Chapter 17 I Am Not His Girlfriend

• "Huh…" Ben watched as the girl came over and started collecting payment for him. He was so shocked that his eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets. He was at a loss.
• "Hello, this is your change… Okay, please hold on. This is your change. Thank you. Ah... No, I'm… Not his girlfriend. I'm just… his friend…" Tilly blushed as she answered the customers' questions while helping Ben collect payment.
• Ben was confused by this beautiful girl's actions. But he was too busy to think too much.
• So both of them continued to sell the barbequed skewers together. Ben did the skewers while she collected the payment. They were too busy to talk to each other due to the crowd. A few hours later, the crowd lessened when it was finally almost eleven at night. Ben could finally relax a bit. He looked at the girl, who helped him collect payment beside him.
• "Have a seat. You have been standing here for two to three hours. Aren't you tired?" Ben quickly pulled a stool towards Tilly.
• "Well, my legs do hurt a little from standing for such a long time." Tilly nodded and sat down. She was indeed tired from collecting so much money.
• "You have done a great job. I don't know how to thank you. Why don't… I buy you a meal? You haven't had dinner anyway since you were too occupied with the payment. Let me buy you supper." Ben looked at the girl. He felt sorry for her when he saw her oily face and clothes.
• "Ah… You… Didn't you say that you close at one?" Tilly pointed at the signboard and asked Ben.
• "Well, today's special. You have given me quite a hand. I'd have to buy you a meal to express my gratitude towards you, so I'm closing early today."
• Ben looked around, then pointed at a supper stall not far away. He told Tilly, "That stall looks good. They have rice, vegetables, and snacks. Let me buy you supper from that stall, alright?"
• Tilly did not even look. She just nodded and agreed. "Okay."
• "Great. Give me a moment. I'll close up." Ben started cleaning up to close.
• "Let me help you." Tilly rolled up her sleeves to help Ben.
• "No, don't. These are all oily and dirty. I don't want you to ruin your clothes. You have already voluntarily helped me just now. I'm more than grateful for that. Just wait for me at a side for a while. I will clean up myself." Ben stopped the girl. Then he started cleaning up himself.
• Tilly stood aside and watched Ben as he cleaned up. She got up and helped him a little once in a while. It made Ben touched yet puzzled. This girl was a little overly enthusiastic, especially toward a stranger she had just met today.
• He mumbled to himself. "Are kind Samaritans so pretty these days?"
• Ben loaded everything onto his tricycle. Then, he secured them well with a rope. He dusted his hands and walked over to the faucet at a corner of the street to clean them. After that, he walked over to Tilly and said, "Come on, let's go."
• "Are you leaving this here?" Tilly pointed at Ben's tricycle.
• "Just leave it here. I will push it back after our supper. Don't worry. They are too dirty, so no one would even think of stealing them. It's safe. Come on." Ben grabbed Tilly's hand. They headed towards the stall where they were going to have supper.
• Ben brought Tilly to the stall. They were at the back alley of the school, so there were only cheap stalls around that students could afford. There were no high-end eateries.
• Ben chose a table in the open and sat down. He called the boss and ordered several dishes and snacks.
• "Enough. Enough. There are only two of us. We can't eat so much."
• "It's alright, girl. There isn't any fancy place here to have a decent meal. It's only natural that I treat you to a proper meal after receiving so much help from you. But the best we have in this area is this stall. Although the environment is not as good, I can vouch that the food is good. You'll know after you try it later. I have ordered all their signature dishes." Ben explained to Tilly.
• "Don't keep calling me girl. I've told you my name. It's Tilly," Tilly said.
• "Oh, got it. Tilly. Nice name."
• "Can I call you Ben?"
• "Sure. My father gave me that name so people could call me Ben. Why not?"
• "You have quite a great sense of humor. I feel happy talking to you." Tilly covered her mouth and giggled. She was a cheerful girl.
• "Girl… Tilly. Can I ask you a question?" Ben could no longer hold his curiosity back.
• "Sure. Go on."
• "Why… Why did you help me?"
• "Helped you? With what?"
• "Helped me to collect payment."
• "Do I… need a reason for that?"
• "Of course! You wouldn't help any stall owner collect payment. Firstly, money is sensitive. Secondly, it is hard labor. You stood there for hours without rest. You couldn't even get a drink or sit down for a while. It is hard work. Why did you help me? There must be a reason for you to do so. I don't think it's because I'm handsome." Ben laughed, but he was deeply confused inside.
• "I…I…" Tilly could not come out with a reason after a long while of thought. She could not bring herself to tell him that she had come just to meet him, her savior. She was the girl he saved in the fire. She was very interested in Ben and wanted to know more about him.
• "Because… Your lamb skewers are delicious." Tilly simply answered.
• "What? Just because of this? You stood there for hours and helped me collect payment just because my lamb skewers taste good?" Ben widened his eyes.
• "That's right. Most importantly, you gave me a few lamb skewers for free. You are so good to me, so I treat you as my friend. As a friend, I think I should give you a hand since you are too busy to handle everything alone. Hello, friend. My name is Tilly. We will be buddies from now on, Ben." Tilly stretched out her fair and slender hand towards Ben once more. She gave him the sweetest smile that could melt anyone's heart.