TPCF 31

Chapter 31

“Huh?”
Not fully catching what she said, Rutger reflexively pulled his hand back as if realizing what he had been doing. The faint warmth that had been around her neck vanished.

An awkward silence fell between them.

Their eyes met for a brief moment before both turned away almost simultaneously. Anita’s gaze wandered awkwardly until it landed on his hand—the same hand that had been gripping her neck just moments earlier. Rutger was staring at the ground, clenching and unclenching his fist as if unsure what to do.

For some reason, Anita found it uncomfortable to keep looking at that scene, so she tried to lighten the mood with a casual tone.

“So, what now? Don’t tell me you came out without any kind of plan?”

“…”

“Oh wow, you really didn’t have a plan.”

When Anita said it in an exaggeratedly teasing voice, he snapped his head up, looking rather wronged.

“Not sure you’re the one who should be saying that—being the very symbol of ‘no plans.’”

“I’m not—”

Anita was about to argue back but then remembered she had skipped her morning lecture of her own accord, and quietly closed her mouth.

“Being unplanned… is still a plan, in its own way.”

“If you say so.”

It was clearly Rutger who had suggested they hang out without any plan, so why was she feeling guilty?

As they wandered aimlessly, they chatted idly—about the weather, about professors who gave way too many assignments, that sort of thing.

She didn’t know why, but for once, Rutger was acting casually around her, and it made the conversation less tiring. Few things were as exhausting as weighing every word and worrying how the other person might take it.

They passed a row of shops flanking the road and arrived at a wide plaza. The fountain—centered on a statue of a horse-mounted rider—and the red-roofed buildings nearby felt familiar. Anita realized it was near the café where she worked.

Of course, she didn’t mention that. She wanted to keep it as a last resort, a place she could run to later if she needed to escape from him.

“Wanna sit for a bit?”

“Sure.”

She agreed readily, partly because her legs were starting to ache. They sat by the fountain, where droplets of water occasionally splashed on them. Kids played with a ball, an elderly couple strolled by, and pigeons pecked at crumbs left behind by tourists.

It was peaceful—almost boringly so.

Resting her chin in her hand, Anita stared at the scene, suddenly curious. In the eyes of those passersby, what did she and Rutger look like? Friends? Or maybe a couple idly sitting by the fountain?

Either way, neither label truly defined their relationship.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Slowly blinking, she turned her head toward him, glancing briefly at the huge clock on the clock tower.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s lunchtime anyway.”

The truth was, she wasn’t actually hungry. She just didn’t want this peaceful moment to be broken over something as trivial as lunch. The warm sunlight, the cool sound of the fountain—it was enough to make her sleepy.

“Stay here. I’ll go get something.”

Since there was no reason to refuse, Anita simply nodded.

When he disappeared from view, her hand unconsciously went to her neck. Her fingers traced the spot where his hand had been.

It was strange—earlier, her pulse had been racing so fast she thought she might die, but now it was calm.

What on earth was the problem?

While she was idly touching her neck, she spotted Rutger returning from a distance and quickly straightened up, as if she hadn’t moved a muscle since he left.

Since starting university, Anita had gone out of her way to avoid him. This was the first time she had actually faced him properly. Their relationship hadn’t been great before university, after all.

Maybe that was why the sight of him walking straight toward her through the crowd felt oddly unfamiliar.

Had he always walked like that? Was it just her imagination, or was he taller than before? Maybe his bangs had gotten longer?

Watching him cover in one stride the distance that would take most people two, Anita felt a strange sensation. She glanced down at her legs dangling over the fountain’s edge.

She was suddenly glad she wasn’t a man—otherwise, she wouldn’t have wanted to stand next to Rutger. But the fact that he still had many friends probably meant his personality more than made up for any such disadvantages…

Her head was filling with these pointless thoughts when—

“Here, try this.”

“…?”

Without thinking, Anita opened her mouth at his sudden request. She had expected something small, like candy or fruit, but instead, a huge sandwich was shoved toward her.

Caught off guard, she ended up biting into it, then froze—unable to chew or spit it out.

When she glanced up, she saw Rutger’s eyes curved in amusement.

That damn mischievous streak of his had clearly kicked in again.

With her mouth full, Anita couldn’t speak, so she shot him a glare in protest.

“What? Is it bad?”

If she wanted to reply to that nonsense, she had to eat the sandwich first. She chewed and swallowed aggressively before trying to answer—but then noticed sauce dripping onto Rutger’s hand.

She glanced around for something to wipe it with, but he simply licked it off without a care.

“Don’t you have a handkerchief or something?” she asked hurriedly after swallowing the last bite.

“What for?”

Her eyes darted around, searching for a reasonable answer. He looked at her intently, as if he genuinely wanted to hear it.

“Because… it’s unsanitary.”

“Says the one who just got food all over her mouth.”

He reached out toward her cheek. When she saw sauce on his fingers, Anita shuddered in embarrassment.

“That’s only because you suddenly shoved it at me!”

“Did I complain?”

“That’s not the—”

She broke off, and the smile on his lips deepened. When he casually raised his sauce-covered fingers toward his mouth, Anita stopped him.