That night, as Chiaya lay in bed, she remembered the way Karan had touched her cheek and wiped it. His hand had been so warm and soft. Why had she blushed so much? She was certain she hadn't been uncomfortable—but had it felt… nice? What the fuck are you thinking, Chiaya? Have you really been alone for so long that you've started thinking stupid things?
To quiet her mind, she began singing in her head a song she used to sing as a child. The song was about a little fish, from there a story about mermaids came to her mind, then she thought that the dress she wore today was a mermaid cut. Her mind jumped from topic to topic uncontrollably and at some point, helped her fall asleep.
Karan could now easily read the books in her library that weren't too difficult in language. When Chiaya woke up, she brewed some coffee. When she brought a cup to Karan, she noticed he had taken notes on things he didn't understand. When she took his notebook in her hand, she saw one of the words was aphrodisiac.
"What the hell, Karan! What are you reading?" She quickly took the book from his hand and looked. Somehow, Karan had managed to pick the most embarrassing book from Chiaya's bookshelf.
"I don't see why you're yelling. You said I could take whichever I wanted."
Luckily, Karan hadn't gotten very far in the book.
"I take back what I said!"
Karan's nasty smile wouldn't fade. Chiaya's effort to hide the book looked funny to him. He didn't understand why she was embarrassed either.
He had some idea where the book's story was going, but no matter the direction, Chiaya's strong reaction was funny. In Narval, sexuality was seen as something very natural and erotic writings and images were common. Maybe it is not the same for humans, he thought.
Finally, the time they were waiting for had come. When Chiaya came dressed, she noticed Karan struggling with his bow tie. Karan looked very funny with the crooked and ugly-looking bow tie around his neck.
The day before, the seller had helped him tie it. Karan regretted untying it. His eyes seemed to silently beg for help without asking. Chiaya reached for the bow tie but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fix it.
"Karan, could you sit down? With your giraffe height, it's really hard to reach your neck."
Karan sat on a chair. Now he was too short. Chiaya leaned toward his neck and carefully tried to tie it. Karan noticed her scent. He wished Chiaya would stop leaning over him as soon as possible. Her dress made it even harder for him.
"Nope! I can't. I guess we have no other choice," Chiaya said. "Let's go. Leaving early will be better for us."
As they knocked on Tulin Auntie's door, Karan understood what Chiaya meant when she said they needed to leave early. They had come to a place that was easy to get into but very hard to get out of.
Tulin Auntie opened the door. "Ah, Chichi! What a wonderful surprise! You both look amazing. Come in, come in."
Without any trouble, Tulin Auntie tied the bow tie perfectly in one swift move.
"Where are you off to all dressed up like this? Oh my, my eyes are having a feast!"
"We're going to a cocktail for work," Chiaya replied. It wasn't exactly a lie.
They listened to Tulin Auntie's story about how, in her youth, her ex-lover fled from his wedding and how she quickly took off his bow tie. At one point, Chiaya wanted to cover Karan's ears.
When they got into the car, Karan asked, "I didn't want to ask Tulin Auntie, but what is marriage?"
"Marriage is when two people officially promise to stay together forever. It's announced to everyone and celebrated with a ceremony called a wedding," Chiaya explained.
"But if the man decided to make that promise, why did he run away from the wedding? Did someone force him to promise?"
Chiaya laughed. "No, I don't think anyone forced him, but sometimes people realize they don't want to stay married and end their marriages."
"I don't understand,"
"Me neither," she said..
"Have you ever been married and ended a marriage before?" Karan asked.
"Me? Haha, no. I don't think I'll ever get married. When I was in my early twenties, I felt like it was certain that I'm gonna marry someday. But as I got older, I accepted that I probably never will."
Karan asked, "Why?"
Chiaya answered, "Hmm... There are a few reasons. First, I get annoyed very easily. Second, I'm very stubborn and loud. Sometimes I can act creepy. I don't think anyone could put up with me for long."
Karan admitted that Chiaya was loud and stubborn, but her voice never bothered him. Even the songs she sang with her ugly voice had a soothing effect on him. When no one wanted to help him, Chiaya was by his side. And she was truly beautiful. Whoever got to have this woman should really consider themselves lucky.
When they arrived at the address the man had given, Chiaya parked her car. A black sedan passed by them slowly. Its windows were tinted, so they couldn't see who was inside. Chiaya thought, "A shady car for a shady gold buyer." The car then parked in front of them, and Chiaya's phone rang.
"From here on, you will follow me. As soon as you leave the main road, put on your masks. When you arrive, leave all your personal belongings in the car. You will only have the gold card given to you by the valet. If you bring anything with you — phone, keys, money, anything — be ready to never get it back. If a staff member approaches and asks who you're a guest of, say 'Holt, the second gold buyer.' And my personal advice: don't talk to anyone if possible. Understood?"
"Yes," Chiaya answered. To remember, she repeated, "Holt, the second gold buyer... Holt, the second gold buyer..."