Jane looked up at the large clock above the food stalls. She had another thirty minutes to go before her appointment with her soon-to-be-dead target. Plenty of time to grab something to eat and drink. 

Her stomach growled at the thought of food. Being too busy preparing for the assassination, she had little time earlier to snack.

“Hungry?”

She looked up at Tom, embarrassed that he had heard her stomach growling. “Y-Yeah, a little.”

“Come on. Let’s check out all that they have before we decide on what to eat.”

“Okay.” 

Despite agreeing with Tom, she honestly didn’t mind eating anything. Food was sustenance, that was all. But she liked that her fake boyfriend was someone who always made careful choices. He had good taste in almost everything and that made going out with him all the more thrilling.

She snuck a glance at him. The color in his cheeks had returned. He seemed better after that incident on the merry-go-round, which was a huge relief. She should have looked away after ascertaining that he was fine but she could not bring herself to. His stern countenance as he scanned the stalls like a food critic made her heart skip a beat. He looked so dashing in his simple polo tee and jeans. Sometimes she wondered what would happen if they dropped the ‘fake’ out of their relationship. 

But what would he say if he found out about her secret job taking people’s lives? She wrung her hands together, remembering the earlier close call at the merry-go-round. She had indeed been in a horse chase and used a whip to lasso her target off his horse and then trampled him to death. Thankfully, Tom had bought her lie.

“Do you see anything you want?” Tom’s cheery voice broke through her thoughts.

“Umm…” She looked around at the myriad of stalls that they walked past. “I’m okay with anything.”

Tom hummed in response, his eyes lingering on every face in the crowd as if he was assessing how satisfied they were with the food they were eating. She found it amazing how much attention he paid to the little details. It wouldn’t surprise her if he had already rated each stall in his brain. After all, he had done something similar on their last date when he categorized every pencil in a bookstore and finally selected one that he said had more lead.

Knowing not to disturb him when he was thinking, the two of them walked from one end of the line of food stalls to the other end in silence. Jane bathed in all the delicious smells wafting to her nostrils. Her mouth watered as she imagined digging into savory meat. 

“Okay, we’ve seen everything now.” Tom rubbed his hands together. “What do you want to eat?”

“Ah, I’ll let you decide, Tom. Are you feeling better now?”

“Much better.” Tom flashed a dazzling smile. “Thank you for your concern.”

Feeling her cheeks flush, she lowered her gaze. “S-Should we get a drink anyway?”

“Yes, of course. I saw a stall that sells burgers. It looked really good. How about that?”

“I would love that!” she exclaimed. Her stomach growled in agreement as well but thankfully, Tom didn’t notice.

They backtracked, weaving their way through the growing crowd until Tom came to a stop in front of the stall selling fried chicken. Joining the queue, they squinted at the menu hanging above the counter. By the time they finished discussing what to order, the queue had shuffled forward until it was their turn. Tom got the two of them a chicken burger and a soda each.

Carrying the soda cans in her hands, Jane spotted an empty bench at the end of the stalls. She gestured to it with a tilt of her head. “Shall we sit over there?”

Tom studied the bench with a keen, discerning eye. “Yes, sure.”

Jane scooted towards it before another couple could grab the seats. She placed the two cans beside her and waited for Tom to set the paper bag down between them before she handed him one of the cans. She didn’t waste any time in opening hers and taking one long chug. The liquid cooled her throat with an iciness that sent a thrill down her spine.

“This chicken is quite good,” Tom effused in between taking huge bites of his burger. “Very tender and just the right amount of spices.”

“Uh-huh.” 

Downing another gulp, Jane set her can to one side and fished out her burger. She sank her teeth into the bun and meat. The fluffy bun coupled with the crunchy skin and the juicy tenderness of the chicken had her moaning in delight. 

“Good, right?”

Jane nodded, her face already buried deep in the burger. She hummed as she ate, feeling the energy from the food and drink course through her body system. This burger was simply amazing. The best food she had eaten in the past week.

The sound of fluttering wings snatched her attention. She sliced her eyes to the left where a pigeon perched on the back of the bench. The winged creature stared back at her, its head moving up and down in a choppy motion.

She narrowed her eyes at it. “What are you looking at?”

Noticing the pigeon, Tom chuckled. “Maybe it’s after your burger.”

Jane looked at her bun. A little chicken was left for one bite and one bite only. She glared at the pigeon. Her voice dripped with pure malice. “No way am I letting it eat my chicken.”

“Calm down, Jane. I’m sure it’s not-”

The pigeon cooed and flapped its wings. Jane tensed. That damn bird had its eyes on her meat! She launched into killer mode. Her free hand poised in the air above her target. Before the bird could take one more hop, she struck. 

One lightning-fast jab into the bird’s body and it was all over. The bird let out a high-pitched chirp before it fell like a piece of brick onto the pavement.

A smirk lifted the corner of Jane’s lips. Satisfied, she took the last bite of her burger.

Tom craned his neck over the bench. “Oh no, is it dead?”

Jane spared the pigeon a glance. “No. It will be immobile for about the time it takes for me to finish eating this.”

“Wow.” Tom blinked in surprise at her. “Where did you learn to do that?”

Halting mid-bite, Jane realized her mistake all too late. Her eyes widened as she scrambled for words. “I-I umm- learnt it… at veterinarian school!”

“I didn’t know you were learning to be a vet.”

“Yes! I-I’m taking online classes.” Cheeks flushing, Jane looked down at her empty burger wrapper. She hurriedly downed another gulp of her soda to avoid talking more.

Tom smiled, his voice filled with admiration. “That’s amazing, Jane.”

Her heart skipped a beat. She stared at him, half-aware that the redness of her cheeks had spread to her ears. Maybe it was the burger and soda talking or maybe it was the cheery atmosphere around them but she felt the distance between them closing. Their eye contact deepened. The background noise faded away until she could hear the thudding of her heart against her rib cage. 

She saw his eyes drop to her lips. Her breath hitched in her throat. Was he thinking what she thought he was thinking?

Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed the minute hand of the clock inch towards twelve. Three minutes to her rendezvous with her target and she was still seated on a bench ten metres away from the ferris wheel!

She shot up from her seat, sputtering, “Tom, how about we head to the ferris wheel? I-I want to see the city lights!”

Tom looked up, his eyes scanning the crowd. A cheery expression settled on his face as he said, “Sure. That’s a great idea.”

Jane watched him pack their food and drinks in a plastic bag and throw it into the neighboring rubbish bin with incredible speed before extending his hand for her to take. Smiling, she took it. As they headed for the ferris wheel, she discreetly studied his features. When she had disengaged their eye contact earlier, a shred of disappointment had flashed across Tom’s face.

Or was that the alcohol talking?