“I-I’ll keep that in mind.”
His words held weight. With just one sentence, he quelled her anxieties.
Just then, the food they had ordered arrived. Dylan placed the dishes in front of her.
“You must be hungry, so eat a lot.”
“Yes. You eat a lot too, Dear.”
Having shared a few meals together by now, it seemed that eating with him was less nerve-wracking than before, to the point where she couldn’t tell if the food was going down her nostrils or her throat.
“Right.”
Dylan, sitting across from her, carefully observed the changes in Lola’s expression.
She was a peculiar girl.
She clearly seemed to fear and be nervous around him, yet she still managed to express what she wanted to say.
He didn’t mind that at all.
******
The moon in the sky had shrunk a little compared to yesterday, and the stars were scattered across the night.
The two women sat side by side on a bench, drinking milk and looking up at the stars.
Lola, gazing at the twinkling little stars, appeared lost in thought.
After finishing lunch earlier, Dylan had taken Lola to the hospital. After a brief goodbye, reminding her to drive carefully, Lola had stepped out of the passenger seat and was about to walk toward the hospital entrance when Dylan called her back.
Wondering if he had something to say, Lola turned her body. Dylan strode over to her with long strides and suddenly pulled her into his embrace.
Thump, thump!
Burying her face in his solid chest, Lola’s heart raced. The masculine scent mixed with a pleasant skin fragrance tickled her nose.
“Oh-Dear?”
It was only natural for her voice to tremble at such a sudden action. However, Dylan remained calm.
“Didn’t you text me yesterday asking to be hugged?”
“Ah!”
Only then did she remember.
“But I don’t know if this is right.”
“Yes. It is.”
“Then I’m relieved.”
“Yes, yes. This is right.”
Lola repeated herself, worried he might misunderstand it in another way. Dylan chuckled softly, as if he found it amusing.
“You don’t need to emphasize it that many times.”
Even she thought her actions at that moment were incredibly foolish.
Feeling embarrassed and ashamed, she couldn’t remember what state of mind she was in when she dashed to the entrance.
Even now, thinking back on it made her face flush.
Trying to shake off the embarrassing thoughts, Lola suddenly turned her gaze to Gia and tentatively opened her mouth.
“Gia, I have something I’m curious about. Can I ask?”
“What are you curious about? What is it?”
After taking a sip of milk, Gia looked intrigued and urged Lola to continue.
“About Dylan Big Brother. Is it true that he has never dated anyone?”
“Is that really what you’re curious about?”
“He says he hasn’t dated anyone, but I just can’t believe it.”
“It might be hard to believe, but it’s probably true.”
Lola still looked unconvinced.
“What has he been doing all this time without dating at his age? Dylan Big Brother is perfect in every way, right? He must have been popular with girls.”
“What good is popularity if a person is cold, prickly, and odd? He has no interest in girls.”
“Then Gia…”
Lola hesitated for a moment, then seemed to make up her mind and spoke again.
“Gia, I might be overstepping, but… am I perhaps his first love?”
First love.
Lola didn’t quite understand why she was asking that.
However, as far as Gia knew, Dylan Eve had never openly dated a girl. Of course, she wasn’t sure if there had been a girl he had a crush on or liked.
Gia took a sip of her milk and then stated matter-of-factly,
“That might be the case.”
Thump, thump!
With that one sentence, Lola felt her heart rate quicken from the calm and steady rhythm it had just moments ago.
They say a man’s first love holds significant meaning and importance.
She never imagined she would become Dylan Eve’s first love. No, to be more honest, it seemed they were each other’s first love.
Lola felt a strange sensation.
“Isn’t it nice?”
Gia asked playfully, closely observing Lola’s expression. Lola touched her own flushed face.
“Come on! If you ask so openly, it makes me embarrassed.”
Gia burst into laughter. Lola smiled along.
After a moment, as if suddenly remembering something, Lola asked out of the blue.
“Gia, how did you and Hamza date?”
Whenever Dylan asked what she wanted to do, Lola found it hard to answer, so she turned to Gia for help.
After all, Gia was the experienced one.
In terms of dating or marriage, she was practically a senior.
However, contrary to Lola’s thoughts, it was a difficult question for Gia.
She had married without dating, like frying beans in a flash of lightning.
