The silence between the two lasted for quite a while.
After driving for some time, Dylan finally stopped the car in the hospital parking lot, breaking the quiet stillness.
“Lola.”
“Yes, Dear.”
Trying hard to act fine, Lola maintained a blank expression, but she couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice.
“I don’t know why that girl came to our house. But she’s someone who has nothing to do with me. So, I hope you don’t feel anxious or worried.”
His voice was low as if he was trying to suppress his anger. Indeed, Dylan was irritated by Nia Aliza’s persistence.
After taking a breath, Lola calmly spoke.
“I’m… worried.”
That unexpected response came back.
She thought Lola would say she was fine like last time, that she wasn’t a narrow-minded woman.
Dylan quietly observed her, as if trying to read her thoughts.
“I think that girl likes you a lot.”
Her voice trembled, and her expression visibly wavered.
It was unease.
“What does it matter? I have no interest in that girl at all. Honestly, even if Nia Aliza stripped naked in front of me, I wouldn’t bat an eye.”
He said it jokingly, but Lola couldn’t laugh. Dylan added,
“Of course, that won’t happen. I’ll run away before that woman can take off her clothes.”
Still, an inexplicable discomfort lingered, and Lola’s stiff expression didn’t soften.
After a brief silence,
“Then I’ll get off here.”
Lola said her goodbye and tried to open the passenger door.
“Lola.”
When Dylan called her name, Lola turned back. Dylan opened his arms towards her. Knowing that she was feeling anxious, he thought a hug might help a little.
Unlike before, Lola didn’t hesitate and immediately fell into his embrace. In her anxious heart, she wrapped her arms around his neck and ended up confessing.
“I like you too, dear. I like you a lot.”
“I like you too, dear. I like you a lot.”
Dylan was momentarily stunned. And then he was flustered.
His heart was racing again.
However, her actions that bewildered him did not end there. Lola lifted her head and met his gaze directly, wrapping her hands around his face and giving him a clumsy kiss.
I hope that no matter how much Aliza comes to tempt you, your heart won’t waver.
Unable to express her feelings honestly, Lola swallowed his breath and calmed her anxiety. She wanted to let him know that he was hers, even if it was like this.
A moment later, when Lola pulled her lips away, Dylan spoke in a tightly restrained voice.
“Lola, I’ve warned you several times that this kind of behavior is dangerous.”
“I know.”
“You won’t be able to handle it.”
“I, I want you.”
Under normal circumstances, this was a statement that would never come out, no matter how hard she tried. But at this moment, fearing that the handsome and capable Dylan Eve would be taken away by another woman, Lola found courage she didn’t know she had.
Seeing Lola, who usually felt burdensome and shy, act boldly, Dylan was instead taken aback. While he was dazed, Lola opened the passenger door and got out.
Only after hearing the sound of the door closing was Dylan able to gather his scattered thoughts. The words Lola had just left echoed in his ears like a whisper.
‘I like you too, dear. I like you a lot.’
I like you too.
Should I have told her honestly, considering how anxious she was just now?
Although he had never openly liked or loved anyone before, and didn’t know exactly what love was, it was true that he felt comfortable and good when he was with her.
The feeling of being confessed to was unfamiliar and complicated, and it took Dylan a while before he started the car.
******
When Dylan arrived home, Mariana was preparing dinner. Zach was helping her from the side. Upon seeing Dylan enter the front door, Mariana said,
“You came at the right time. You haven’t eaten dinner yet, have you?”
“I had a late lunch, so I’m not really hungry.”
“Still, you should eat a little, right?”
“I’m fine.”
After a brief reply, Dylan tried to return to his room, but Mariana called him back.
“Dylan, come here and sit for a moment.”
Mariana pulled out a chair and sat down, and Zach also took a seat next to her. As soon as Dylan sat down across from them, Mariana immediately asked,
“Earlier, while you were driving, you started to say something about Aliza. Who is she, really?”
