8.


    Arriving at the parking area behind the hospital building, the four of them stopped by the car.


    “You and Nadia can sit in the back,” Mario instructed. He preempted ra, who wanted to sit in the front. Unwilling to have the girl sit next to Joe, he felt the need to assert his presence.


    Although a bit frustrated sitting in the back with Nadia, ra tried to savor the moment, stealing nces at Joe and saving his handsome face as much as possible. Maybe next month would be the next time she would see him.


    The ck car started moving at a moderate speed, cutting through the city streets.


    “Let’s grab a bite first,” Joe suggested, trying to engage the attention of the three teenagers in his car.


    “Yes, Uncle,” ra and Nadia responded. Mario chose to remain silent. He wanted to get out of Joe’s car quickly, wanting to talk one-on-one with the man.


    The four-wheeled vehicle pulled over at a parking area of a restaurant that featured steak as its main menu.


    Joe, ra, Mario, and Nadia walked into the restaurant and sat at an empty table, the second one from the cashier.


    Joe remained busy with his phone, while Mario kept a watchful eye on ra, who continued to steal nces at Joe. It weighed on his chest, suppressing jealousy.


    Wait! Did Mario even have the right to be jealous??


    NO!!


    Their orders arrived shortly after. Four servings of steak with different vors and warm drinks.


    Feeling a bit insecure about her appearance, ra excused herself to go to the restroom. Nadia apanied her.


    Now, at the table, only Mario and Joe remained. Mario seized this opportunity to express what had been bothering him.


    “Let me introduce myself; I’m Mario,” the teenage boy said, extending his hand. Now he could see the details of the mature man who had been the talk of ra and Nadia.


    “I’m Joe,” the man replied, shaking hands with Mario.


    “Uncle isn’t nning to get close to ra, right? We’re in the process of getting to know each other, and I don’t want Uncle to be interested in my crush!” Mario said, staring sharply at Joe. He hoped the mature man understood his words.


    “Don’t worry, kid, I won’t disturb your rtionship. ra isn’t my type!” Joe replied firmly, intentionally baiting the young boy.


    “Great if ra isn’t to Uncle’s liking, that means Uncle doesn’t know ra’s personality yet. Anyway, I’m afraid Uncle might be my rival!” Mario replied, making it even more intriguing. No need to exin who ra was. Joe would be a seriouspetitor if he liked or even was interested in ra.


    “Rest assured, I see ra as a little sister, nothing more,” Joe honestly stated.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    “I believe you, and I hope Uncle Joe will always support my rtionship with ra,” said the hopeful teenager.


    “Of course,” Joe replied, winking.


    “But if ra likes Uncle Joe? Would Uncle reciprocate?” inquired the uneasy Mario.


    This time, Joe didn’t answer. He just smiled, finding it amusing to see Mario acting as if worried about losing ra.


    “What do you even like about ra?” Joe asked casually.


    “ra is smart, kind, and cheerful. Her face may not be as beautiful as a Korean actress, but she’s sweet and not boring. For three years, I’ve been looking at her every day, and instead of getting bored, I be more interested!” Mario narrated, revealing facts about ra. His eyes sparkled as he spoke about her.


    Joe widened his lips. What did a 17-year-old kid know about women? His wife, Vivian, was beautiful, cheerful, kind, smart, sweet, and not boring, but the marriage built with the model was now on the rocks.


    ra and Nadia’s arrival silenced Mario, and they got busy with the steak in front of them.


    Mario looked at ra. Her hair was neatlybed, and secured with a white feather clip on the left side. Her lips looked moist, and her eyebrows were beautifully shaped. Still the same, those two eyes of hers always captivated Mario, with rosy cheeks. They weren’t pink like that a moment ago.


    ra started chewing her food.


    “Eat a lot!” Joe encouraged.


    “Yes,” ra responded enthusiastically.


    Mario tried to keep his emotions in check, not showing them when ra continued to express her interest in Joe throughout their meal. They finished their food, and Joe suggested it was time to go.


    “Come on, you all need to head home now!” Joe invited.


    The seating arrangement in the car remained the same. Mario didn’t give ra a chance to sit in the front. The car started moving at a moderate speed. Soon, they arrived at the dormitory.


    The car stopped at the main gate of the dormitory.


    “Thank you, Uncle,” ra said.


    “Thank you, Uncle,” Nadia echoed.


    “Yeah, you’re wee,” Joe replied.


    ra and Nadia got out of the car and walked into the dormitory.


    Mario looked at ra’s back. There was a tightness in his chest. Tonight, he learned one thing: ra liked Joe. Fortunately, the man named Joe didn’t know and wasn’t interested in ra.


    “You have no interest in ra, right?” Mario asked to make sure.


    “No, I’m already married, and even though my marriage is on the rocks, I can’t possibly be interested in a 17-year-old girl your age,” Joe exined. He was getting bored with what Mario was saying as if ra had an extraordinary charm. Until now, Joe hadn’t found one reason to be interested in ra as a woman, only seeing her as a little sister.


    “Sorry, Uncle, is Joe getting a divorce?” Mario asked softly.


    Joe just nodded, a faint smile on his face. He seemed fine, even though his heart was shattered into pieces.


    “I’ll get off here, Uncle,” Mario requested; he needed to pick up his motorcycle left at school.


    “Let me drop you off!” Joe insisted.


    “No need!” Mario declined.


    Joe pulled over, letting Mario get out.


    “Thank you, Uncle,” Mario said.


    “You’re wee,”


    Joe drove off.


    “Darn it,” he mumbled when he saw ra’s wallet left on the back seat.


    Joe kept driving, trying not to care. It was ra’s fault for leaving her wallet in his car.


    A momentter, Joe turned his car around and returned to the dormitory to return the wallet to its owner.


    Arriving at the main gate again, Joe called ra through the green app on his phone.


    “Yeah, what’s up, Uncle?” ra asked, sounding surprised.


    “Come down quickly; you left your wallet!” Joe instructed.


    “Okay,”


    Not long after, ra came to Joe’s car.


    This time, ra had changed into cartoon-patterned pajamas, looking thin, worn-out, too small, and unfit for wear because they had been used for too long.


    “Here’s your wallet.” Joe handed the pink box-shaped item through the open car window.


    “On the weekend, I’ll take you out!” Joe invited, unintentionally catching a glimpse of the girl’s cleavage. He discovered the real reason why Mario wanted to pursue ra.


    ra nodded and smiled sweetly. She purposely left the wallet on Nadia’s advice. Yes, the 17-year-old girl of today was clever. Clever at finding reasons to always meet her crush.


    This time, Joe agreed with Mario; ra indeed looked very sweet when she smiled.