I've Been There Before (Grace and Caden)

"Hum?" Cayne Filocci was astonished once again to stare at Grace standing by the road.

Under the dim street lights, Grace stood still; her shadow was really lonely to look miserable. He almost believed this was a weather-beaten old woman standing there; she, from head to foot, appeared to be so aging with what she encountered for these years. Thus, Cayne turned to be more curious about her...what was she like? Why did she seem to be so weak and dying at such a young age?

"In my dorm...I just have noodle and spring onion as well as some eggs. No better food for you."

In the wind at night, Cayne could not hear other voices but got touched by her...she was standing under the street lights for long time to merely think about what kind of food she would treat him, just to exchange for his tips. After all, she told him what she had at home; and she could not prepare something better for him.

Right now, Cayne regarded the money in his hands to be nothing, then he glanced at it. It was not too much but caused her consider carefully to give out the best things she had now...for the money he did not care about at all. Even though she would prepare one scallion noodle that should be very cheap in the market.

Cayne watched Grace to say, "Ok."

He opened his car door to get off and rarely walked to the front passenger side to open the door for Grace.

"Where do you live?" he asked.

Grace answered, "Go straight please and I will show you the way. Please drive slowly, sir."

Cayne drove ahead and turned left at a cross. After some time, the car stopped in an old community.

Both of them got off the car. Cayne frowned to ask, "This is your dorm?"

Grace said, "Yes, it is good." She was greatly satisfied with it to stay safe. On the day of being released from prison, she did not worry about her future and her job, instead, at that moment she was thinking about that where she would live out of prison. They got on the floor. Grace opened the door with a new key which was just copied by the administrative staff for a new lock to the dorm.

She pushed the old door open with some creak and said, "Sir, please come in."

Grace was too annoyed at her own voice to speak a lot.

"Please have a seat." She put down her belongings and turned around to go to the kitchen. She wore a light color apron which was different from the popular ones among the young, pinky or green ones of country lifestyle. It looked the same ugly as the old-time ones. Cayne sat where he could see the inside kitchen.

Grace was not so experienced to cook. However, in an orderly manner, she boiled water and noodles, cut spring onions, took noodle out of water and adding oil and onions to make scallion. Looking at all these, Cayne had an impulse to cuddle her from her behind. Finally, she served him the scallion noodle. It topped with some green and fresh spring onions as well as a fried egg.

"Please enjoy it." she said.

Cayne asked, "Where is your noodle?"

Grace shook her head and smiled. She answered while drying her hands, "I finished my meal in my company." To her, I was a waste of food to have more. Cayne dropped chopsticks after finishing all the noodle and said, "It's yummy." Soon he raised his head to watch her and continued, "You are a good chef." "There was one friend who loved scallion noodle so great. I promised I would learn to do it for him."

"And then?"

"Then... Sir, you are the first one to eat this."

"You did not taste it by yourself? I should be the second one."

"Me? I always feel inching to have the spring onions. I might be too sensitive about it."

"..." Cayne changed the topic, "You just call me sir. Do you have my name?"

"You are my guest. Name, not important to me. Even if I have it, I will only call you Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones or Mr. Johnson." It was certain that the guests' names did not matter to her.

Something occurred to Cayne, hence he took some money out of his wallet and said, "For you." Then he left the money on the table, "Remember, my name is Cayne. I give it to you for keeping my name in your mind."

Grace was extremely stunned to watch the money.

She looked up to him and asked, "Only to remember your name?"

It was so easy to earn money now?

Grace did not catch what he was thinking about. She was confused with what happened now which would be easily seen by Gloria if she were here.

Cayne smiled and said, "Sure." In fact, it was totally impossible...she was all he was chasing right now.

Remembering his name... is just the first step.

Now he stood up to say, "It's too late. I have to go now." He was too tall; Grace seemed to be twenty-centimeter shorter than him.

"Mr. Cayne, I am going downstairs..." Before talking more, Grace opened her eyes wide and felt too hot on her forehead. Abruptly, she pushed away Cayne hard and covered her forehead with her hand. She shouted, "What are you doing?" There was a new wound not yet fine.

But this was not the point. The point was...he could even kiss her lips instead of the wound!

Grace was trembling now.

She was so nervous and became badly angry. Her true feelings were entirely revealed.

Canye was unwilling to answer but asked, "Allow me?"

No!

Of course not!

Grace was so furious that her eyes turned red. She pointed to the door and said, "It's too late. Mr. Cayne, please leave here."

Canye raised his chin slightly and looked so arrogant on his good-looking face. He turned around to walk out of her dorm, but stopped to say, "The wound will get worse if you don't cure it."

It was a wordplay.

Grace watched Cayne leaving with her red eyes. She was a little out of breath and kept thinking what he said just now.

"It's none of your business! None of your business!" What did you know? How to cure the wound? Considering what she was like now, how could she pay for it?

The door was left open. Grace took a deep breath and walked slowly to close it.

Suddenly, she was hit to have a stagger.

"Ruby?"

Ruby looked like a devil and said, "Grace, you make a stab in the back!"