Born Regal

ANYA

My mom was out with Officer What’s-His-Face as I clicked through the web tabs.

Mr. Chang’s was around the corner. But it was now dark, and the delivery fee I would now have to pay because of my laziness made me cringe.

The tip the outlet wanted you to give—which indeed in New York you might want to lest someone spit in your food—and the delivery charge would add up to almost half the cost of my food.

I instantly had regrets about not picking it up earlier, but I just hadn’t been hungry. Of course, I had also been grinding away at a new expansion.

So, in reality, it was my fault for not even realizing Mom had left for her date almost an hour ago, the sun had set, and hunger was kind of a thing.

I really didn’t want to spend nearly $60 on food for myself. Peering out of the window, I sighed and headed to the kitchen. There wasn’t much on offer there.

Cooking was never one of my strong suits. Mom might not be great at budgeting, but she was an amazing cook. Unfortunately, I had always found the task too difficult to master; I neither had the will nor the patience to learn.

I enjoyed baking more, from a box. It was exact and precise just like programming, whereas the same could not always be said for regular cooking.

I could add the exact same ingredients, and it wouldn’t taste the same each time, depending on several things, which again I didn’t care to learn. That was what takeout was for.

Shutting the fridge door, I sighed heavily, weighing my options. I could go and make the run; it would be cheaper, and the restaurant was just around the corner.

Mom had pepper spray among other things in her top drawer. She didn’t want me going out after sunset but... I was an adult now, technically. I’d also be heading off to college in about three weeks.

My mind was made up almost immediately at that thought although of course I was trying not to feel guilty from the moment I made that decision.

I was just so dang hungry, and we didn’t even have sandwich fixings, let alone enough milk for cereal.

After a quick trip to the bathroom to conduct my lady-business, as all women do once a month, I pulled on boots and a heavy jacket. I then grabbed some pepper spray and my key ring, which had a hidden knife and a whistle.

Honestly, I would probably choose the knife over the whistle any day, but a whistle came in handy when you needed help and attention, according to my mom.

She had been mugged once, and she swore the whistle had saved her life though I still had my doubts.

My nerves were on edge and adrenaline coursed through my veins as I called Mr. Chang’s and put in my order to go. After hopping from foot to foot for ten minutes, it was time to head over.

Mom wouldn’t be home for a while; they were probably just starting their main course since they were dating at a fancy restaurant.

By the time I made it on foot to the restaurant, the food would either be done or nearly done.

Go and come back. Simple, I thought as I checked myself over once more to make sure I had everything.

My heart pounded, but I held my resolve, opening the door and locking it behind me as if it were any other day.

I had been in our complex’s hallway at night. I’d also been to the roof, but usually I would have Mom with me after dark. There wasn’t much up there, but it was nice to bask in the warm sun from time to time.

There was a very small hallway that led to the outside stairs and onto the street, while there was an elevator that took you to the roof access if you didn’t want to use the stairs.

Above the homeopathic shop, we had only two other neighbors, one of whom owned the place and ran the shop during the day. His name was Howard. We never saw our other neighbor, but Mom said she was an elderly woman.

As soon as the cool air hit my face, I had to blink a few times to let my eyes adjust. It was dark, but not as dark as I had imagined.

There were not so many people on the sidewalks, so I kept my head down with my hood up, walking quickly to Mr. Chang’s. I was about a block away when I stumbled and nearly stepped on a cat.

To say I felt silly about the whole ordeal was an understatement.

The cat peered lazily up at me, and I had half a mind to kick it before I realized it would have been my own nervousness and stupidity that caused me to step on it in the first place. So, really, it wasn’t the cat’s fault.

As I made it inside Mr. Chang’s with my face mask on, which I had fished out of my pocket before stepping inside, the warmth of the restaurant surrounded me, chasing away any residual fears.

I almost felt like laughing at myself, in fact. This was just like daytime; only that cats apparently were fine with sleeping on the less crowded streets.

“Pickup or dine in?” the hostess asked as I walked forward.

“Pickup. Anya.”

“Anya…ah. Your order should be done. I’ll go check in the back,” she said after running her finger over a pickup list, and headed into the back kitchen.

Within moments she had a large plastic bag filled with the world’s most delicious takeout. Handmade dumplings, rice, beef and broccoli, hot and spicy soup, along with some red bean buns.

It was a semi-American order with a clearly Asian flair.

Their hot and spicy soup was out of this world, delicious, and the perfect pick-me-up any time I was sick—filled with tofu, sprouts, and a number of other things I didn’t recognize, let alone cared about.

The first time I looked at it, I was a little upset at the brown color for a hot and spicy soup since I had been so used to it being red everywhere else. Once the smell hit my nose, though, I never looked back. Heaven. It was heaven.

I had originally planned to order noodles—this was likely the last time I would eat out again before I left for college—but noodles over a keyboard was too messy to even consider.

I had more serious gaming to do once I was home, and with what I had bought, I could graze and play most of the night without destroying my keyboard.

“Thank you!” I told the hostess cheerfully before leaving. With a grin on my face, I stepped again into the frosty night air and headed back to the apartment.

As I waited for the light, half humming to myself, a man slightly older than me walked up alongside, waiting to cross as well.

Despite being happy, I did my best to politely avoid eye contact, quietly reminding myself he wasn’t a threat. Just because it was dark and men were present did not make them creeps.

He was dressed nicely and was checking his watch as if annoyed at the time. I was clearly beneath his concern, which made me relax instantly as I shifted my weight.

After a moment, I heard him sniff, making me glance at him.

I was still giddy over my food, so I lifted it a bit, smiling—partially because I also wanted a better look at someone who could very well be a billionaire.

Plus, if I could get anyone to eat at Mr. Chang’s, it was only the right thing to do—advertisement by word of mouth for delicious food.

“Mr. Chang’s,” I said helpfully, holding up the bag and smiling.

I had left my hood down, and we were a decent little distance apart since neither of us was wearing a mask. It wasn’t as critical as it used to be, but it was still a polite thing to do.

“Their food is really good.”

“Mmm…delicious!” He nodded in agreement, his eyes settling on me.

I tried not to blush as I quickly looked away to the light, which was still stubbornly shining its red hand.

This man was built like a sex god, with his chiseled chin and strong jaw, zero stubble, black hair, and mesmerizing bluish-orange sunset eyes; he was young enough to be a college student, like I would soon be.

He looked Asian, but appearances could be deceiving. Plus, his skin looked a million times better than mine.

“You’re awfully young to be out so late at night, alone,” he probed, his voice curious.

The hair on the back of my neck prickled as I laughed nervously, my voice rising several notches as heat rose to my cheeks. “I’m an adult. Plus, I don’t live far from here.”

“Really?” he sounded curious.

I instantly chastised myself. This guy could be a mass murderer, and I’d just told him I lived close by. Stupid.

“You should still be careful. With a delicious smell like that, you might attract all sorts of…riffraff.”

I giggled nervously, unable to help myself glancing at him once more. “Like dogs and stuff?” Smooth Anya…real smooth.

He gave me a small, crooked smile. “Something like that.”

The light mercifully turned to the walk signal, and as soon as we got to the other side, he headed in a different direction from me.

Despite this, I could still feel his eyes on me for the last two blocks until I got into my building, my heart hammering in my chest.

I did my best to calm myself as I hurried back to the apartment down the tiny hallway, and as soon as I had closed and locked the door behind me, I had to sink down on the floor to catch my breath.

I had done it. For the first time in my life, I had betrayed my mom’s trust, for takeout.

Worth it.