“Hey, Angel. You hungry?”
I moved the hair off my face to make sure it had indeed been Viper asking and not some figment of my imagination.
He raised his brows. “Well?”
With perfect timing, my stomach growled. “Yeah, I could eat.”
Viper nodded for me to join him, and as I started forward, the cab driver came around the back to put my guitar case in the trunk.
Surprised was the word I’d use as I joined Viper in the back seat and he rattled off an address nearby. I wasn’t sure why he’d invited me, since he didn’t seem to be the most social guy, but maybe this would be a good opportunity to get to know him. I’d certainly heard a lot about him, but who knew what was true and what was gossip?
“Chinese okay?” Viper asked. My stomach rumbled again in response, and he chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
We didn’t say much during the short drive, and when the cab pulled up in front of a nondescript brick building, Viper handed the driver a few bills and we grabbed my case from the back.
“It looks like a hole in the wall, but the food is unfuckingreal,” Viper said, seeing my confused expression as we headed downstairs to what looked like a basement. A small sign on the door with the words “Li’s Kitchen” was the only tipoff that it wasn’t a residence. As he pushed open the door, the warmth from inside was a welcome relief, but the decor left a lot to the imagination. With faded red walls that peeled in some spots, it looked like it hadn’t been updated since they’d opened, which had to be decades ago.
Is this some kind of joke?
But to my surprise, as Viper led us to a table in the corner, I saw the restaurant was packed. Not only that, but the stares that followed him came from not only the women, but some of the men as well. Jaws dropped, teeth bit down on bottom lips, and audible gasps could be heard. Did Viper even notice the reaction people had to him, or was he so used to it by now that it was white noise?
My answer came when we passed a group of women and one of them reached out to touch him. He caught her hand, brought it to his lips, and then placed a kiss on the back of it. She sucked in a breath, and when he winked at her and walked off, the whole table burst into shrieks.
As we took our seats, Viper choosing the one that kept his back to the rest of the room, I could only shake my head. “Jesus, my sister was right.”
“Right about what?”
“Everyone’s, like…in love with you.” I’d never seen anything like it, and even with his back to them, people still stared. Would they come over and hit on him later? Leave him napkins with their numbers written on them?
“They don’t love me,” Viper said, throwing his arm over the back of the chair. “They just wanna fuck me.”
My eyes went wide. He wasn’t one to mince words, was he?
“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna abandon you here,” he said, his lips tilting up. “They’re not my type.”
What is your type? I almost asked, but that wasn’t any of my business. Instead, I shrugged, wanting him to know I wasn’t about to judge. “You do you.”
Before Viper could respond, a thin older man joined us and set down a bottle of something called Baijui, two small glasses, and two iced waters.
“Thanks, Li,” Viper said, and then small-talked with the man I presumed was the owner, if his name was any indication. After Li left, Viper poured us both some of the Baijui.
“You come here a lot?” I asked.
Viper raised his glass as I did the same, and then swallowed a mouthful of the white spirit. Fuck me, that was strong. My insides burned as the liquor made its way down.
“Good, right?” Viper grinned. “And yeah, whenever I’m in the neighborhood. Doesn’t look like much, but it’s the best authentic Chinese in the city. If they cleaned shit up in here, some newspaper would be all over it, and then the tourists would take over. Fuck that.”
Made sense. Tourists ruined all the good spots. I skimmed the menu, my eyes catching on the dim sum options and refusing to look elsewhere.
Viper didn’t bother looking at the menu, pouring us another round of Baijui instead.
“Let me guess: you get the same thing every time you come here,” I said.
“Bingo.”
“Surprising. I thought a guy like you would say variety is the spice of life,” I joked.
Viper’s eyebrow arched. “A guy like me?”
Okay, that didn’t come out like I meant it. “Just that you seem like someone who enjoys life’s pleasures. You know, not getting bogged down by the same old thing.”