6. Being Followed

"Going home already, Lyd?" Revan immediately got up from his chair as Lydia walked towards the door of the room while looking at her cell phone.

"Yup. But I want to find an online taxi first." Lydia showed him her phone with a smile.

"I'm about to go home too, I can take you home." Revan quickly picked up his backpack. "I happen to have an extra helmet today."

Lydia's steps stopped and she stared at her colleague for a moment. If she was honest, Lydia was actually uncomfortable being carried by someone of the opposite sex she wasn't too close to. That's why she always preferred online taxis to motorcycle taxis. But since it was still the middle of the month and her finances were low, she said yes.

"But I didn't go straight home. I have a meeting with my friends first and it looks like it's a bit far," said Lydia. Lydia explained.

"Where is it?"

Lydia mentioned the name of a cafe and Revan immediately agreed to take her there. He said he happened to have some business nearby.

"Isn't it okay to ride a broken motorcycle?" asked Revan shyly.

"You still have a bike, Van. Instead of me who has nothing." Lydia replied and took the helmet from the man.

Well, her family had an old car anyway. But this car was used by Lydia's mother to go to work.

As Lydia put on her helmet, her eyes, still very good and sharp, could see Reino from a distance. The motorcycle parking lot was not far from the elevator drop-off, so Lydia could see him coming out of the elevator door.

Unfortunately, Reino, who was getting into his official car, accidentally looked at Lydia. And their eyes collided, causing Lydia to reflexively look away.

"Come on, Lyd. Hurry up so we don't get stuck in traffic." Revan's voice made Lydia jump onto her colleague's motorcycle.

Lydia sat uncomfortably behind Revan. She wanted to hold on to something for fear of falling, but was reluctant to hug Revan or even just hold the hem of the man's jacket. She had never been that intimate with her younger brother, let alone another man, right?

So Lydia's only option was the metal on the back of the motorcycle seat, and she grabbed it just before Revan's motorcycle sped away. Lydia glanced back at Reino and was surprised to see the polar bear still staring at her, even as he followed Revan's bike.

"Got a good grip, Lyd?" Revan called to make sure his passenger was safe.

"I do." Lydia replied after getting over her shock about Reino earlier.

The young woman couldn't understand why her cold ex-husband kept staring at her. She wanted to get a little closer, but that was impossible.

"Do you hang out with your friends often?" asked Revan, unable to stop talking.

"Not that often." Lydia replied briefly.

"How long have you been friends?"

"Since high school."

"Can I join you for dinner?" asked Revan boldly.

"Didn't you say you had business?" asked Lydia, confused.

"Uh, I meant another time." Revan replied rather nervously. "Who knows if anyone is still single."

Vanessa and Erika were still single, but they didn't seem to suit Revan. "I'll try to ask." Lydia finally chose the safest answer.

At the same time, Lydia accidentally looked into the rearview mirror of Revan's motorcycle. She recognized the car that was now right behind them. Feeling insecure, Lydia tried to turn around. And it was true, Reino's car was right behind them.

"Van, can you hurry up? I'm already a bit late." Lydia shouted frantically. She didn't know what happened, but Lydia had the feeling that her boss was following her.

"Okay," Revan replied casually.

***

"What's wrong with you?" asked Vanessa, who arrived at the same time as Lydia, as the thin woman hurriedly got off the bike and looked around.

"I think I was followed by my polar bear boss." Lydia whispered so as not to be heard by Revan.

"Huh?"

"Let's go inside first. I'll tell you later. Thanks for the ride, by the way." Lydia waved to Revan, then pulled Vanessa into the fancy cafe in front of her.

"What's with your messy hair?" asked Cinta, who had arrived first. Erika had also arrived, two minutes after Vanessa and Lydia.

"She was picked up by some guy and she said she was followed by a polar bear." Vanessa answered, and that got a lot of questions from everyone.

Lydia then began to tell about the strange things she saw after ordering food. She was starving and needed some food as soon as possible.

"Are you sure you were followed? Who knows, it just happened to be in the same direction." Erika said after Lydia finished her story and started eating with gusto.

"The problem is that he kept staring at me in the parking lot. Obviously I was suspicious." Lydia replied after she had successfully swallowed her food.

Of the four friends, Lydia had the biggest appetite. But surprisingly, she was the one who was the skinniest and barely curvy.

"Are you sure you're the one being stared at?" Cinta asked this time.

"One hundred percent sure. Our eyes met and you know my eyesight is very good." Lydia replied confidently.

"But why is he staring at you? You said that in the elevator too, right?" Erika asked again out of curiosity.

"I'm sure he must have felt extremely satisfied in bed the other day, that's why he was looking for an opportunity to eat you again." Vanessa replied in an artificial way.

"Seriously. Don't be weird." Lydia glared at Vanessa. She shrugged off her best friend's words.

"Who knows? Maybe behind your ordinary body you have extraordinary skills in bed. Don't you think?" Vanessa wasn't going to let Lydia rest on her laurels and continue to play pranks on her best friend.

Vanessa's teasing might sound hurtful at times, but none of them ever got angry. After all, what Vanessa said was usually true, and the context was just a joke. Everyone knew and laughed because it sounded funny to them.

"But I'm curious, Lyd," Cinta said, not laughing this time. "What does your polar bear look like?"

Lydia didn't answer right away because she had to think about the details. She had to picture Reino in her mind.

"He looks more like a handsome Caucasian. His hair is thick black, but not jet black. His eyes are blue and his gaze is cold. His expression is also a little creepy." Lydia mused.

"His jaw is firm, his nose is high, his eyebrows are also bushy and firm. His skin is light, his chest is broad, and he is very tall."

"Is he wearing a navy suit today?" asked Cinta, staring at a point behind Lydia.

"How do you know?" asked Lydia with a furrowed brow.

"He really is handsome." Vanessa answered Lydia's question, but not at all.

"Why are you guys being so weird?" asked Lydia confused. Especially when Erika lifted her chin and asked Lydia to turn around.

Lydia did so out of curiosity. But after a few seconds she turned away again, covering her mouth with her hand. Two tables behind her, Reino was watching her as he ate with a woman.

***To be continued***