She was seven years younger than Nash; when she was in elementary school, Nash was almost graduating from middle school.
But when she was little, she loved to follow Nash around, even though he always found her annoying, and then… Nash would often get beaten up by Moore Luis.
If one beating wasn’t enough, a few more would do. After getting beaten a few times, Nash became smarter; every time they went out to play, he would consciously bring his little tail—Moore Audrey—along.
When Moore Audrey entered middle school, Nash went to college, and then… the task of tutoring Moore Audrey fell back to Nash, but the little girl was very rebellious at that time and found Nash extremely annoying, leading to many arguments between them.
However, after Nash graduated, the opportunities for them to spend time together decreased, and later on, Nash suddenly stopped opposing her and instead treated her like a daughter.
Moore Audrey became increasingly spoiled, but only when it came to Nash.
After all… in front of Moore Luis, Moore Audrey still liked to bicker with him, or she would be thinking about getting Moore Luis to pass on the family fortune to her immediately.
With Nash gone, the dog-abusing couple didn’t know where to go to enjoy their couple time, leaving Moore Audrey home alone, which was a rare peace.
The little girl also began to follow her plan and started completing her holiday homework, moving the table to the floor-to-ceiling window and quietly writing her assignments.
When she encountered difficult problems, she would take photos and send them to classmate Thompson Miguel for help.
In the past few days, they had chatted less about trivial matters and spent more time discussing homework.
Thompson Miguel noticed that Moore Audrey was almost becoming a bookworm and thought for a moment before deciding to invite the little girl to go to a bookstore.
He called her to discuss it, and Moore Audrey paused when she saw her unfinished homework. After thinking for a moment, she agreed; it would be good to buy some materials for her senior year, and then… she could also treat Thompson Miguel to the milk tea he owed her from last time.
Having made up her mind, the little girl quickly organized her homework and took it back to her room. After changing her clothes, she grabbed her keys and headed out.
As soon as she stepped out of the house, she looked up and saw Thompson Miguel standing outside the gate. The little girl paused; it had been a few days since they last met, and it seemed like Thompson Miguel… looked a bit more handsome…
After thinking that, she stepped out and called out to him, greeting him.
Thompson Miguel nodded, and the two walked side by side out of the community.
Their destination was the city library, and at Moore Audrey’s request, they took the bus today.
She thought there would be fewer people since it was the weekend, but when they arrived at the station, the little girl was taken aback; she hadn’t expected there to be quite a crowd.
It was the afternoon, and the weather was hot. Moore Audrey didn’t want to let Thompson Miguel bake in the sun, so after hesitating for a few seconds, she led the boy onto the bus.
The driver was impatient, ensuring everyone got on and paid before stepping on the gas and moving forward.
Moore Audrey hadn’t steadied herself yet, and with the sudden motion, she stumbled backward, landing right in Thompson Miguel’s arms, hearing the sound of her head bumping against his chest.
Moore Audrey was momentarily stunned, thinking that Thompson Miguel’s chest felt a bit hard…
She grabbed the handrail and straightened up from the boy’s embrace, politely apologizing:
“Sorry about that…”
Thompson Miguel glanced down at her, said nothing, and shifted his gaze back to the front.
Moore Audrey also turned her gaze to the window, but today, the driver was really driving fast, frequently slamming on the brakes and accelerating, making Moore Audrey feel like a wobbling weeble, swaying back and forth.
Halfway through the journey, Moore Audrey was jolted again. The little girl couldn’t help but frown and looked up at the handrail above her head. After thinking for a moment, she decided to put her other hand up as well.
However, just as she thought of that, the handrail was taken by someone else. Moore Audrey looked up at that hand for a few seconds before finally giving up and letting her arm drop back down.
Just as her hand was lowered, the driver suddenly accelerated again.
Moore Audrey was caught off guard and lost her balance, predictably crashing back into Thompson Miguel’s arms once more.
The familiar scent enveloped her, and the little girl felt her ears heat up. Once the bus stabilized, Moore Audrey intended to straighten up from his embrace, but unexpectedly, her waist was suddenly pulled back.
Her feet shifted, her heel bumping against his toes, and she felt warm breath by her ear, accompanied by a familiar voice:
“Just stand like this… I see you’re about to fall…”
Moore Audrey shivered, instinctively shrinking her neck, as if that warmth still lingered behind her ear.
Thompson Miguel watched her little movements and smirked.
After thinking for a moment, he reached out to grab the handrail in front of him, wrapping his hand around her soft little paw.
Amidst the noisy crowd, Moore Audrey could only vaguely hear the voice above her:
“Hold onto my clothes…”
Then her little paw was guided to grab the corner of his shirt.
Thompson Miguel looked at her dazed expression, glanced at the road ahead, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and tightened his arm around Moore Audrey’s waist.
Moore Audrey finally reacted and looked down at the corner of her shirt she was holding, just as the bus made another sudden stop.
