Mei strolled down the sidewalk, one earbud in as she hummed along to the music that played on her phone. Occasionally, she glanced up into the windows of the stores she passed. She stopped and stared into a small boutique's window, frowned, and adjusted her ponytail when she noticed it had slipped slightly to one side. Her long, ink-black hair tended to make frequent attempts at escaping the ponytail elastics. It had a mind of its own. Once she was satisfied with her hair, she began walking again. She wasn't shopping, not really, she was killing time until she had to go to work later. Her last class of the day had been unexpectedly canceled. Mr. Henry's mother had taken ill suddenly, so he'd flown out to take care of her. Though he was a good teacher, she wasn't upset about his lecture being postponed, the man tended to drone on in a rather monotone voice.

Her steps slowed and she pressed her face closer to the window of a small shop. The windows were filmed over and hazy, but it looked like a small antique shop. She released a small yelp and jumped back from the window when a man's smiling face appeared and he waved at her. The little Asian man pulled the door open with a wide grin on his weathered, wrinkled face. The huge grin revealed a large gap between his top teeth. When he spoke, his English was broken, but she could clearly understand him despite his heavy accent.

"Come in, you shop, you buy."

She sent him a small smile, she wasn't shopping, but she didn't want to come off as rude. "Thank you, but I was just window shopping. I have to go to work in a bit."

"Come, you buy," he insisted. He grabbed her wrist with what she thought was an uncharacteristically strong grip for such an ancient-looking man. Perhaps she'd just found Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid. "Come," he repeated as he dragged her through the store down dusty aisles. They passed the sales counter, and he pulled her through a beaded curtain into a back room. He released her wrist and removed a dusty sheet with a flourish to reveal the object beneath it. He turned to her with a triumphant look. "You will buy," he said as he jabbed a finger in the direction of the treasure he revealed.

She studied the mirror propped against the wall. It was beautifully crafted and probably worth a fortune. Much more than she could afford. She had more years left than she wanted to contemplate as a law student. That meant money for tuition she couldn't spend on things like this gorgeous mirror, even if she wanted it.

"It's wonderful, really, but I doubt I could afford it."

He shook his head and waved a hand at the mirror. "You will buy. Thirty-five dollar."

She stared at him in shock. He was either kidding or he'd made a mistake. While the old man stood there beaming at her, she stepped closer to the mirror and studied the frame. It was approximately five and a half feet tall and about the same wide. The glass was clear with no spotting or cracks. There was artwork carved into the black painted frame that looked as if it had been done by hand.

The pictures ran around the frame and appeared to tell a story of some kind. The few words carved into the wood were in Chinese. It all looked to be very old. She was impressed by the workmanship and details and puzzled as well as to why the shop owner wanted to sell such a treasure so cheaply. She wasn't an expert in ancient art, but she knew enough to know it had to be worth a hell of a lot more than thirty-five dollars.

She glanced at the man who was waiting for her to answer. "Are you sure? It seems as if it would be worth a lot more."

He pointed at the mirror again. "Thirty-five dollar. You will buy. Now," he urged.

She shrugged. Who was she to pass up an opportunity like this? He seemed rather insistent that she buy it. It was one hell of a good deal, she stopped to consider why the old man wanted to get rid of it so badly. Maybe it was cursed or some kind of bullshit. She nearly laughed at that and pawed through her purse in search of enough cash and handed it to the smiling man. He happily led her back to the sales counter and rung up the sale.

"I don't have my car with me today, is it all right if I come back and pick it up tomorrow?"

"No pickup. We deliver." Before she could form an argument, he shuffled away and disappeared back through the beaded curtain. She heard him shouting in rapid Chinese. He spoke rapidly so she certainly had no idea what he was saying. Her knowledge of the language was limited to the few words she'd learned when her mother had attempted to teach her the language. Her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all spoke it fluently and wrote it as well.

She'd never thought it was very important to learn the language, now she wished she'd paid more attention to her mother. She checked her watch with a frown, it was already a little past four. She needed to get home so she could shower and get ready for work.

The old man came back, his smile still intact. Two younger men trailed behind him. The first man didn't look pleased by whatever their conversation had been about. The old man pointed at the beaded curtain, then at Mei, and said something in Chinese. His scowling companion looked her up and down before he focused on the old shopkeeper. The man's eyes were dark, cold, and emotionless. He began shouting at the old man. Okay, so he wasn't very happy about the fact that she'd purchased the mirror.

The other man stood back and watched as the two argued. She had no idea who the two men were, but the angry one could be related to the shop owner, they looked vaguely alike. Both with dark hair, dark eyes, and they were nearly the same height. Only slightly taller than she was at five foot six. They also both appeared to be full-blooded Chinese, while the third man didn't. There might be some Chinese somewhere in his ancestry, his eyes were tipped up slightly at the corners just as hers were.

The second man snorted, shook his head, and turned away to walk back through the beaded curtain. When he returned, he was carrying the mirror.

She sighed in relief and followed him to the front of the store. When they reached the front door, she moved around him and held the door open so he could step through.

"Thanks, where's your car at?" he asked, looking up and down the street.

"I told the guy I didn't have one. I wanted to come back tomorrow and pick it up, but he insisted that the store delivered. The next thing I know you and your screaming friend arrived." She pointed toward the shop window.

He glanced back toward the shop. "Yeah, sorry about that. I don't know what Kaili is pissed about. I mean I do, I just don't understand why he's so pissed. It's a mirror. One that has been taking up space in the back room for as long as I've been here. Wait here and I'll go get my truck. It's probably better if we get you out of here." He leaned the mirror against the shop window before he disappeared back inside the shop.

She leaned back against the window beside the mirror. All she could do was wait for him to return. After a minute or two, she chanced a look over her shoulder through the window. She saw Kaili pointing at her through the window while still yelling at the old man. The old shopkeeper turned, grinned at her, and winked before he turned away. He looked so calm while the younger man stood there screaming at him. She turned away when Kaili pinned her with those cold, emotionless eyes of his.

A beat-up green pickup came around the corner, down the block, and stopped at the curb in front of the shop. She felt pity for the poor thing it looked ready to give up and die any second. The guy from the shop flung open the door, jumped out, rounded the truck to the back, and dropped the tailgate.

"All right let's get you and your mirror home!" He picked the mirror up and carefully slid it into the back, where he had already laid out a blanket

He jumped into the back and wrapped it in more blankets before tying it down to keep it safe.

She moved closer as he packed the mirror into its little nest of blankets. As she watched him wrap it up, she was relieved, at least the man knew his job. When she'd seen the beat-up truck her heart skipped several beats and she began to worry about not only the safety of the mirror but her own as well.

He climbed down from the bed of the pickup and slammed the tailgate before he rounded the truck to the passenger side door. "Allow me." His fingers wrapped around the door's handle and he gave a hard yank on the door. It protested loudly as it opened.

"Are you certain this thing is safe? I don't think it's going to make it to my apartment in one piece."

He laughed. "Don't worry, it's fine. Come on, trust me."

The look she sent him was doubtful. She wasn't certain it was fine at all. As for trusting him, she didn't even know him.

"If you need help I can give you a boost," he said with a smirk.

She shot him a warning look before she hopped up into the truck. The door slammed shut and he walked around the front of the truck. She glanced around the interior of the truck, at least the inside of the truck was clean. No fast food wrappers littered the floor and the windows were clean. The door creaked slightly when he pulled it open and climbed in beside her.

"So, where to?" he asked as he started the truck and shifted into drive.

She gave directions to her apartment as he drove. A glance out the back told her there were no clouds of smoke following behind them, okay so far so good. His baby may look like a death trap on wheels, but it seemed to be holding its own on the road. The cab of the truck filled with music when he flicked the knob and turned on the radio. A tiny smile lifted the corners of her lips when she spotted his fingers tapping the steering wheel in time to the music. Classic rock, so maybe he was okay, even if his truck needed a makeover. She pointed out a turn and he flipped on his signal. A safe driver, at least while she was in the car. He parked in front of the building when they arrived. Mei held the doors for him as he carried the mirror up to her apartment.

"Give me a minute I need to unlock the door," she told him as she fumbled with her keys.

"I know I make this look easy, but this thing isn't light," he called out.

She smiled as she unlocked the door and entered the apartment. After she tossed her purse and keys on the small table in the entry hall, she turned back and called out to him, "Come on in!"

He followed her in, maneuvering carefully with the mirror as he did to keep from smashing into the walls. Once he made it down the short entry hall and into the living room, he set the mirror against the wall where she directed him to place it. He stepped back and looked around.

"Nice place. You live here by yourself or you have roommates?"

She glanced at him. He was looking around and she saw no ulterior motives lurking in his gaze, only curiosity. She wasn't stupid, she knew why a lot of guys asked a girl if they lived alone, they wanted to know what their chances of spending the night were. There was nothing predatory in his gaze as he studied the apartment.

She felt safe answering him honestly. "Yes, I do."

"Cool. It's a nice building. Could use a little work, but it has good bones. Can't believe you were able to get in here, it's very close to the campus."

He was correct, anything close to the campus filled up quickly. She lucked out getting into this building. Her friend Ali had put in a good word for her. Ali's grandfather owned the building and he'd given her a huge break on the rent, if he hadn't she never could have afforded the place. It helped that he was a lawyer and he was more than happy to help out a law student.

"You want me to hang this thing for you before I go, it's pretty heavy."

"That would be great, thanks. I doubt I would be able to do it on my own. I'd probably have to con my friend Ali's fiancé into doing it," she told him with a laugh.

He chuckled. "Well, I'll do it for you that way you won't have to become a criminal. Figure out where you want it. I'll go get my tools from the truck."

After turning a circle in the middle of the living room, she sighed. There was only one wall with enough space to hold the mirror. The one he'd leaned it against.

She stood back and looked to her right, the kitchen with its wide, arched entry left no room for the mirror. To her left was the front of the building and the wall was broken up with windows, again, no room. She twisted around and looked behind her, the wall beside the hallway to her bedroom. Nope, it would have to stay right where it was. When she walked down the hall from her bedroom she would always see it.

"Any ideas?" he called as he reentered the apartment.

She pointed to the wall where the mirror was propped and he smiled.

"Man, you are easy." She sent him a glare. "Hey, come on I didn't mean it that way."

He looked genuinely embarrassed by the fact that he'd made that innuendo. His cheeks turned pink and she grinned. A guy who blushed, how cute was that? "It's okay. Look, it's late and I need to get ready for work. Will you be all right if I go get ready?"

"I think I can handle it. I'm a big boy. Where do you work, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Brandy T's it's the bar on Main over by the campus."

"I've never been in there, but I know where it is. Maybe I'll have to stop in and check it out," he said with a smile and held his hand out to her. "My name is Bennett Calverley, by the way."

Her brows lifted. "So, when your friends need you do they just shout, call in the cavalry?"

He chuckled. "No, though I'm sure they would love that. It's spelled differently. It's supposed to be pronounced differently too, but through the years I think the family sort of gave up on it."

She shook his hand. "Meiying Lynch. Nearly everyone calls me Mei."

"I hope I can be on the list of those who get to call you Mei." He tipped his head and smiled. "Is Meiying Chinese, do you speak Chinese by any chance?"

"Yes, it is. I only speak a few words, despite my mother's attempt to force me to speak it," she told him with a grin.

He nodded, before looking suddenly uncomfortable as if he'd run out of things to say. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "Um, I guess you should go get ready. I'm sorry I'm keeping you. Go on, I'll hang this monster up," he told her as he gave the mirror a little pat.

"Give a yell if you need anything." She turned and headed down the hall to her bedroom, closed the door, and began getting ready for work.

Ben watched her disappear behind the door with a sigh. He enjoyed the view as she walked away from him, then shook his head and turned away. His mother would murder him if she knew he'd been staring at Mei's ass as she walked away. He focused on the mirror with a frown. All this trouble over a stupid mirror, he didn't understand why Kaili and his grandfather had been arguing over what was essentially a simple piece of reflective glass. He'd been shouting some crap at his grandfather about Mei not being the right one, whatever that load of bullshit meant.

He didn't understand enough Chinese to follow their rapid argument. He glanced back down the hall toward the closed door and wondered exactly how dressed or rather, undressed, Mei was. Right, that was none of his business.

"Let's get you where you belong," he told the mirror when he turned away from the hallway. As soon as he got to work, he forgot about Mei and her state of dress. Which was a good thing.

Mei didn't want to dwell on thoughts of Ben out in her living room. She liked him, more than she should. With a sigh, she stepped into the shower. She spent more time contemplating whether or not he had a girlfriend in the short time since they'd meant than she wanted to think about. Once she finished with her shower she went into the bedroom and pulled on her clothes. While the bar didn't have a very strict dress code, they did have to wear uniform shirts. They were black with the bar's logo emblazoned on them. She had yet to figure out what the retro space chick riding a giant bottle of beer had to do with the bar, but whatever. She returned to the bathroom, scraped her hair back, and secured it in a ponytail high atop her head. There wasn't much else she could do with it. It was either a braid or ponytail. The thick mass took way too long to curl and the curls rarely lasted long, the weight of her hair pulled them out. She had her mother's side of the family to thank for the black hair and her father's side gave her the thick, heavy part. She hummed as she applied her makeup. It was several minutes before she realized the song she was humming was one she'd heard as she and Ben drove here from the store.

She gave her head a shake, stepped back, and turned this way and that to be certain she looked her best. If she didn't have to, she didn't usually wear makeup but there was some weird correlation between drunks, makeup, and the size of a server's tips. She had yet to figure out what it was. She bent close to the mirror and fixed a small smudge in her eyeliner.

"Ready to go?" she asked her reflection with a grin. She winked and headed for the door. Her Chinese heritage was reflected in the slight tilt of her green eyes that gave her a slightly cat-like quality. Her grandmother told her she had the eyes of a mighty dragon. Deep emerald green with flecks of bright gold folded into their depths. She shook her head. Her grandmother liked to believe in the truths behind all the fanciful tales of myths and legends. As much as she enjoyed those same tales, she knew they weren't real. Dragons and magic didn't exist. She walked down the hall, a smile on her face when she spotted the mirror on the wall. It was such a beautiful piece. She still couldn't believe the old man had sold it to her for so little.

Ben was crouched before it packing up his tools.

"You did a great job hanging that thing all by yourself."

"I managed, wasn't easy the thing isn't light."

She laughed. "No, I doubt it is."

He glanced up at her with a grin. "If all the waitresses look as good as you then I'm definitely stopping by the bar."

"Yeah, there's only a rare few of us that can pull off this t-shirt."

"You're doing an excellent job of making it look great," he told her with a wink.

It was a real compliment, not a sleazy come-on. He threw the last of his tools in his toolbox, shut the lid, and stood. "Thanks, I think," she said with a laugh. "I hate the makeup, but I have yet to figure out the connection between drunks, makeup, and tips. People seem to tip you more if you're made up like a hooker looking for a hot date. Maybe I should apply for a government grant to study the phenomenon?"

He threw his head back and laughed. "You should do that. I'm sure the results would be interesting. I'd better get going before they miss me back at the shop."

"Yeah and I've got to get to work." She walked him to the door and opened it, as he stepped past her into the hall she couldn't help noticing, again, how good-looking he was.

"Well, if you need any more gigantic mirrors hung, you know where to find me." He sent her a goofy grin and she laughed. He stood there awkwardly for a second and she thought maybe he wanted to say something else or maybe, she thought wildly, kiss her. Instead, he smiled. "Well, see ya around, Meiying."

"Just, Mei," she told him. "Thanks again, Benett.

"Just Ben," he said with a grin.

"All right."

With a nod, he turned and walked down the hall. She leaned against the doorjamb and watched as he walked down the corridor. He had a hell of a nice ass. Oh god, she did not just think that, she gave her head a shake and went back into her apartment before he could look back and find her staring at him. She didn't need that. She went and gathered her things, then waited a couple of extra minutes before she left.

She didn't want to run into Ben. Even if he knew she was leaving for work, she didn't want him to believe she'd hurried after him, which is exactly what she wanted to do.

"No way in hell," shemuttered as she moved slowly down the hallway and took the stairs down.