193 Cryptic Behaviour (1/2)

”Uh…would you like to stop for breakfast? We are still a couple of hours away from York but we are on target,” Ying Hui's voice brought her back from the passing scenery.

He had been feeling awkward when she had first entered the car. Her perfume had been distinctly floral, just like the t-shirt which she was sporting. He had been taken aback at her attire of t-shirt, jeans and boots. Apparently Eric had asked her to dress informally for the college event. In the current avatar, she looked much like one of those college kids anyways, what with her no make-up face and hair up in a ponytail.

She was even behaving like one, pressing her face onto the window and delighted by the sights outside. But all that had somehow made the atmosphere normal in the car.

Jia Li turned towards him at the mention of breakfast. She shook her head with a smile and nearly brushed past him to reach the back seat where she had placed a big bag.

”Eric had warned me about bad congestions and delays on the road. So I came fully prepared,” she said.

Unzipping the bag, she placed it next to her feet and started pulling out items from it.

”Here is the black coffee, as you like it. Would you prefer a cookie with it or a chicken sandwich?” she enquired.

Hui took his eyes off the road and looked at her in amazement. She had spread a towel over her lap and was bringing out various items from that bag of hers. There was a plethora of condiments coming out. Suddenly, it felt like a picnic which his mother used to arrange for him and his father, whenever they went on a road trip.

His father was extremely fond of his mother's cooking, despite being a skilled cook himself. The family often used to embark upon such trips in his childhood.

But because of his extremely busy study schedule and then research and setting up of the company, he couldn't recall the last time he had spent quality time with his parents. Despite his insistence, they continued to run their small eatery out of Marylebone and refused to retire.

”Umm… would you like something else, instead? I only have some crackers, fruits, muffins and nuts apart from this. I should have got some cheese but I forgot,” she prattled on when he didn't reply.

He came out of his reverie and replied, ”chicken sandwich is fine. Thank you.”