Red Hot Love

Life Is Nothing Without Xiaolong Bao

Sunny shivered and inhaled the smell of food that permeated the air. Luckily it was just around lunchtime, so the salad bar and sandwich places had opened for service. She found herself following Carson to the line for salmon alfredo with meatballs.

"Usually I'd rather eat something like pho," Carson said, "But my friend doesn't approve of it, and his family used to run a restaurant, so I guess it's not that good."

"Really?" Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"Yup. I trust his word," Carson replied.

They waited in silence for a few more minutes as the line continued to inch forward, slowly.

"So," Sunny inhaled, "You work…here?"

"Hm? Oh, no, not this cafeteria. But I do have jobs throughout camous," Carson replied. "Keeps me busy."

"Really."

"Yup."

"Are you a scholarship student?" Sunny wondered.

"Indeed I am," Carson replied proudly. "ROTC."

"Wow."

Sunny looked down at the ground and sighed. It seemed she was doomed to be surrounded by high-achieving, successful people in order to remind her of her incompetence for the rest of her life.

"Yes, could I please get a plate of alfredo with extra meatballs? Yeah, sure, chicken sausage sounds fine." Carson fished around his pocket until he found his student card and handed it to the cashier nonchalantly.

He wasn't paying for Sunny. That was fine, this wasn't supposed to be a date or something. But usually guys would try to sneak the bill down their pockets, maybe hoping she'd owe them something in return for the meal. Sunny shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "I'll have the same, thanks," she muttered, pulling her student card out of her pocket.

"Wow. That is a lot of cheese," one of those stupid Internet dates echoed back into her head. "Aren't you worried you'll get fat?"

"No," she had lied. "What about my weight concerns you, though?"

"Would you like any extra meatballs or sausage?" The cashier asked.

"No, thanks," Sunny replied wearily.

Carson raised an eyebrow. "Not too hungry today?"

"No," Sunny muttered.

"So you're one of those girls who nibbles at a few salad leaves like a rabbit to impress guys? You know, I like a girl with a hearty appetite," another one replayed in the eye of her mind.

"Well f**k you, I like the salad they make here, the ranch is homemade," Sunny had replied.

Fortunately, Carson did not say anything of that sort, just pulled out a drink (soda) and asked her if she'd like one. Sunny shook her head and followed him over to the silverware buckets and found a table, where they silently sat down and began to eat.

"So," Carson spoke after a few seconds, swallowing his mouthful of sausage.

Oh, no, Sunny sighed.

"What kind of food do you really enjoy?" He asked, wiping his mouth on a paper napkin and taking a swig from the can of Diet Coke. "I mean, I love pizza and hamburgers, but I wouldn't turn down an order of xiaolong bao from Din Tai Fung."

"What's that?" Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, these Chinese broth dumplings," Carson replied. "I also like Singapore friend rice, or okonomiyaki. And of course, a good bowl of udon or pho is always nice."

"Huh," Sunny blinked. "Well, I guess I like…barbecued short ribs."

"Oh, those are nice," Carson agreed. "Though I like to put a little Gochujang on mine. Maybe even add some tteok," he dreamily stared into the distance while chewing on a meatball. "Rice cakes go well with anything, I say. But I can't get them anywhere near here. You have to go off campus and find a Korean barbecue place first. There's a good one in the college town, I think."

"That's nice," Sunny muttered.

"Yup," Carson grinned. "I love both Asian and Western food. I couldn't live my life without one or the other."

"Oh." Sunny blinked. She then looked down and finished the rest of her meatballs. "Actually I think I could go for dessert."

"Sounds good," Carson agreed. "I'll get some more Diet Coke."

Sunny frowned. "Just how many of those do you drink in a day?"

"Hm, not too sure," Carson replied. "I am fond of it, though."

"At this rate your teeth are going to rot," Sunny noted.

Carson shrugged. "I brush my teeth extra hard."

"That's…not going to cut it," Sunny giggled. "You might just be overbrushing."

"If you say so. Would you like a nice slice of German chocolate cake?" Carson asked.

Sunny rolled her eyes. "An attempt to distract me from your vices with mine own. Well played."

Carson laughed. "An éclair, then? Or one of the red velvet slices?"

Sunny raised an eyebrow. "I am still mildly appalled by your soda drinking habits," she jested, "But I will have one, thanks."