. 'Come on, let's go inside where it'll be nice and cool.' He coaxes Jenna inside, worried. His trying not to show it. If he makes a fuss of her, Jenna will refuse his help and claim she's fne. Reluctantly, Jenna accepts and let's him.292Please respect copyright.PENANAMSqbItDnEP
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