The restaurant Sosuke chose was extravagant, something Esmeralda would have never dreamed of going to. The restaurant, called "Perch," had good reviews but ridiculous prices. Looking at the menu, she couldn't believe it cost so much, especially for miniature food. Both ordered and waited for their food to be ready.

The two were silent; Esmeralda didn't even look at him. The young woman felt embarrassed. "I should have taken the money," she told herself.

"What was that?"

Esmeralda snapped out of her thoughts. "N-Nothing. We just met for a few minutes and are in an expensive place I can't afford."

"I'm paying, so you have nothing to worry about."

"I feel terrible! You are spending money on a person you hardly know. I should have taken the money so you wouldn't have to spend this much."

Sosuke crossed his arms. Esmeralda noticed that he didn't seem fazed; he looked curious. "You didn't lead me into anything, my dear. I chose to do what I did. I wanted to give you those 100 dollars because you danced and sang beautifully. Not everyone can sing or know the many songs of Gina Lollobrigida."

"Gina was such a talented actress; she had a voice like no other. Not only that, but she also took photojournalism. Sadly, people look past that and only notice her beauty." Esmeralda took a sip. "By the way, I told you my name; you never told me yours."

"It's Sosuke. Let's do an appropriate introduction." He motioned out his hand, and Esmeralda grabbed it; both shook hands. "You have a unique name. I imagine you were named because of the color of your eyes."

"Yes, my father named me. He's from Mexico. My father can speak Spanish and Nahuatl. My mother is Romani and taught me her language."

Sosuke took a sip of his wine. "Interesting, your mother was the one who taught you how to dance and sing?"

Esmeralda nodded. "My mother taught me a lot of things before she passed away. Now it's just my dad and me."

"You seem to be very close with your father."

"Yeah, he's the only family I have."

"Don't you have other extended family members?" Sosuke noticed the hint of sadness in her eyes.

"No, my parents never had a loving and supportive family."

Sosuke took a bite of his food and gave a slight nod. "Your parents did a splendid job of raising a responsible and beautiful young woman. How old are you?"

Esmeralda blushed as she looked down at her food. "I turned eighteen five months ago. How about you?"

"Twenty-eight."

"Well, I told you about me. How about you, Sosuke?"

Sosuke chuckled. "I'd rather not say."

"Hey, that's not fair. I told you about me!" Esmeralda pouted.

"You could've rejected speaking about it, but you chose to tell me. I choose not to say things about my life."

The young woman glared at him. "What are you, European?"

Sosuke became even more amused. He had to admit that her temper did make her even more adorable. "What makes you think I'm European?"

Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "Your mannerism and you seem to have a bit of an accent. You dress with style. My gut tells me so; I got it from my mom."

"Well done, my dear. You are pretty smart, in your way. I still have no interest in speaking about my personal life."

The young woman rolled her eyes. "Suit yourself, billy goat."

Sosuke raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Your new nickname."

Sosuke gave out a slight smirk. "May I ask why?"

Esmeralda put her fingers on her lips. "I have no interest in explaining my reasoning. I choose not to say."

The two kept on eating until they finished. Sosuke paid.

"Well, that was very good; thank you for dinner. Again, this wasn't necessary."

"I enjoy the company, although I'm here for a couple more days. Will you be here tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I perform in the area."

The two stood up. "I will meet you here tomorrow at 7 pm. I would like to see and speak to you again. May I have your phone number?"

The two gave their phone numbers as they walked out of the restaurant. "This night was eventful and weird, but I made a new friend. Hope to see you tomorrow, Billy Goat." Esmeralda grabbed her things and went on her way.

Sosuke watched her as she was nowhere in sight. Deep down, he didn't know why he had asked her for dinner. Perhaps deep down, he had hope in her. He looked forward to tomorrow.