Night stroll

Violet made salted grilled mackerel combined with tofu soup as a side dish. It was simple, nothing too extravagant. She didn't show off her cooking skills to him, she was not there to impress him but to eat dinner with him after all. But for some reason, Lucas seemed to enjoy the meal like a child eating his favorite food. That was when she realized that mackerel was his favorite viand. It was such a sight and she couldn't help but smile as she enjoyed the meal.

He liked mackerel. Violet didn't forget to take note of that.

Surprisingly, they didn't talk much while eating but the two were in a great mood so they were surrounded by a light, warm atmosphere. It was as if the two were already living together.

After having their dinner together, Lucas helped her collect the dishes before she washed them in the kitchen sink.

"Uh... thank you for joining me for dinner. I'll see you tomorrow." Violet said, looking at him with a small smile. "Let me drop you to your car."

"You really do love fending me off, don't you?" He raised a brow.

She blinked a few times and chuckled, "Then what do you expect me to do now? We have work tomorrow."

"They say that walking after a good dinner helps digest the food. Should we go out for a stroll?"

She didn't have anything else to do and it was still early so, in the end, Violet went out with Lucas.

While they were walking together, side by side, he reached out and held her hand which startle the woman beside her because of his sudden gesture.

"Can I hold your hand?" He asked after with a small smile on his lips.

She raised a brow, "Wow. Thanks for asking." She said sarcastically.

Although she didn't pull her hand away since it wasn't like she disliked his holding his hand and the warmth it brought. They felt like sandpaper or perhaps stone, rough and unfinished. It suited him, she thought. His hands were warm in hers as he brought them up to his lips, her nerves tingling at the harsh comfort of contact which made her unconsciously pull her hand out of his hold as she stopped from her tracks. It was as if the kiss that landed at the back of her hand burnt her.

He blinked a few times and was also a bit surprised by her reaction. "I guess kissing your hand is too much? I'm sorry for startling you." He apologized.

"I-it's fine." She averted her eyes from him, avoiding his gaze, her cheeks reddening as she did.

"A-Anyway," she stuttered. She cleared her throat and continued, "There's a nearby park, do you want to go there?"

"Mm, okay," was his only reply. He looked like a child, sulking when his candy dropped.

As she began leading the way, an awkward atmosphere surrounded them. Lucas didn't say a word and that somehow made Violet feel guilty for no reason. Why was she affected by him? She has never felt this way even towards Jason when she first met him.

She couldn't tolerate such a mood around them so while decreased her speed of walking just so she could match his speed. Despite his long legs, Lucas was taking small steps just so to prolong their stroll.

Without even giving him a glance, she grabbed his hand. The blush on her cheeks spreading across her face as she did.

He turned to look at her, a bit surprised to see her bold move although when he saw the shy look on her face while she was looking ahead, a small chuckle escaped from his lips. He held her small hand back and looked ahead.

"I'm... sorry about earlier." She muttered although he was able to hear it since he was just beside her, walking.

"It's fine, really." This time, his mood was better than earlier.

"So... How many girls did you date back then?" She asked for a topic as they entered the twenty square acres of entrancing formalized beauty of the park. The street lights shining down on the miniature formal gardens and benches for people to sit in every corner. Jogging tracks were all around the edges of the park. The west corner had some swings too on which many children used to come and play. Flower hedges, ornament trees, and bushes grew all around; Flowers year-round and water fountains in clear lakes that were stocked with small fishes; this made the park look more pleasant and attractive.

"One." He replied without hesitation. "During college." He added.

She ended up looking at him in disbelief. One? No way! Not especially with that kind of handsome face!

"I think a good man will not date during high school days." He grinned proudly as he turned his head to her.

She raised a brow, "You don't look like a 'good' man tho."

He laughed lightly, "Now I'm really offended. Do I look like a bad person?"

"Yeah."

"..." This time, he was the one who looked at her in shock.

"Now I'm truly offended." He pouted.

She giggled and replied, "Sorry for being honest."

"You mean lying." He chuckled. He led them towards a bench and sat there with her.

"Anyway, is it okay for me to ask questions about your ex?" She inquired curiously.

"What kind of questions do you want answered?" He asked in return, not really minding that they were going to have his past romance as a topic.

"Let's see..." She paused to think as she looked ahead and stared at the view. She was pretty sure that he loved her so the question that entered her mind was, "If you don't mind me asking... What made you both separate?"