The Saturday night markets in the city were something special. Not only were the trees in the park decorated with sparkling little fairy lights, which reflected and glinted yellow off the still water of the ponds, but the tall skyscrapers of the city were visible all around. There were a lot of people walking along the gravel paths that ran through the park, but there weren’t so many people that it felt crowded. Stalls had been set up along the sides, each of them selling something different, mostly food; from burgers, to Mexican and Asian food – but some also sold toys and crafts. There were bands on the corners playing upbeat music and people who laid on the grass, listening and eating with an air of tranquillity – through others danced casually. All in all, it was an atmosphere that could only be described as magical.

  Thomas had gotten back into the swing of organising outings like usual, and it seemed that their small little work group was expanding – naturally of course. It had been three weeks since they had gone out for burgers; and since then, they’d all gone out for ice-cream on the following Friday after work, and then they’d had coffee together at the Coffee Club during their lunch break on the Wednesday afterwards.

  It was actually Sally who had suggested the market. She’d been telling Thomas about how she’d been wanting to go for a while, and before any of them knew it, they’d all crossed that Saturday night out of their calendar. Except for Daniel. He didn’t have a calendar. He just crossed it out in his head.

  Jacob had invited Maria along, but unfortunately she couldn’t make it. One of her friends from out of town was visiting, and they’d had a dinner planned for quite a while.

  ‘I’ve been to the markets in the city about a hundred times, you’ll love it though!’ she’d told him with a rugged smile.

  ***

  The sun was out in all its glory on Saturday; not that Jacob really made the most of it. He spent most of the day watching TV, though he did manage to get out for a short run in the afternoon; it was about the only productive thing he managed to do. The daylight had almost disappeared by the time he’d gotten ready to leave the house, there were a few small clouds in the sky, and a cool draft blew through as he walked out onto the street. The temperature was rising. No longer did Jacob need to wear a thick jacket, scarf, gloves and beanie - jeans, a t-shirt and a thin cardigan was sufficient.

  The markets were on the opposite side of the city to where Jacob lived. He had organised to meet up with Daniel and Thomas at the park which was about halfway between their houses, so they could go together. It was a fifteen-minute walk for Jacob, and a little less for Thomas and Daniel. Jacob was there before they were, though he wasn’t waiting long. Thomas and Daniel appeared tottering down the street, Daniel with his hair tied up – a thin cardigan and collared shirt, and Thomas held a cup of coffee, and wore a long coat that dropped down well past his waist.

  ‘Even I don’t drink coffee this late,’ Jacob said as Thomas and Daniel approached him.

  ‘It’s decaf,’ Thomas said has a drained the last dregs from the cup, and threw it in one of the nearby bins, ‘nobody consumes as much caffeine as you do,’ Thomas added with a cheeky grin.

  ‘That’s something that I’m very proud of.’

  From the park they walked to the nearest train station, which didn’t take them long; the train pulled up a few minutes later. Soon they were gliding along the train tracks, which ran beside the urban afternoon streets, just as twilight was passing and the lights in the windows of the buildings around them were beginning to flicker on. They got to their stop twenty minutes later, got off, walked down a few streets, and jumped on the tram which proved to be an equally relaxing experience.

  The city was flourishing with leisurely activity, from families enjoying a day out, to couples holding hands; there were even students from rural Victoria who seemed to be in Melbourne for a school camp. Jacob heard one of the students say something about ‘top arts’ which really made him think about his days when he would venture down to Melbourne on school excursions during his VCE.

  Even during the late hours of the afternoon, the streets were bustling and people got on and off the trams casually. Eventually there was a loud ding, and the tram doors opened for them to depart. The three of them stepped out onto the street and began stroll down the sidewalk. They made their way past the shops, under the lampposts and trees, all whilst weaving in and out of the people who passed them by.

  ‘I’m glad it’s starting to warm up,’ Daniel said as he unbuttoned the top of his thin coat, ‘this winter was freeeezing!’

  ‘It was pretty cold,’ said Thomas, ‘but I think a lot of it was to do with the fact that you’re just a bit of a softy.’

  ‘Maybe. But I wasn’t the one blasting the heaters at home. Pretty sure the electricity bill spike was because of you.’

  Thomas shrugged.

  ‘Shut up and let’s go,’ Jacob said taking Thomas by the shoulder and pulling them ahead. He was the only one conscious that they were running late.

  ***

  The boys were late. But the girls didn’t mind. In fact, they had expected it. Pip found a beautiful little Japanese stall (that had apparently been a regular stall at the market since the 90s), and bought a sweet Taiyaki, which was a fish shaped biscuit-like little treat. Sally and Mia had both gotten some crispy chips, as well as a cup of hot chocolate each – and the three of them sat on the grass in front of a band playing live music. It didn’t take long for Pip to finish her Taiyaki; she couldn’t help but feel a little glutenous as she got up to search for more food. But she reminded herself that it was a Saturday night. She didn’t smoke, rarely drank and hardly ever splurged; so she shouldn’t feel guilty about treating herself once in a while.

  ***

  Meanwhile the three boys were wandering aimlessly through the markets.

  ‘Where do you think they could be?’ Jacob asked Thomas as they passed around a large family.

  ‘I don’t know. Sally hasn’t checked her messages for the last half hour,’ Thomas replied.

  ‘I’m sure we’ll find them eventually,’ Daniel said with a mouth full of food.

  Thomas and Jacob both looked over at Daniel. He held a large burrito, with both hands and was chewing frantically as the sauce dribbled over his fingers.

  ‘When did you get that?’ Thomas asked, looking around, ‘and where?’

  Daniel pointed over to a small little van, with a large open window and low-lit red and blue lights. A fancy neon sign flashed on the roof of the van. Sabor de Mexico. There was a menu on the side and two men were leaning through the window handing out tacos, burritos and bowls of nachos, all while taking cash that the customers passed them in exchange.

  ‘Dude, we were supposed to be wating for the girls before we got food,’ Jacob said.

  Jacob suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

  ‘Don’t worry, we started without you anyway.’

  Jacob turned around. Pip stood behind him, holding a box of noodles in one hand, with the chopsticks half buried in the greasy food. Her red hair curled down to her shoulders though the roots had begun to grow out blonde, which Jacob only thought made her look more trendy. The sparkling fairy lights reflected in her blue eyes; and for a moment – just a moment, Jacob forgot about everything that was going on around him, and for that moment the only thing that existed was Pip. It was a single second, a flash in time, a flicker in reality. Before he knew it, and before anyone had a chance to notice he was gawking, he was back to his senses.

  ‘P…Pip…’ Jacob stuttered.

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘You know you’re not supposed to do that with your chopsticks, right,’ Jacob pointed at the box of noodles, ‘it’s actually quite rude in Asian cultures,’ Jacob pulled the chopsticks out from the noodles and laid them carefully atop the box.

  ‘Well I’m glad you warned me before the Yakuza found out?’ Pip smirked, ‘otherwise I’d have been a goner for sure!’

  Jacob shoved her playfully. He was becoming more and more accustomed to her subtle banter. Pip laughed and punched Jacob in the shoulder.

  ‘Common, the girls are waiting for us out on the grass.’

  Jacob looking back behind him, but the boys were gone. He knew they couldn’t have gotten too far, and after glazing over the stalls carefully, he noticed that Thomas was in line at the Mexican van, and Daniel had already finished his burrito and was browsing the different flavours of ice cream at an ice cream cart.

  ‘Well, I guess I’m going to go get something to eat too then, if everyone else is.’

  He began to head toward the Mexican food van, but before he could take more than two steps, he felt Pip take his arm.

  ‘There’s a really good Japanese stall around the corner. Common – I’m sure you’ll love it.’

  ‘I could go for Japanese.’

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  ***

  Japanese turned out to be a good choice. There was a grand selection of sweet treats and hot food. In the end Jacob had gotten a box of mochi and some hot udon noodles.

  ‘Why don’t you try one?’

  Pip and Jacob made their way towards the band where their friends were waiting for them.

  ‘The mochi is really good!’ Pip said, ‘Green tea flavour.’

  Pip reached over and took the box out of Jacobs hands, opened it, and held it out for Jacob to take. She figured it would have been hard for Jacob to eat anything with a how bowl of soup in one hand, and his other hand taken up with the box of mochi. But with one hand free, and the box held out open to him… Jacob hesitated.

  ‘Is it against Japanese culture to walk and eat at the same time?’ Pip laughed.

  ‘Well actually… it kinda is.’

  Pip rose an eyebrow.

  ‘You’re kidding!?’

  ‘No…I’m not,’ Jacob grinned, ‘you don’t know much about Japanese culture. Do you?’

  ‘I did Japanese in primary school. Konichiwa. Watashi wa Peneropi desu. Plus, I used to get Ramen every Saturday during the winter when I was at uni. There’s a really good one in Brunswick.’

  ‘I’ll have to try it sometime. It’s not the cultural thing. Though I am very afraid of the Yakuza. It’s more that I tend to wait after I’ve eaten dinner before I eat my sweet food.’

  Pip nodded her head in acknowledgement.

  ‘That is very grown up of you. Isn’t it.’

  ‘You go ahead though,’ Jacob tilted his head towards the box, ‘You’re clearly more excited about them than I am. ‘

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘I don’t mind.’

  Pip picked out a small soft green ball that was probably made of pure sugar, and popped it into her mouth, chewing delicately.

  ‘You know,’ she said after she swallowed her mouthful, ‘sometime when I start eating these things, I just, can’t, stop!’

  Jacob shrugged.

  ‘I suppose I’m going to have to go back and buy another box then, after I’ve finished my udon,’ he said.

  Pip ate three more, before she handed the box back to Jacob.

  ‘That last two are yours.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘This way,’ Pip said stepping ahead of him and turning a corner.

  ‘One sec,’ Jacob said, ‘I think my phone is ringing. Do you mind holding my noodles for a moment?’

  ‘Sure,’ Pip took the box from Jacob’s hands and Jacob reached into his pocket and put his phone up to his ear.

  ‘Hey!....’ he answered. ‘Yeah, we’re at the markets now…no we probably won’t be out too late…possibly …I suppose I can swing by tomorrow, or later on tonight. Whenever you like. Okay…sure…no problems, see you then.’

  Jacob hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

  ‘Was that Maria?’ Pip asked.

  ‘Yep.’

  ***

  Jacob wasn’t surprised that Thomas and Daniel had finished eating before he’d even started on his own food. Jacob sat down on the soft grass next to Daniel, who was halfway through a bucket of ice cream. Pip sat in between Sally and Mia, and Sally leant gently against Thomas’ shoulder. Even Alex had managed to find their way to them.

  ‘Where did you guys get off to?’ Thomas asked eyeing the bowl of noodles in Jacob’s hand.

  ‘And oh boy does that look good,’ Daniel added.

  ‘You and Daniel were the ones who disappeared, I look away for one second, and the two of you’ve run off for nachos.’

  ‘Burritos actually.’

  Daniel lifted his hand in the air.

  ‘Ice cream for me. And no regrets either.’

  Jacob crossed his legs, and opened the steaming hot bowl of udon soup, placed it on his lap and broke open the chopsticks.

  ‘We’re all here now, so who cares,’ said Sally.

  And in reality she couldn’t have been more right. Who really did care. There was nothing to care about. Or rather, to worry about. There was indeed plenty to care about. But the grass was comfortable, they were with friends; the trees swayed with the wind, the ponds glowed, and the buildings in the background glittered yellow. Who really did care.

  ***

  They stayed there for two hours, chatting, playing cards, and only occasionally getting up in search of more snacks. But now the night was beginning to wane. Many of the stalls were packing up, and that’s when the six of them decided to pack up as well. They dusted the crumbs off their clothes, folded up the blanket they’d been nestled on, and began heading out from the park that hosted the markets. Soon they were navigating the city streets; which were still lively, although a little less so than it had been on their way there. Eventually they came to a T-intersection, which was really a quiet little street that shot off from the large road that they were currently walking along.

  ‘We’re heading to the train station down this way,’ Sally said pointing towards the smaller, quiet side street.

  ‘I’ll see you Monday then,’ Thomas lent forward and kissed Sally gently on the cheek.

  ‘Or we could do something tomorrow if you wanted,’ Sally said as she fiddled with Thomas’ collar, her eyes glistening.

  ‘Yeah, I’ll message you.’

  Sally lent in for another quick peck on the cheek and then the three girls were off.

  ‘See you Monday,’ Jacob called, waving as the girls crossed the road.

  Sally twisted around, kissed her palm and waved back at the four of them, as Pip pulled her forward.

  Thomas turned and continued down the road toward the tram station.

  ‘Let’s go. It’s getting a bit chilli,’ Thomas said.

  Alex and Jacob followed him.

  Thomas expected Daniel to come back at him with a cheeky retort, about how he was being soft, or that he should stop complaining, but instead there was silence. Before they could take more than a few steps, Daniel took Jacob by the shoulder and tugged him back.

  ‘You okay bud?’

  Daniel didn’t answer him straight away. Instead he beckoned the rest of them to wait.

  ‘Do you see those guys?’ Daniel said with a troubled tone.

  The three boys turned around. Everything seemed normal, so nobody had any clue what could be wrong.

  ‘Do you see that group of guys over there?’ Daniel pointed to three men crossing the road almost in the same fashion as the girls had crossed the road only moments earlier.

  ‘Yeah…?’ Thomas shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘They’ve been following us since we left the markets. I thought it was just coincidence; and well, it might be one. But don’t you feel like it’s a bit odd? They had their eyes on Pip the whole time, and well, now they’re following them down that street. I think maybe it might be better to walk the girls all the way to the train station.’

  The three men crossing the road disappeared down the same side street as the three girls had gone into.

  Thomas rose an eyebrow; although it seemed like nothing, he knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

  ‘I’ll message Sally and tell her to wait for us.’

  The four of them then hurried after the girls.

  ***

  The side street was quiet, a gust of cool wind swept through and blew the sleeves of their coats. Pip swivelled her head and looked back down the street anxiously.

  ‘Keep walking,’ Pip said pulling them ahead with long strides as she increased her pace.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ Sally asked struggling to keep up with Pip.

  ‘I hope not.’

  The air was cool as the tension began to rise.

  ‘Seriously! What is it?’

  Pip huffed.

  ‘It’s those guys behind us. Don’t look!’

  Sally and Mia both turned to look.

  ‘What about them?’

  ‘I thought I recognised one of them. Just a few minutes ago. I only just noticed but… I’d prefer to get to the station as quick as we can?’

  ‘Who is it!?’ Mia asked.

  ‘Well…it might have been my imagination, but got a glimpse of him as he walked under the streetlight, and well… I swear he looked exactly like Jason.’

  ‘As in your ex-boyfriend Jason?’

  Pip nodded.

  Sally turned to get another look. Sure enough, as the three men walked under another streetlight, Sally recognised the smooth blonde hair, chiselled face and muscular build of the man in the middle.

  ‘Oh god it is him!’ Sally said.

  ‘Relax,’ Mia tried to calm them, ‘Maybe this is just chance. Maybe he hasn’t even noticed it’s you.’

  But, as if on que, a voice called out behind them, a voice that sent a wave of anxiety through Pip’s heart and made her shudder.

  ‘Hey sweetheart, wait up!’ there was mock sarcasm in the voice.

  ‘Keep walking,’ Mia whispered, and the three girls increased their pace even more. But it was too late. The men had closed the gap between them in less than a few seconds.

  Suddenly the three men were in front of them, blocking off their path, and Pip was looking into Jason’s bright blue eyes. He smiled a ghastly smile that made her take a tiny step back.

  ‘Are you going to run off and have a pathetic little cry, like you did last time I saw you. And call the police?’

  ‘Get lost!’ Mia growled stepping forward and holding her fist out.’

  ‘So,’ Jason scratched his chin casually, ‘Who were those guys you were with earlier? You got a new boyfriend?’

  Pip’s mouth widened. She looked up and down the street in front of her, hoping someone was passing by, someone who might be able to help. But there was nobody. She dared not look behind her though.

  ‘How long have you been following us?’

  ‘We saw you at the markets. But it seems that you didn’t see us. So, who were they? The guys you were with. You know only get attention because you’re easy, right?

  ‘Umm, that would be us,’ a loud masculine voice echoed through the narrow street. It was unmistakably Thomas’, ‘is there a problem here?’

  Pip turned around; her heart flooded with relief at the sight of the four boys standing behind them. Jacob stepped forward and put himself in between the three girls and the three men.

  ‘Easy huh? That’s rich coming from someone who probably didn’t get anything more than a little kiss on the cheek,’ Jacob teased, ‘wasn’t so easy for you, was it?’

  Everyone was silent, but Pip herself couldn’t help but smile at the insult. The street was dimly lit – but Jason’s cheeks were clearly turning red with anger. His face contorted and he locked eyes with Pip; who was now extremely glad that Jacob had placed himself between them.

  ‘Have you been going around and making up crap about what happened between us?’ Jason spat, ‘you little bitch!’

  Jacob curled his fist and stepped forward – but a gentle hand suddenly took his arm, and Thomas stepped up beside him. As childish as Thomas could be, he was surprisingly good at handling these kinds of situations.

  ‘Calm down,’ he whispered into Jacob’s ear, then he took another two steps forward and faced the man head on, ‘here’s the thing, mate, I can’t help noticing how well dressed you are,’ Thomas indicated towards Jason’s cashmere cardigan, fine trousers, and polished shoes. ‘You must have a lot of money. Are you a doctor, a lawyer? An engineer maybe. It doesn’t really matter because I’m sure that whoever it is that you work for is going to love seeing a video on the internet of their employee abusing three girls on the street unprovoked,’ Thomas pulled out his phone and pointed it at the man, ‘whoops. Did I just hit record?’

  Jason seemed visibly confused. But Thomas continued to clear things up.

  ‘So now you have two choices. You can turn around and walk away; and nothing will come of this, or this video here will go straight onto Youtube. It will probably get millions of views too. I’m sure it will go down well with your employer, and everyone else in your life.’

  The three men stared them down in silence. Eventually one of the guys who stood next to Jason nudged him.

  ‘It’s not really worth it Jason. This guy’s a smooth talker. Let’s just go.’

  Jason snuffed as the two guys next him turned and began to wonder down the street away from him. The girls began to relax; and the group of them turned to start walking the other way. But it didn’t seem like Jason was finished, because he reached out and grabbed Pip by the arm.

  ‘You ever say anything like that about me to anyone ever again, and I’ll – ’

  But he didn’t get to finish was he was saying. Jacob slapped his arm away, stepped forward and without even thinking he slammed his fist into Jason’s jaw. Jason fell back onto the concrete sidewalk, cupping his nose which was now gushing with blood. Jason’s two friends ran back to him, as Thomas, Daniel and Alex stepped beside Jacob expecting a fight to break out.

  ‘Dammit Jacob, we had it under control,’ Thomas said.

  One of Jason’s friends stepped forward and pushed Jacob, but Jacob held a firm stance, and was unmoving. There was a bit of shoving, but in the end it was four against two. The guys knew they were clearly outnumbered, so they turned and strutted away. Jason was still cupping his nose as he turned tail.

  ‘I know where you work Pip! You’ll definitely be hearing from my lawyer!’

  And then he disappeared.

  Jacob, having come back to his senses, looked around to face his friends. Thomas was visibly annoyed, Daniel was expressionless; Alex was clearly exhilarated. Mia and Sally looked as though they were relieved it hadn’t been worse. But Pip smiled. As the seven of them stood there in silence, Pip walked up to Jacob and wrapped her arms around him. She’d never felt safer around anyone before in her life.