Gabriele's expression seemed to change however, his lips pursed together, a stern look on his face as his steps slowed and stopped in front of a business. Norah stopped as well, taking a few steps to close the gap between the two, a confused look upon her face as she watched him, no response to her calling his name. He seemed far more interested in something else.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked, tilting her head as she looked into the building through the large window that gave it a front. It looked to be a normal, average Chinese tailor, colorful clothes lining the walls, all delicate and intricate with gold embroidery. The building looked out of place with the rest of the world, as if it was lost in time. However, she doubted he was here for the clothing. Something, or someone, had Gabriele's undivided attention.

"Stay here for a moment." He said, his voice sounding devoid of much of anything, though Norah could've sworn she heard the hint of anger and hatred, which were uncommon for how gentle and caring this man was.

"Yeah, okay." She said, nodding a bit. Who was she to question? She chewed on the inside of her lip as she leaned against the brick wall that surrounded the majority of New York. Pulling the coat around her shoulders tighter, she let out a breath.

He walked through the door, the bell above it giving away his presence. A woman behind the counter looked up, a large, mischievously playful grin spreading across her delicate, pink lips. Her eyes coming alive as if someone had brought her a new toy she had been yearning for.

Gabriele felt a pang in his chest, memories of the past rushing back, hitting him like a train going full speed. Just how many years had it been since he'd seen this woman? Four, five years? Perhaps longer. A bittersweet smile crept its way onto his face as he swallowed the nostalgia threatening to burst forth.

"Hey, Mingyu." There were many more words he had wanted to say, perhaps should have said. However, none of them would come out at the moment.

The woman he remembered and the woman that now sat in front of him seemed to be one and the same.

Qiu Mingyu leaned against the counter, her face resting on her hand as she eyed the man in front of her for a moment, before she smiled sweetly, "your fly's unzipped." She purred, her voice sounding innocent. She had quickly discarded the feeling of nostalgic unease masterfully.

Gabriele's expression faltered for a moment as he quickly looked down. It wasn't. He let out a sigh, looking up to glare at the woman, who by now was laughing.

The mischievous grin upon her face only grew as she leaned back into her seat, folding her arms across her chest. "You always were a gullible one. Ahh, I've missed that part of you." She said, the words bringing a soft, sad tone to her voice but only for a moment.

"So, what business do you have here, Gabe?"

Gabriele stuffed his hands into his pockets, letting out a soft breath before he looked at Mingyu. He hated this feeling that plagued him. "Can't I just see an old friend?"

She laughed, "Gabe, it's been five years. If you had wanted to see me, it'd have been a lot sooner."

He grimaced slightly before a sigh escaped his lips, "I'm on an errand from the household." Even his words sounded defeated, but he tried to keep himself pieced together.

"I should have known it would take business for you to grace me with your presence."

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with her, "sorry about that."

She waved her hand, dismissing it, "it's fine, it's fine. Ignore me for five years and then pop out of nowhere with business. Why would I mind?"

For a moment Gabriele is hit with a pang of guilt, until Mingyu turns to face him with her trademark grin, letting the world know she's pulling a prank. "Gabriele, I know you have your reasons, stop looking like I just dropped you off at the pound." She laughed, shaking her head.

A few moments pass in silence before a puzzled look crosses Mingyu's delicate features for a moment as she sat up, leaning against the counter once more. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with the family?"

"I don't, but when I'm given an order it's not exactly like I can refuse it."

Her lips pursed together as she thought for a few moments, "what do you need?" She asked, beginning to pull herself up when she noticed something, or rather, someone, outside.

"Hey, I recognize that dinky coat of yours." Mingyu said, stopping Gabriele from speaking and instead of making him turn to look out the storefront's window, "who's the broad, hmmm?"

Norah had been pacing outside for the past few minutes, her face buried into the coat as she kept an eye on both Gabriele and the woman he had been talking to. Jealousy swelled, her heart aching slightly. They seemed to know each other, and quite well at that, and she hated that. She knew well enough why she was feeling this way, but she knew she shouldn't have. They had only been in each other's company for two days now and she had no rights, no claims over this man. He could do whatever he wanted and see whoever he wanted. She wouldn't be around long enough for any of it to even matter.

Gabriele let a sigh through his nose and chuckled lightly, distracted from the real reason he had been there for a few short moments. "Norah, she's staying with me for a little while." He shrugged his shoulders as if this was a common occurrence with him.

He turned to look at Mingyu, rolling his eyes at the large grin that had crossed her features. "It's not like that." He said, his voice sounding slightly irritated, "she dropped by the pub a few days ago and didn't have anywhere to go, so I gave her a place to stay and a job."

"You picked up a stray. I find it cute though." She laughed, "you always were the sensitive one." He glared her for a moment.

Mingyu lifted herself from her seat, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor as she stepped around the counter, stopping in front of Gabriele. She was shorter compared to him, he could almost have been a giant. He flinched for a moment as she ran her hands across his chest and sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. The memories were continuing to plague him, and as much as he had yearned for her touch and simply being around her, he couldn't do this. Couldn't play this game again.

"Mingyu..." He breathed, looking down at her, a frown crossing his lips as he carefully pulled her hands away from his chest, her hands so tiny in his large, calloused hands.

"I know, I know." She said, looking up at him through her lashes, making his heart skip a beat, "I'll go get your paperwork."

"I appreciate it."

Mingyu walked past him, noticing Norah now, who seemed to be surprised by the interaction and she couldn't help the snicker that crossed her lips. Oh, she was going to be so much fun to toy with.

Gabriele took a deep breath when she finally walked past, trying to get his emotions and memories under control. He couldn't cave. Not now. He ran his hands through his hair, brushing the messy curls back and trying to compose himself. He turned to watch Norah, who was still looking into the building, though upon catching his glance, she quickly looked away and began to her pacing once more. He chuckled, his chest now warming for a different reason. A different person.

Mingyu hadn't taken long to get the documents, as she was expecting someone from the Castano family. However, she wasn't expecting Gabriele himself. It had been years since she had last seen that dorky, goofy man. Sure, she had heard of him around New York, especially about his pub, but neither of them had made any attempt to contact the other since the incident. As she began to leave the back room, a small frown twitched at the corners of her lips, watching Gabriele as he watched Norah, a smile spread across his face. He looked happy. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him happy. He faked it a lot, pretended he was okay, buried everything down as deep as he could, but she knew. She always knew.

That chuckle of his, she missed the sound of his laughter. His smile, how it could light up an entire room, warm any heart, and melt hers the most. It brought an ache to her chest, a dull reminder that Gabriele wasn't hers anymore, that he never would be. Not again. Not ever. Despite this, she didn't feel jealous or spiteful, she was happy for the man, for it was rare to see him truly happy, not just the facade he put up to cover up how he actually felt.

Mingyu gave a soft smile and spoke under her breath, "I'm glad you could find someone who makes you feel like this again..." A gentle sigh escaping her lips.

Gabriele glanced down at his watch, noticing the time. It was late, later than he had originally thought and he sighed, hanging his head for a moment before the familiar clack of heels broke the silence that surrounded him. He looked up, watching as Mingyu thumbed through documents before looking up. A soft smile inched its way across his lips she grew closer, the ache in his chest only growing. He missed the woman before him, the touch of her skin upon his, the smell of Azaleas that always lingered on his clothes for what felt like days.

He knew his life was a mess, but he was moving on the best he could. Mingyu was a part of his past, and while she remained as a prominent part of his presence as well, he knew that chapter was done and closed. He didn't need to hurt her all over again.

"Here are the documents you needed. Tell your father I hope he gets better soon, and that I'm always of service to him." Mingyu spoke, her voice gentler. It seemed that the encounter was affecting them both equally.

"Thank you, and I will. He seems to be doing better if even a little." Gabriele said, shrugging his shoulders as he took the document packet Mingyu was holding out. His fingertips brushed across the back of her hand, a warmth now spreading through his very core. Oh, how he missed this woman... A bittersweet smile spread across his face as he glanced down at Mingyu.

Returning the smile, Mingyu stepped back for a moment, turning her head to look out the window to make sure Norah wasn't spying upon them once more, getting all the wrong ideas. Gabriele wasn't hers, not anymore. A puzzled look spread across her face however when she noticed that the woman seemed to be missing, the sign of that dinky coat nowhere in sight.

"Hey, where'd your lady friend go?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest, pulling Gabriele from his thoughts as he looked out the window as well.

A concerned look took over his expression, his eyebrows furrowed together, "huh... she probably just got distracted by something. I should go and find her, we need to be getting home anyways..." he said, his voice slightly quiet. It was a big city and it was easy to get lost. Without a phone of her own, he wasn't quite sure how he was going to find her if she had wandered off.

"Yeah, of course. Give me a call sometime?" Mingyu asked, her voice gentle as a smile crossed her delicate lips.

Gabriele looked back, that same bittersweet smile spreading across his lips once more before he gave a soft nod and turned to leave, documents safely tucked away under his arm.