Chapter Text
“Poppylan, you have to come with meeee…” Erdene whined to her brunette friend who was sitting at a desk across from her. Peeking between magazine file holders and computer monitors, “please…” She begged.
“Okay!” Poppy sighed, finally caving in. Her friend had been bugging her since last week. “But you better buy me the ticket. ‘Coz I’m only there for your moral support,” she continued.
“Deal! That’s easy. So… What are you gonna wear?” the taller lady leaned over the divider and asked excitedly.
Poppy tapped on her chin with her forefinger, pretending to think. “My favorite shirt, of course. You remember the one with a cat eating ramen?”
“You better not, bitch!” Erdene yelped. Her long arm reached over to swat Poppy’s hand.
Poppy giggled and scooted her rolling chair away from her desk. “Dene, if I have to physically be there, I wanna be in my comfy clothes. And you’re buying me dinner after.”
“Fine. Be your weird self. Maybe you’ll find your perfect match there!” Erdene teased before sitting back down. She really did hope her friend would find her soulmate since dumping that cheating jerk a few months ago. Not only did the asslicker not want anything to do with her after she surprised him with what he had called ‘baggage,’ but he also cheated soon after he learned her life was about to change forever.
The day finally came; it was a mellow Friday before a long weekend. True to her words, Poppy wore a shirt with a lucky cat holding chopsticks, eating ramen. The words ‘HOPELESS RAMENTIC’ printed around it. She completed her outfit with high waisted jeans and a pair of grey sneakers. Erdene looked elegant in her red one shoulder mini dress, paired with gold strappy flats. Her lilac hair tied up in a high ponytail.
The two best friends stopped by the office restroom to touch up their makeup. They stood side by side in front of the long mirror while applying their beauty products before heading out to the event. Erdene blended colors from her palette and applied it to her eyes, cheeks and lips while Poppy redid her hair into a single French braid, she only added on some mascara and lip gloss.
“Pops, your skin is glowing. Tell me your secrets!” Erdene asked, looking at her friend’s reflection in the mirror.
“Well, I’m not crying over that piece of trash anymore. And do you know how much weight I lost after dumping him?” With a serious face, Poppy turned to look at the tall woman.
“Hmm?” Though her friend really did look great, Erdene couldn’t imagine Poppy losing that much weight without having noticed.
“About a hundred seventy pounds of toxic flesh!” Poppy replied, as they both let out a laugh that echoed against the tile walls.
After completing their touch ups, they took a taxi from their office to the venue. It was on a large yacht anchored at the dock of Narin River. During the check in, they were instructed to take a seat at any empty table. Male guests would be the ones moving. They would have five minutes to introduce themselves and chat then the male guests would move to the next table once the bell rang.
They were then given blank stickers that said ‘HELLO, I’M…’ Erdene took a sharpie and wrote her name with a winking emoji on it, while Poppy grinned and wrote ‘Raisin’ instead of her real name. “Because creepers” – she explained. Erdene side-eyed her busty friend and shook her head. She hoped Poppy wouldn’t turn into a hopeless romantic like her shirt suggested.
There were about fifteen or so small round tables, each with two chairs set atop wooden planks. The strand of string lights hung on the rails around the deck, brightened up the space. The best friends found two empty tables next to each other. As soon as Poppy reluctantly took a seat, the waitress walked over to take her drink order. Poppy asked for a frozen strawberry daiquiri with extra rum. She gestured to the table to her right and told the waitress that her friend will foot the bill. They already had her credit card on file since Erdene was the one who paid for the event.
There was some chatter filling the air once the female guests occupied all of the tables, until the DJ stopped the soft music playing in the background. An announcement from the loud speaker chimed in soon after as the host stepped up on the small stage next to the DJ booth.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the fifth speed dating meetups. We have a perfect, even number of attendants today. Hopefully everyone will find their perfect match before the evening ends!” Cheers and whistles erupted from behind the large cloth panel divider where the men were waiting. The women clapped their hands and giggled.
“And now, the moment you all have been waiting for. Please welcome the rest of the party!”
At that, all of the men hurried out from the hidden spot. The revelation both thrilled and overwhelmed Poppy. She was struggling with her internal emotions until she looked at Erdene who gave her a thumbs up and a wide grin. Poppy scrunched up her nose and shook her head at her playful friend.
* * * * * * * *
Dressed in a pewter green button down shirt and dark jeans with his long black hair tied in a half ponytail, Tora stood quietly behind Quincey as the blonde man was socializing with other guys around them.
From the other side of the deck, Tora’s eyes swept around as a habit. He had to make sure there was no threat nearby; he was still on the job after all. He sighed and let out a huff, irritated about the hungry eyes he felt ogling him; he’d never get used to it, even though he’d been viewed as a piece of meat ever since he’d reached his height and filled out with muscle mass as a teen.
Most of the ladies there looked pretty much the same to him; cake faced makeup, fake tans, and skimpy clothes. His eyes kept scanning the crowd. He knew it was wrong, but his mind kept judging - nope, pass, fake, pass, plastic, p...
Pretty. She was very pretty.
He was speechless when he spotted her. She was frowning with her arms crossed across her chest, yet she looked stunning. A strand of stray hair was flowing gracefully as the wind blew softly. She was glowing like an angel with a halo from the setting sun behind her.
She was FUCKING BREATHTAKING.
Her head sat only a few inches taller than the back of her chair; she must be a tiny, but curvy little thing, he thought to himself. Even though she looked bored and annoyed, she stood out the most in the crowd. A natural beauty. Small fish in a big pond, yet she was the most significant one. The corners of his lips turned into a smirk, as his gaze fell on her shirt, ‘fuckin’ nerd’ - he thought - ‘Just what I like.’
He didn’t hear the squeal that had escaped from Quincey, as he had learned how to block out distracting sights and sounds. Years of experience in clan business had taught him to not lose focus on his prey. He was sure as hell to pay all his attention to this one. His bossy brother made him come out to this speed dating event just because his ass was supposed to be writing about it, but was having a writer's block. Thinking it was the greatest idea, he bribed his bodyguard with the weekend off. Tora didn’t mind hanging out with the blonde man and it wasn’t like he had anything else planned, but when he was offered two days of quietness, he’d gladly accepted.
At first, Tora couldn’t make a decision if he wanted to wait his turn to talk to her or to walk straight to her table. He calculated the pros and cons in his head and decided to wait his turn. There were only six people in front of him, including Quincey. He knew his brother was there for research purposes, so he only had five guys to compete with. He stood straighter, heightened up his six foot three frame. His confidence went through the roof and it tickled his competitiveness.
He closed his eyes and let his mind drift into daydream - a very dangerous move to do in the open. But at that moment, he didn’t give a shit about the clan life anymore. He’d been wanting to be out of this bullshit years ago. Seeing her pushed him over the edge of the cliff as he found himself wondering if there was another way for somebody like him - a mafia enforcer - to live.
Suddenly, he didn’t want to leave empty handed. He had to at least get her phone number so he could contact her in the future. If not, he’d gladly take her email or social media profile. He could have Gyu download those apps and teach him how to use them later, his personal hacker would give him a lot of shit for it, but he knew a broken finger or two would instantly shut the younger man up.
The sea of men formed a line at the other end of the deck, each had the same ‘HELLO, I’M…’ sticker on their shirt. The sound came through the loud speaker once again. “Gents, you have five minutes to get to know each lovely lady. The fun starts NOW!”
The men moved to sit down at their first assigned tables. Tora kept his eyes on Poppy as the first man sat across from her. He saw her taking a sip of a blended drink, then engaging in the conversation, but he could tell from her body language that she wasn’t feeling it at all. Tora paid absolutely no mind to the female in front of him. He nodded and shook his head to answer yes or no before turning his whole body towards the brown haired girl, wondering how sweet her voice would sound.
The bell rang, male partygoers got up and moved to the next table on their left. When a clean cut looking dude sat down at Poppy’s, she straightened her back as she said hello to him. Holy shit, she looked so cute when she smiled. Tora completely tuned out of the person sitting across from him. He thought he heard a loud sigh, but he didn’t give a shit. He cussed under his breath when he saw the well kept guy reach his hand out, intended to touch hers. Poppy quickly moved her hands onto her lap. Atta girl – Tora thought; he almost chuckled at how stupid she made that guy look.
As soon as the time was up, Tora stood up and waved goodbye to his second ‘date’. He strode to the next table and plopped down, didn’t bother to say hi or look at the lady at the table. She tried to charm him with her revealing dress, but he showed zero interest in her. The bimbo mumbled a string of curse words, “if you’re not looking for some fun, why the hell are you here?” Tora spared a glance at her, “why the fuck do ya care?” His answer muted further remarks; they just sat there in total silence which he preferred.
The bell rang again and the third guy sat down at Shorty’s table. He looked frail and pale as fuck – another fucking nerd. From the vibes he got, Tora didn’t like this dude. He thought about how he could take the wimp out with a snap of his fingers, if he wanted to. What the hell was that? She finally showed her genuine smile for this fucker? Did she prefer a man with no dick?
Poppy was enjoying chatting with the guy for about two minutes until he mentioned something. Tora couldn’t hear, but she looked utterly uncomfortable as her big smile disappeared. He’d had enough of how guys treated her with no respect. Without thinking, he got up from his seat and walked over to them.
“Everything okay here, sweetheart?” Tora asked; placing one hand on the table, the other on the back of her chair as if he was protecting her. His earlier thought came back to his mind, snapping this douche in half would only take seconds, but he didn’t want to make a scene.
Poppy nodded. “Yes,” she confirmed, holding her fierce gaze on the man seated at her table.
“Didn’t expect to see you here, Matt. Tell your loser friend to stop calling me, would you?” Her voice lowered to almost grumble at him.
“Geez, Pops. You don’t gotta be this harsh. I’ll tell him you said hello,” the skinny man sneered.
Poppy’s fists slammed on the small table, startling both men who were staring at her. Erdene also peeked over to see what the hell was going on.
Leaning closer, Poppy spoke through her gritted teeth, “get lost, Matt.”
The bell rang the same time the scrawny man suddenly stood up, scooting the chair a few feet back. He was about to sit down at Erdene’s table, but she dismissed him, telling him to move along. Tora took the chair and moved it next to hers before sitting down.
The fourth guy frowned when he saw his seat was taken. After he got a death glare from the brooding man, he moved back to where Tora would have been and took his spot instead.
“Ugh. I didn’t expect to see anyone I know. Anyway, thanks for butting in, Captain Save a Homegirl,” Poppy remarked.
Tora smirked at the feistiness, what a sassy woman. “My pleasure,” he squinted at the sticker. “Raisin? That’s a cool name!”
“Well, thanks, D-G-A-F.” Poppy enunciated each alphabet playfully. “D-gaf? Is that how you pronounce it? You have a very interesting name yourself!”
“Pfft. Name’s Apple Sugar Booger. What’s yours?” He asked, his eyes gleaming.
Poppy howled in laughter as soon as the last word left Tora’s mouth. “Oh my gosh, we’re already related! I’m Raisin Sugar Booger!”
“So your name starts with a T and you were born in March, huh?” Poppy quickly thought of the troll meme she saw earlier when she was looking for an alias.
“March 30 th . Ya real name isn’t Raisin and ya birthday is in March, too? ” Tora thought he had heard that Matt dude called her Pops.
Poppy was quite impressed at how attentive he was. “March 11 th . I’m Poppylan, but people call me Poppy.”
“Beautiful name, Bobby.” He couldn’t help but to tease her. “Name’s Tora.” He reached out his right hand for a handshake.
“Nice to meet you, Tora.” Poppy ignored the teasing and shook his hand in a firm grip. As he felt the small fingers curling around his palm, he held her hand tightly but gently. The contrast of the softness and the sizes made Tora’s nose flares. He had never felt like this with anyone before, it was as if he could feel the sparks surging between them.
Poppy’s heart beat faster as she looked at their joint hands and backed up to the olive skinned man who kept his amber gaze at her. He finally loosened the grip when Poppy cleared her throat. She’d noticed the electric jolts from their touch; she’d be lying if she said she felt nothing.
“So… An early bird or a night owl?” Poppy didn’t waste her time getting to know him.
“Sleep is for the weak, sweetheart.” He knew all too well that he’d be lucky to get to see another day. Life in this stupid clan shit didn’t give him the privilege to choose when to sleep or if he had a chance to wake up again.
Wanted to lighten up the mood, he shot her a question. “What’s your favorite color?”
Poppy grinned before she answered, “grey, all fifty shades of them.” She then giggled at her own joke, and didn't expect the man to get it.
“Is that so?” Tora leaned in closer; his elbow rested on the small table, other hand on the back of her chair and whispered, “Ya into BDSM?”
Poppy gasped. Son of a fudge biscuit, he knew what she was talking about? She could feel his hot breath on her ear and it made her face grow a shade darker. She totally underestimated him, she had no idea he’d been volun-told to beta read his brother’s printed porn for years.
From the corner of his eyes, Tora swore he saw Quincey with the biggest wicked grin, wiggling his eyebrows at him. An adequate gesture implying that he was enjoying the fifteen minutes of micro drama between the tiger and its cute prey unfolding before him. Tora knew he’d never hear the end of it, but it was worth it already now that he knew her name and got to talk to her.
“That was alcohol speaking. My favorite color is red, strawberry red.” She said softly.
“That’s mine, too. Same color on ya cheeks right now.” Tora replied wittily and truthfully. The faint smell of rum and strawberry lingered through his nose.
Poppy could feel the heat radiating from her face when she covered it with her hands. Tora’s face still inches away from hers. He took in the look of the girl as she bit her lip, trying to suppress a smile. What wouldn’t he give to reach out his hands and squeeze those squishy cheeks. What wouldn’t he give to kiss those lips. Self control – no touching.
Tora rolled up his long sleeves, wanting to keep his hands busy. He didn’t want to make stupid moves and felt nervous all of the sudden. Poppy’s eyes widened at the sight of colorful tattoos peeking out under the fabric. The sky was getting dark so she could only see the outlines of koi fish and flowers.
They stared at each other, waiting for the other to say something.
Right when Tora was about to ask for her number, Poppy’s phone buzzed before it rang; she answered it at first ring. “Okay. Alright, thanks. I’ll be right there.” Her eyebrows furrowed, her chest rising rapidly as she took shallow breaths.
“I’m sorry but I’ve got to go,” she whispered, her hand clutched over her heart.
“Where…?” Tora asked in confusion. He stood up when Poppy shot up from her chair. The daiquiri and sudden movement made her stumble backwards, almost hitting the railing behind her. Tora reached his hand out and held onto her elbow, his other hand supported her upper back. She smiled at him and touched his hand. Tora hesitated to let her go and when he finally did, the emptiness took place in his fists.
She took a few steps to her friend. “I gotta go, Dene. Jess called. It’s Shiro. She said he broke his arm.” Her voice trembling, tears stinging from the corner of her eyes.
“Oh no, poor baby. Do you want me to go with you?” Erdene asked, her voice coated with concern.
“No, no. You stay. I’ll call you later,” Poppy waved at her friend.
“Go to him, Pops. Let me know if you need anything.” Erdene told her earnestly.
Poppy nodded before running off in the party boat, leaving Tora standing dumbfounded and contemplating if he should follow her. He looked down to his shoes, sighed and decided not to pursue her further. Whatever the call was about, it must have been very important.
The familiar loud shriek from the opposite side of the deck reminded him that he was still on bodyguard duty and he had to take the seemingly drunk and annoying blonde home in one piece.
Tora sat at an empty table, his back to the rest of the crowd. He played games on his phone until the event was over. He’d been grumpier and not in the mood to talk to anybody. The dark vibes he sent out hinted the others not to bother him so he was left alone in the remaining time.
Tora felt a hand on his shoulder as Quincey tried to get his attention with slurred speech. “Let’s go home, honey. The event is over.”
“Thank fuck!” The taller man had reached his patience limit.
“I saw you were intrigued by a cute brunette. Did you get her number?” Quince snickered.
Her number. “Fuck!” He growled. “Haul ass, Qunice.” The brood man said to his brother.
Poppy had left so abruptly he didn’t have a chance to ask her. He wanted to smack himself upside the head when he realized he’d sat next to her friend the whole fuckin’ time, but he was in such sour mood and didn’t even think about asking.
* * * * * * * *
Later that night, Erdene called Poppy to check up on her and Shiro. “How’s the little man?”
“He’s okay. He tried to run away from Jess, but fell and sprained his wrist. He’s sleeping now.”
“Thank goodness it was just a sprain,” Erdene cried with relief.
Poppy sighed, “Yeah, but I still feel bad for him. He’s been through a lot already.”
“I know, Pops. I don’t know how you do it. You work full time and take care of him.”
“You gotta do what you gotta do, Dene. But I have a great support system. My Granny helps us out a lot.” Poppy always praised her grandmother who had been supporting her financially since she moved out of Moonbright. She’d also come over and watch Shiro anytime Poppy had to work on big projects. It takes a village to raise a child , her Granny told her once.
After she hung up the phone, Poppy looked at the boy who was sleeping soundly in her bed, his right wrist wrapped up in an elastic bandage. She had already ordered a toddler size wrist brace for him, if it helped remind him to slow down for a few weeks then it would already do its job. She laid down next to him, lightly stroking his brown hair off his forehead before kissing him there. She let him sleep with her, tonight was not the night for sleep training. The poor boy had been through a lot of trauma in less than two years of his life. She blinked away the tears and silently thanked God for the long weekend.
Poppy reflected back on how Shiro came into her life, unexpectedly. She had just graduated from college and moved to the new city for a new job. Becoming a mom at such a young age was the hardest time of her life, but she wouldn’t trade it for the world. She’d thought that Julri would help raise the boy and that they’d ended up as one happy family. But he would have been as lousy a father as he was a jackass of a boyfriend.
Poppy then thought of the tall man she enjoyed talking to earlier this evening. How nice it would be to go on a date with a man who looked like a Greek god. He seemed to be as interested in her as she was in him. She smiled at her silly thought as she grabbed her phone to text him.
She looked for his name on the device; her brows curled into a knot, a quiet huff escaped from her. She wanted to let out a loud grunt, but stopped herself. She was an adult, she’d act like one and there was no need to scare an injured toddler next to her, but her brain betrayed her and brought her into a spiral;
‘The one time I really wanted to go on a real date I didn’t get his number and he didn’t give me his. Maybe Erdene had it, I could ask her tomorrow. But what if they were already hooking up, that would have been weird. Chicks before dicks, for life. Ugh, fucking great, Poppy. You’d end up alone with your hopeless romantic self.’