When night came, Elise decided to have dinner with Robin and Laura. Her grandparents had nearly gone mad with worry before she successfully escaped from Matthew‘s clutches, so she didn‘t intend to go out that night.
However, she still didn‘t see any sign of Alexander when the clock struck ten and both grandparents had already gone to bed. Elise felt a little antsy at that. She repeatedly paced between her room and the balcony, her eyes fixed on the road that led to the Sinclair Residence, searching for Alexander and his car.
After some time, Elise‘s pacing came to a halt in the living room. There, she belatedly realized that she was actually eager to see Alexander. Or to be more precise, she was already eager to see him even though they had only been apart for an afternoon.
When did Elise become so attached to him?
As she was immersed in her thoughts, her phone rang from where it was on the coffee table. She paced over to pick it up. The moment she saw Alexander‘s name on the caller ID, she immediately answered the phone.
Alexander‘s voice was pitched very soft and low, as though he was afraid of startling her. “Were you asleep?”
“No,” Elise answered honestly. “I slept a lot this afternoon, so I haven‘t been able to fall asleep now. I‘m a bit bored.”
“Come down, then,” Alexander said.
“Huh?” Elise didn‘t quite process that, standing there stiffly for a few moments before she whirled around and ran toward the balcony.
With the aid of the yellow glow of the streetlights, she could see Alexander, dressed in a leather trench coat. The belt around his midsection perfectly brought out the lines of his waist, making him look even taller and slender.
All of a sudden, Elise felt like she couldn‘t control herself as she hung up and dashed outside without even throwing on a jacket.
Their eyes met. Before Elise could even speak, Alexander undid his belt and draped his coat around her.
“You still came here even though it‘s so late already?” Elise asked.
Alexander‘s gaze was soft, and his voice was so lovingly gentle. “I wanted to see you. I‘ll only be able to relax once I‘m sure that you‘re still here.”
Elise didn‘t quite understand what he was getting at. If he wanted to make sure that she was safe, a simple phone call would have sufficed. There was no need for him to personally come here.
At the sight of Elise‘s expression, Alexander knew that she was lost again. His smile deepened, and he reached out to pull her into his embrace.
Someone–Elise had forgotten who–had once told her that the act of hugging could soothe one‘s heart. So, was Alexander trying to soothe himself by hugging her?
Is it because of what Grandpa said earlier? Figuring that was the case, Elise felt a little apologetic. “Grandpa didn‘t have any bad intentions. Please don‘t take what he said to heart.”
“Silly, I can‘t even begin to express my gratitude. Why would I be angry with your grandfather?” Alexander released Elise and took a step back.
Their gazes met again. When Elise recalled the matter of the photos, her eyes began to glimmer. She didn‘t feel quite at ease.
Strange. She was clearly almost out of her mind with impatience when Alexander still hadn‘t come to see her. Now that he was actually here, she didn‘t even dare to look him in the eye.
“Elise,” Alexander called out to her.
“Hm?” Elise whipped her head up, only for her eyes to immediately meet Alexander‘s fiery ones. Instantly, heat rushed to her face. But before she could react, Alexander‘s cool lips had already pressed themselves against her lips.
All Elise could feel was the jolts of electricity zipping across her nerves. Her entire body burned.
It wasn‘t until their breaths got heavy that Alexander reluctantly separated himself from her. The edges of his lips twitched up into a gentle smile. “See? Nothing has changed. Isn‘t that right?”
Her body was the most honest part of her. That kiss alone was proof enough that they were the best match for each other; nothing would change that fact.
And smart people didn‘t need any further explanation for that. At last, Elise smiled as
well. She voluntarily stepped forward and pressed herself against his chest. “Thank you for loving me so deeply, Alexander.”
Alexander didn‘t speak. They both stood under the streetlights just like that, leaning against each other.
Meanwhile, Robin watched everything from where he was upstairs, unable to sleep because of his concern and worry for Elise
The next day, Elise changed into a casual outfit before she strolled to campus. The moment she stepped into the dorm, Janice stopped her. “Elise, why are you back?!”
The corners of Elise‘s mouth awkwardly twitched as she scoffed. “Heh… Does it matter much whether I come back or not?” She didn‘t like to interact much with people like Janice. The reason being, once they had their sights set on someone, they could never be shaken off.
Janice looked around before she said mysteriously, “Elise, I won‘t be someone that a country bumpkin like you can just shrug off in the future: I‘m pregnant, and the baby is Johan‘s.”
