Alone again (naturally)

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday at 2.30PM and checked into Istana Hotel at around 4PM. After reviewing the documents I needed to study for the stakeholders’ meeting, I took a quick shower and fell asleep unintentionally. I woke up a few minutes before 7PM, hungry. I decided against ordering food from room service. I was looking forward to eating some Nasi Lemak and Nasi Goreng but I didn’t want to eat it in the hotel. My hotel is quite close to Bukit Bintang so I decided to walk towards it. I remember that Super Noodle House, the Chinese restaurant Yuen Mei took me to when I was last here in KL, is in this area. I suddenly craved for Chinese food.

When I got in, I ordered fried noodles with seafood, barbecue pork dumplings, and honey-lemon juice. The noodles were fresh and crispy, with just enough sauce and lots of shrimp, squid, and fish. The dumplings were just as good as I remembered them. While eating I locked eyes with an Indian-looking young man seating a table away from me. He was probably wondering why I, looking clearly non-Chinese, was eating at this restaurant. Well, I could say the same thing to him. I turned to my left, right, and back to check if he was really looking at me. 

He was. Feeling a mild sense of panic, I looked down at my plate and ate quickly. I don’t clearly know why. I had wanted to relish my nice dinner. When he smiled, my innards tightened like a clenched fist. He had thick curly hair, high forehead, bright eyes. My type on 3 of 4 counts. But nevertheless, something about the way he was looking at me unnerved me. The restaurant was pretty busy, and the waitresses have probably noticed the staring match that Suresh (his imagined name–after the character in Heroes) was trying to start with me. I asked for the check, paid for it then I stood to go. I didn’t turn to see him as I quickly left the restaurant and went into the mall.

There was really nothing much to see in the mall. I wasn’t in the market for new outfits, phones, shoes, and other accessories. I turned to step out of the mall and almost shrieked when I bumped into Suresh. He was still smiling, although it looked a bit confused because I think my forehead hit his chin. He had dimpled cheeks, I didn’t notice that earlier. He introduced himself (Anand) and asked for my name. I told him. He wanted to know my nationality and I told him. He said he was Singaporean but working in KL for the last year. I smiled. He said he was 26 and asked for my age. He was surprised when I told him. While this Q&A ensued I was walking briskly on the sidewalk, snaking my way into the crowd as he kept up with minimal effort. Of course, with his longer legs, familiarity with the terrain, and his obvious athleticism, I didn’t stand a chance of outrunning him.

He held my wrist and asked if I was afraid of him. I looked at him. ‘Because you don’t need to be. I’m a good guy,’ he said. I swallowed a cruel retort. The lobby of my hotel loomed above us. He asked if I was billeted at Istana. I didn’t see the point of saying no. ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘I don’t usually do this. But would you like to have coffee with me in the lobby?’ I agreed.

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