The waitress bowed to Shen while he stared at me.

“Think of what I’ve said,” he said before leaving the booth. I sighed in annoyance. I think he got off on being cryptic sometimes, as if he was the fortune cookie at the end of the meal. I didn’t watch him leave, instead yet again, staring at the empty bench across from me until I felt his presence vanish from the room. I let out a breath and reached for the actual fortune cookie the waitress had left on the table.

Eyes of red deals two pair: aces and eights. Beware.

The cookie was dry in the mouth as I reread the slip of paper from inside. Aces and eights was a dead man’s hand. That wasn’t good. There was nothing special about the cookies here but when I got a fortune, I sat up and listened.

Despite the lucky numbers on the back, I didn’t really feel like carting that fortune around. I dropped it on the table before I shoved my hand into the inner pocket of my coat, where I’d stashed a pin. My fist was so tight that when I finally released the trinket, it left an indent on my palm.

I despised losing any of my treasure. It made me feel dizzy as I shoved up from the booth and stomped away quickly, leaving the diamond-encrusted rabbit pin on the table, glimmering in the yellow lights of the restaurant. My gift to Tu Shen for my takeout bag because he refused money but demanded payment.

The place was thriving now, the tables filling up quickly as I made my way to the door. A man came walking in, gliding on shoes that shined so bright I could see the reflection of the red lanterns defined in them.

I staggered, coming to a halt as the breath was knocked out of me. He threaded his fingers through short, vibrant red hair that matched all the red paper designs in the restaurant. I forgot everything about the night as I watched his fitted button-up cling to him. My eyes trailed down his entire body—his perfectly tailored suit, his unnaturally colored hair, and the prominent Adam’s apple in his neck.

My body sang as I took him in, electricity humming across my skin. A desire built in the pit of my stomach. I’d never felt this attracted to a person in my life. He was still a good twenty feet away, people between us. I stepped towards him. I needed to be close. I needed to touch him.

This isn’t normal, I thought as I took another step towards him. The sound of plates shattering came from the kitchen. The high-powered rush of steam and the ruckus of the kitchen staff began to pick up pace as the dinner crowd collected at the entrance. All the voices of the people swarming the little entrance came back, loud and buzzing.

I stopped in my tracks, shocked at myself. I threaded backwards through the crowd, terrified by the power this man had over me. Over everyone actually. The other patrons swayed like an ocean wave coming to crash on his shore. They loomed and swelled in his presence, creeping closer and closer. The man looked irritated and annoyed while dragging his eyes over the patrons.