Mike didn't show up the next day, making Pie think that he's not really interested. She is happy because her mom would finally stop bugging her. It also helped in lessening her confusion because truth is, even though she may not admit it to herself, he still has effect on her.

At some point, the little girl that had been crushing on him since the day Pie can't remember is still inside her; which brings her to feel partly disappointed too thinking that her charisma has not even affected him at all.

On the other hand, Kim has not called her yet. Pie's been waiting for that call since Valentine's Day because she knows that hearing Kim's voice would somehow help her forget her mom and Mike for a little while.

But what's adding up to her confusion is her feelings towards Kim. She's not sure how to explain it. She's not even sure how it differs from what she's feeling for Mike. It's similar at some point but totally different in general.

Is there a way she could find out which matters most?

It was Sunday afternoon, after a trip to the grocery store, when Pie and her mom saw the familiar black car in front of their gate.

"Now look at that," her mom said, pulling the car over.

Pie's eyes widened when Mike went out from the driver's side and walked towards them.

No way. Why is he here?

"Hey," he said, leaning inside the car window on her mom's side.

"Hey, darling, it's great to see you," said the older woman, pinching Mike's cheek. "Where have you been? Pie has been waiting for you since Thursday."

"Mom!"

"I'm just kidding, darling. Don't take it seriously."

"I was in an out of town business trip these past few days. I just came back last night," said Mike, smiling shyly at them.

"How long have you been waiting there? You should have called me or Pie to tell us you're dropping by. We went out to get some groceries."

"Nah, it's fine. It was just for a couple of minutes. And I don't have your numbers yet…"

"Oh, I'll give it to you inside, okay?" said Pie’s mom.

"That would be great," said Mike. "By the way, can I help you with the groceries?"

---

"Thanks for the help," said Pie's mom, handling Mike a glass of cold water.

"Oh, thanks," said Mike before drinking it all. He handed back the glass. "And you're welcome."

"Do you have something to do this evening? I hope you could stay for dinner."

Mom's really pushing it.

Pie shook her head and smiled to herself. She's currently putting the condiments they bought in the cabinet while overhearing the conversation happening in the kitchen.

"Umm, well..." said Mike, shifting his eyes from the older lady to Pie, "I was hoping I could take Pie out for dinner..."

Pie turned around to look at him, surprised. What?

"Really?" Pie's mom was surprised too.

"Y-yeah." Mike nodded hesitantly. "If... if... if only Pie's available..."

"Yeah, sure, of course, son," the older lady answered right away. "She doesn't have plans for the entire day either, so don't worry. Am I right, Pie?"

Pie saw her mom's look, reminding her of the deal they made. She knows she can't say no this time. "Y-yes, of course."

---

Mike took Pie to a waterfront restaurant where they had a multi-course dinner overlooking a lake. It wasn't a romantic but it isn't that casual either. Pie can't guess what's going on Mike’s mind.

Although she thought it would be awkward, like her previous dates before, Pie was surprised that she's having fun again.

After their dinner, they went for a moonlit stroll at the park. The area is filled with little dim lights making the star-filled sky more visible. They are enjoying the fresh cold wave of the northeast monsoon, making the two of them feel more relaxed. Most of the people around were couples having their own little worlds.

"So, you mean you never had a boyfriend? Not at all?" asked Mike. They were walking slowly around the area with a cup of coffee in their hands.

"Not at all. Why, don't I seem to be like that?" said Pie, tucking a strand of stray hair behind her ear.

"Nah. I just thought that when you said you're single, it meant that you had past lovers. I didn't occur to me that you were never in a relationship before."

"Yeah. Never been hitched," said Pie.

Mike chuckled. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why not date? Don't tell me you never had suitors. I won't believe that."

Pie cupped her free hand over her head to prevent her hair from getting messier because of the wind. "I had quite a few.... I even went out with them, but I guess it just didn't work out for me."

"Why? Were you looking for something specific?"

Pie scrunched up her face and looked up the sky as if she could see the answers there. "I really don't know. Honestly, I'm starting to think that maybe I'm the one with issues here, not them."

"That's crazy!" Mike laughed. "You don't have issues. You just haven't found your right puzzle piece for you yet."

A smile slipped across Pie's face, remembering the same exact line she told him on their first dinner date.

"See? I remember that," said Mike, pointing a finger at her. "But do you happen to like someone now?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure..."

"Mmmm... so... there is someone, right?"

Pie nodded. "But I'm not sure if it's just a simple like or —" she paused and looked around the area first, "How would you know if you're already in love with someone?"

Mike blinked few times. "I don't... know.... Maybe if you start getting hurt because of him?"

Pie secretly smiled at Mike’s usage of “him”.

"So, you're not sure yet if you just like him or if you already love him, right?" asked Mike, getting a nod from Pie. "How about him, do you think he likes you?"

"Mmm, I'm not sure. He's making me feel special... but I'm not sure yet..." Pie trailed off, getting worried a little with Kim's true intentions. "We haven't talked about it. And the truth is I'm a bit torn over my feelings now."

"Torn? How?"

"I'm pretty sure you know how much my mom is vouching for you, right?"

"Yeah, felt that since New Year's Eve," said Mike, laughing softly.

"Pretty obvious, eh?" Pie grimaced, feeling embarrassed. "The problem is, compared to you, I knew there's no way my mom would like him..."

"Why wouldn't she?"

"It's just... too complicated.... Hey, you wanna know a secret?"

"Secrets are exciting..."

"Brace yourself then."

"Oooh, sounds scary." Mike shuddered, hugging himself.

"How should I say this? Hmmm. The reason why my mom is vouching for you so hard is because she knows that I always had a crush on you when we were little," admitted Pie.

Mike's eyes widened. "What? R-really?"

"Yeah. But that was a long, long time ago," said Pie, looking away and blushing a little.

"Wow. Until when?"

"Mmm, not sure. Maybe when we moved out from the village? But that was a long time ago. You still look likable to me, but I think my mom likes you more than me now."

Mike laughed again. "Hey, you wanna know my secret? I've got a crush on you too before."

"Is this a joke?" asked Pie, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm serious," said Mike, putting a finger on his chest to make an 'x' sign.

Pie couldn't take her eyes away from Mike's chest because of what he just did. She remembered a certain person who did that before.

Not having an idea what's going on Pie's mind, Mike continued, "You always made me feel freaking nervous when you're near. That's the reason why I don't talk to you whenever Golf isn't around. Could you guess when it stopped?"

"When your family moved out of the village?" asked Pie.

"Spot on!" Mike snapped his fingers. "But to be honest, I still find you as attractive as you are when we were just kids. And after that dinner date the other day, I realized that we somehow clicked. I don't know if you felt the same but I enjoyed that night. I'm really thankful that your mom asked me out. And I knew that there is a reason why we met again that day, I just don't know the reason yet."

"Did you purposely look for my mom last Wednesday?"

"No, that wasn't planned," said Mike. "I had no idea that your mom works there. And I didn't expect her to invite me to dinner."

So, mom's telling the truth then. Pie thought.

"Is it just me or is it really starting to feel awkward around here?" asked Mike, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Getting a bit awkward, maybe..." said Pie.

"Haha. I know. Anyway, straight to the point now. I stopped by your house today because during my trip these past 2 days I kept thinking about you," Mike confessed.

Pie didn’t really expect that. She’s speechless.

"I'm not trying to court you, okay?" said Mike, his face serious. "I just want you to know about my feelings towards you. Because honestly, even after all these years I can't seem to deny that you still look beautiful to me. And after hearing your story a while ago I realized that we're in the same boat, confused about our feelings towards another person — Sarah in my case — and torn with the idea that we still somehow, at some point, maybe like each other."

"I-I don't know what to say, Mike..." said Pie.

"You don't need to say anything," said Mike, feigning a smile. He turned to look down at his cup and continued, "I'm not saying that I already love you, I'm just saying that I like you. And that doesn't change the fact that I'm still not over Sarah yet. I won't deny that. It's only been three months since we broke up."

“So, what’s your point in telling me all of these now?”

"Point is, we liked each other before but we got separated. After few years of no connection, we met again on New Year's Eve. After two months, here we are having coffee. For some reasons we just keep bumping into each other. Don't you think we should give it a chance now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I really don't know what I'm saying," said Mike, scratching his nape. "I didn't mean it to sound like we should be together, okay? What I'm trying to say is can we make an effort to find out if this thing between us will lead to something in the future?"

"But how?"

"I... I don't know…. Maybe we should hang out more often? Go on dates?"

"But how about Sarah?"

Mike took a deep breath. "Like I told you, I haven't forgotten her completely yet. But I wanted to know if being with you can completely heal me. I think it's also an opportunity for you to find out what you're really feeling towards your guy."

"I honestly don’t know. I’m really confused,” said Pie. "I just hope that no one will get hurt if this ends out badly."

"I don't think it would end out badly, though," said Mike, sipping from his coffee. "It's either we realize that we're only fooling ourselves with each other or, who knows, maybe we'll fall in love in the end."

Pie chuckled. “Fall in love in the end? You think that’s possible?”

"Maybe? Who knows, right? At least we will finally get the answers to our questions and dilemma after that."

The cold wind blew again reminding Pie of the recent storm that hit a nearby country. She looked up the horizon and took a deep breath.

I just hope I'll get the answer soon.