Page 57 of Until He Confesses

I was amused as I walked beside him as we passed by little souvenir shops and cafes.

At one point, as the road became narrower and other people passed by us, I had to slightly hold onto the tail of his shirt. He didn't seem to mind, which was incredibly nice, as I tried to convince him even further that letting me come along would be great, but he wasn't having it.

Eventually, he suddenly stopped, and I nearly bumped into him, but he caught me in time.

"Can I pay my way then?" I asked, and he smiled.

I was immediately up in arms and offended.

"What's the smile for? Can I or can't I pay?"

"Thirty thousand for the week,” he said, and I briefly stopped. Luckily, I was able to quickly find my composure and even come to my senses enough to suspect that maybe he was exaggerating the price.

“I'm serious," I said. "I just want to pay for myself."

"Three thousand dollars then," he said. However, before I could even consider this, he added, "per night." My jaw dropped.

Amused, he turned toward a handmade souvenir shop, and I had no choice but to go along.

26

LUCAS

Ididn't really care for a souvenir, but the shop was so interesting looking that I couldn't resist taking a look, especially when I saw hand-made wooden figures in the window. Once she went inside and spotted the ceramics and purses, she didn't want to leave. We learned that she could choose any materials she wanted for custom sandals, and her excitement about this made me smile.

"It will only take a few minutes," she looked back at me with pleading eyes, and I had no complaints whatsoever. So, I took a seat and began to peruse the shop while I waited.

"Don't you want a pair?" she asked, and I looked down to gaze at her. Her hair was flowing around her, as it had since she released it from the tie, and her cheeks were flushed from all the drinking and exercise from the day.

I took a look and shook my head because I didn't want to stay there any longer.

"It won't take long," she said, but still I shook my head, which made her frown.

"Can I order a pair and come pick them up later?" she asked the shop owner and he nodded that this was possible, so she instantly turned to me. In the blink of an eye, she knelt down to snatch my shoe and try to get the size. It all happened so fast that it took me a little while to process what had happened.

“You wouldn't have told me if I asked," she said and confirmed my size with the owner. Afterward, she returned my shoe, and we were on our way.

"Let's go find a place for dinner," I told her, and she seemed surprised.

"It's still a bit early."

Without thinking, I took her hand and led her away when a group passed by, but I still didn't let go.

"I think it's the perfect time. Let's go to the restaurant at the top so we can get a good table on the balcony and watch the sunset over the horizon," I said.

"That sounds wonderful," she said, and we were on our way. Thankfully, we arrived just in time and were able to find a seat on the patio, and the view was breathtaking. We both started with water to cool down and an interesting fruit salad with peanut butter and black sesame seeds drizzled across it.

"Refreshing," she said as she leaned back comfortably, and I nodded in response. So far, it had been quite a relaxing day, despite how tense I had expected it to be. But I wasn’t surprised because that was how it was with her. We always had such an easy time together which was why when we were younger it had been a no-brainer to me that we would be in a relationship and my expectation was that it would be a long one. She on the other hand had been surprised that I even liked her. She had been a dork and apparently, that wasn’t the kind that ‘guys of my caliber’ as she mentioned went for. I knew what she was talking about since I wasn’t blind to all the attention I received from a lot of the senior girls but the entire concept was so childish and asinine to me that I never bothered with a response.

I looked up as I set down my fork and couldn't help but sigh as memories flooded my mind.

“What is it?” she asked, as she turned her attention to me.

“Nothing,” I replied. “Just reminiscing. It's not easy for me to slow down like this, so I'm soaking it all in.”

She laughed out loud and I found it funny.

“What's funny?” I asked, and she shook her head.