More to You ✔

Chapter 5 - Boat Noodle (Maria)

Maria and Mitch left the temple and walked a few minutes down the street outside the historic park. A large, covered, outdoor seating area with cement tables lay ahead. They passed beneath a big sign with a Coke on the side and Thai script that read 15 baht.

"In the mood for boat noodles?" he asked.

"Sure," Maria said, as they settled into line. Her stomach had been grumbling for the past hour, but she hadn't wanted to be a buzz-kill or miss the temples.

He glanced at her twice then to simmering bowls on the tables with a grin and raised an eyebrow.

"You're waiting for me to ask what boat noodles are, aren't you?" she asked.

He shrugged. "If you don't care, I won't say anything, but I'd expect a skilled chef to want to know."

She glanced up at him, biting his lip and glancing around the shop, then she nudged him. "Okay, what are they?"

An attractive smile grew on his face. "So in the floating markets," Mitch spoke animatedly with his hands, enough to draw over a group of passing tourists, "vendors would come by in their boats and serve bowl after bowl of noodle soup with pork balls, fried meat, pork blood, and Chinese herbs. It took hours to prepare the meaty broth, so they'd make up big batches. No boat for us today, but the food still tastes incredible, if you're not weirded out by blood or the less traditional parts of the animal."

The tourists stepped away and surveyed the street for more options. Both she and Mitch chuckled.

"I grew up eating a lot of different things," Maria said. "As long as it isn't tofu, I'm game."

"None, I promise."

"That drove me nuts about my ex. Why did he always get his way? He hassled me if I ever brought home meat." Her hands clenched.

"That's never a good sign."

"I know." More words tumbled out of her lip before she could stop them. "I understand he wouldn't eat what I would, but some nights I craved fried pork, or chicken, or tender beef." Her shoulders tensed, and Mitch smoothed a hand over them until they relaxed. She looked at him with a smile. "My parents must have thought I was starving when I visited without him because I'd eat all the meat I found. Once I said I was buying groceries and ran out with a friend for wings and grabbed a carton of almond milk for my ex afterward, so he wouldn't bug me about it."

Mitch laughed. "Don't do that to yourself. If someone isn't willing to be with you the way you are, why bother? After fifteen years, sure people change and you adapt or move on, but after one or two? You shouldn't have to sneak off to eat what you want. That's ridiculous, especially with how important food and cooking are to you. Find a person who wants you for you."

"Lesson learned. Now I have to find him."

"What's the rush?"

Maria gazed at the couple in front of them, holding hands. "There isn't one. I just wonder if I'll ever meet someone."

"The minute you do, your life will shift, no more late-night rain dances, beach moments, flirting with whoever you want. Look at Sunshine and Daniel. They gave up living the dream in Thailand."

"But they're having a family!" Her head spun at the idea that he valued single life so more than a future with people he loved. Spending your life having meaningless club nights and hookups would feel so empty.

Mitch averted his gaze.

"Does no part of you want that one day," she asked softly, "even the slightest bit?" She thought of him on the train with the young girl.