The Secret Love

Chapter 8

I took a taxi back. Later, as I got out of the car and approached the entrance of my apartment complex, I noticed someone squatting outside the security office from a distance.

It was Ewan. I walked towards him with my umbrella.

He looked up and met my gaze for a second before lowering his head and lighting a cigarette.

.

He got up and took my umbrella, accompanying me as we walked toward my place.

After glancing back at the ground littered with cigarette butts, I tried to snatch the cigarette from his mouth.

He immediately flicked it away.

All I grabbed was air, and I accidentally touched his lips with my fingers. They were cold and soft. I withdrew instinctively, but he caught hold of my hand and held it firmly.

His cigarette quickly met its demise in the rainwater pooling on the ground.

"When did you start smoking, Ewan?" I asked.

"When I couldn't get hold of you," he replied with a smile, but his eyes betrayed a deep self-mockery.