The two sat in silence for a bit, until Fiona had nearly finished her meal and wiped her hands clean.
"Now that you know who was behind it, I'll be heading out," Fiona said, getting up and ready to leave. She grabbed her black canvas bag and casually swung it over her shoulder.
"Ms. Fiona, hold on a second," Allen called out to her.
In no time, he pulled four concert tickets from his backpack, prime seats up front.
"Ms. Fiona, I've got a concert this Saturday night. I'd love for you to come and watch."
His hand was still hanging in the air when Fiona gave him a curious look and then eyed the concert tickets. Even though she wasn't in the entertainment scene, she knew just how famous Allen was. Those tickets were like gold dust.
"You're giving these to me?" she asked, puzzled, a small laugh escaping her lips. "We've always had a professional relationship. If you give me these, wouldn't that mean I owe you a favor?"
She wasn't one to rack up favors, especially not with someone as big as Allen. His fans would probably have a field day.
"Can't we be good friends?" Allen suddenly asked, catching Fiona off guard.
Honestly, they hadn't met enough times to count on one hand. Friends? Maybe not.
"You should probably sort out your own stuff first," Fiona said with a smile, turning to leave with her bag. She left the concert tickets untouched.
Allen was taken aback by Fiona's refusal. It was probably the first time someone had turned him down. He quickly caught up with Fiona and placed the tickets in her hand.
"Once a gift is given, there's no taking it back. Ms. Fiona, do me the honor."
"Alright," she agreed easily this time. Partly because it was hard to refuse, and also because she'd never been to a concert in person.
"Hey, what did you think of that girl? She looked pretty young. Allen sure knows how to have fun."
They jumped into their van and sped off into the distance.
...
The next day, Fiona was trying to shake off the boredom from her last class, still a bit groggy when a commotion broke out nearby.
"My idol Allen is having a concert this Saturday! I want to go so badly!"
"Who doesn't? It's not just the back rows that are sold out; even standing tickets are impossible to get."
Fiona stretched lazily, listening in, then turned over and rested her head back on her desk. Just then, Tyler's voice drifted over to her.
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