“Let’s just get Pad Thai,” Matt says. He pushes the menu aside.

“Yeah? Is it good here?” Irene asks.

Matt gestures at the pop-up streetside restaurant in the Silom district of Bangkok. “It’s a Thai dish in Thailand, it’s probably good everywhere.” Recently back from his near week-long jaunt up to Chiang Mai, he’s already a self-appointed expert on the country, despite it only being his third week in Southeast Asia.

Irene nods at this answer and graces her dinner partner with a stunning smile. She’s in advertising, an unsurprising career choice given how attractive she is. Half Russian and half Chinese, she’s a ‘mixed race’, which is almost always a good looking combination.

“You know, my buddy Zack would be so jealous of me right now. Out to dinner with a cute half-Asian girl. He has a thing for Asian girls.”

She laughs. “And you don’t?”

“I don’t,” he admits, “but you’re really giving that preference a run for its money.”

Another brilliant smile.
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