“Quick! Come on, Max,” shouts Zig Zaleia, grabbing her boyfriend’s hand before rushing toward the pedestrian lights crossing the main road.

“I’m with you,” replies Max, alongside Zig and matching her stride for stride.

The young couple reach the roadside, where Zig gazes intently at the red pedestrian light across the street. Then Max hears the roar of a powerful motorbike and feels the whoosh of air as the mighty machine blasts past at high speed, only a meter in front of them.

Max turns to see a large, all-black motorbike with its rider wearing all black leathers and a black crash helmet.

“Wow!” shouts Zig, taking a quick step backwards before freezing on the spot and ruffling her black hair around her ears due to the deafening roar of the powerful machine.

Max can smell the faint fumes of the two-stroke engine as he turns before stepping back to face Zig.

“I’ve got you!” says Max, stretching to put an arm around his girlfriend’s waist to secure her balance while straining his neck in an attempt to look over her shoulder to see the speeding motorbike’s licence plate.

“Maniac!” shouts Zig, still standing fixed on the spot and looking toward the pavement. 

Zig ruffles her hair again before stamping her right foot and shaking slightly due to agitation.

Max comforts his girlfriend as she gradually calms down. Then, she reaches for his hand and raises her head to take a small, tentative step toward the crossing’s edge.

“I don’t want to be late,” says Zig, forcing herself to move as a shiver runs down her spine, and her breathing races as she returns her focus to Max and her friends.

“You okay?” asks Max, knowing all about Zig’s fear of sudden, loud noises.

“Yeah!” she replies quickly.

“Jeez! I haven’t seen you this excited in a while,” says Max, changing the subject as Zig’s eyes sparkle and a smile returns to her face.

Max looks left and right at the speeding traffic directly in front of them, only now gripping Zig’s hand firmly.

“I can’t wait to see Nari and Dal. It’s been an age since we last met,” says Zig, still slightly jittery while edging closer toward the kerb.

Max looks at the red light, and as soon as it changes from orange to green, he feels a sharp tug on his arm as Zig starts to move forward.

“No!” shouts Max as a car screeches to a stop in front of the crossing.

“Now!” yells Max, quickly, with the car now stationary.

As the couple run across the dual carriageway past six lanes of stationary traffic, several people walking in the opposite direction give them stern, disapproving looks and grunts of annoyance as they sidestep or dodge the quick-moving young couple.

Zig and Max reach the opposite side of the busy main road and turn right just as Zig snags her t-shirt on a long, bent bolt protruding slightly from the steel pedestrian railings.

“Dam!” shouts Zig as she stops running to inspect the damage.

“Come on! I’ll buy you a new one,” says Max, tugging Zig’s hand.

“You want to meet Nari and Dal, remember!” he adds.

Zig agrees to Max’s offer as they run together toward Zoo-Zoo’s gaming arcade, a popular hangout for many local and international gamers and slot machine players.

“There they are, I think?” shouts Zig, breathing heavily as she and Max near a tall, multi-coloured, brightly lit building.

Max, also breathing quickly, remains none the wiser, having never met Zig’s friends, though he has seen their pictures on Zig’s smartphone.

“Hey! Nari, Dal!” shouts Zig, now stationary and jumping up and down while waving both hands wildly in the air as she tries to keep a line of sight on her friends through the crowd of bustling people.

Max scans the crowds directly ahead, hoping to see two people waving back at them, and sure enough, a young South Korean couple not too far in front are waving in Zig’s direction.

“Yes! Nari, Dal,” shouts Zig again.

“Come on, Max,” she continues, grabbing his hand before dashing toward her friends.

Nari and Dal also start to run toward Zig through the crowded pedestrian walkway, and as the four young people meet, their emotions burst into handshakes, hugs, and quick introductions for both men.

“You’re strong,” says Max, shaking hands with Dal whilst looking him in the eye.