TPCF 33

Chapter 33

Honestly, it wasn’t that her vision being blocked bothered her—it was the guilt of wearing his jacket. She was only fidgeting with the sleeve when her hand brushed against something. Because her sense of touch had become sharper with her sight cut off, Anita flinched in surprise. Before she could pull her hand away, he laced his fingers through hers.

“If it’s uncomfortable, say so.”

As if it could be. In fact, Anita wanted to ask him the same—Aren’t you uncomfortable?
Rainwater dripped between their clasped hands, seeping into the warmth of their joined fingers.

The chill of the droplets falling from her hair cooled her flushed face. Maybe it was a good thing she was wearing his jacket over her head to hide it.

If she lifted her head, the jacket might fall off, so all she could do was keep it lowered and walk.

Rutger said something then—probably something about watching her step or to stop dawdling and hurry up.

For a moment, Anita’s face reflected in a puddle at her feet, only to scatter like smoke when a raindrop fell into it.

The downpour was so heavy, it didn’t seem possible to make it all the way back to the dorm like this. Shops lined the street with their lights blazing, but she felt too sorry to go inside looking like a half-drowned rat.

“Hold on.”

Anita stopped, lifting the jacket to see where they were. But apparently, he didn’t even like her peeking out, because a large hand promptly pulled the jacket back down.

“Just wait a second, I said.”

This time, she tugged hard and pulled it completely off, forcing it into his hands.

“Come on.”

She started pulling him along. Rutger seemed displeased, but thankfully followed without saying much.

The café where she worked was dark. The owner had said they’d be on vacation for a few days—apparently, today was the day.

Of course, a locked door was no problem for Anita. The real problem was elsewhere.

She hesitated at the entrance. She hadn’t planned on bringing Rutger here.

“Why are we here? The lights are off. Isn’t it closed?”

Ignoring him, Anita glanced over her shoulder. The rain had grown even heavier since they’d arrived. She didn’t want to slog all the way back to the dorm through this without an umbrella or raincoat.

She dug into her pocket. Her dorm key, along with some junk she should’ve thrown out ages ago, rolled around inside. After a bit of fumbling, she found the café key.

“What’s that?”

He sounded skeptical at the sight of the key in her hand.

She rolled it between her fingers for a long moment instead of putting it in the lock.

One by one, the vows she’d made upon first coming to Aberdeen were crumbling. She’d sworn she would never get tangled up with him again. That didn’t mean much now. She’d wanted to have a place to hide when she needed somewhere he could never find her.

With a small sigh, Anita slid the key into the lock. Click. The door opened.

When had life ever gone perfectly according to plan? As far as Anita could remember—never.

Rutger was staring at her with a look that could almost be called betrayal, his gaze clinging to her no matter what she did. She ignored it and went into the staff break room to find a dry towel.

Even when she handed it to him, his eyes still held that faintly displeased look.

“I’ve been working here for quite a while.”

“You…”

“I didn’t see a reason to tell you. It’s not like you’re my diary—I don’t need to report every little thing, do I?”

Afraid he might throw a difficult question at her, Anita answered quickly. His lips parted as if to speak, then closed again. He took the towel without protest.

“Sorry, but could you just stand on the entrance mat? The floor will get slippery.”

“You really are something.”

He grumbled, but went toward the entrance. Anita quickly grabbed his sleeve. She’d meant it as a joke to lighten the mood, not expecting him to take it so seriously.

He froze in surprise when she stopped him, then turned around rather quickly.

“It was… a joke.”

She’d meant to say it brazenly, but the look in his eyes unsettled her, and her voice trailed off.

“……”

He simply stared at her without speaking. The silence was starting to feel uncomfortable. Anita fidgeted with her fingers.

“I know.”

Rutger kept his eyes on her, then slowly raised a hand. He moved so slowly that Anita could have easily avoided him if she wanted to—but if he was deliberately drawing it out, she was frozen in place, unable to move at all.

When his hand finally touched her hair, Anita instinctively held her breath like someone going underwater.

“At least dry your hair. You’ll catch a cold.”

Ha. The breath she’d been holding escaped in a small, hollow laugh.

Still not satisfied, he even draped the towel over her head. She used it as an excuse to press it to her face for a while, pretending to squeeze out the water, though really it was to hide what she was sure was a mess of a face.

“Want some tea?”

She spoke over her shoulder, the towel still on her head.

“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

Apparently too lazy to even read the menu, he didn’t bother choosing. Accepting his halfhearted “order,” Anita went into the kitchen, lit the gas, and set water to boil. She stared blankly at it as steam began to rise.

Outside, the rain battered the windows relentlessly. It was coming down so hard it was difficult to see anything at all, and the street outside was utterly deserted.

Resting her chin on her hand, Anita watched the storm for a moment, then took two cups from the drawer.

“You’ll have to pay for this later.”

She set the steaming cups down in front of him. He spun his idly and replied as if it were nothing.

“Sure.”

It had been another joke, but now she felt like an idiot who dragged him here only to demand payment. She awkwardly sipped her drink.

“This your taste?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve never seen you drink cocoa before.”

It wasn’t even a matter of taste—cocoa powder just happened to be the closest thing on the shelf, and she hadn’t wanted to think too hard. She didn’t bother explaining, though, since Rutger was eyeing her and the cocoa like he’d just discovered something fascinating.