Chased by a Gentleman

Chapter 9

❝At least, everything is clear to you now.❞

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Eloise shut the taxi door behind her and inspected the unfamiliar sight. It has been a while since she went somewhere far from her university or dormitory. She wore a plain white tee, some jeans, and a khaki jacket to top off her look.

After a few tries, she finally found the venue of the exhibition. She crossed the street and found Miles with his phone clutched in his hand. He is dressed in a navy blue sweater with a collared shirt inside it. She was relieved that she had followed the dress code, judging by Miles' attire. But if she didn't, then at least Miles was there to join her in embarrassment.

"Psst." Eloise lightly tapped Miles' shoulder.

His face brightened up as he turned around. "You made it," He shyly said.

Eloise was sure that almost everyone knows how to turn around unless you have some kind of disability. Eloise herself knew how to turn around as well. But why did Miles turn around as if he was in slow motion? The way his hair slightly moved with him left her in awe. The way his mouth formed into a downward smile also made her mentally restless. Miles looked like a hot actor from the 90s, what did she expect?

"Yes, I did," She softly stated.

"Is it okay if we stay here outside for a while? It's still a bit early," Miles asked as he checked his watch.

"That's fine, but where are we going to go while we wait?"

"There should be a couple of thrift stores nearby, want to check it out?"

"Sure, I haven't visited one in a while."

Even though they didn't have anything specific in mind to purchase, the two browsed through the thrift stores. Their time checking out the stores was mostly made up of the two laughing at the pieces of clothing that they can find.

Eloise was already dying of laughter before she could reveal the scarf she found from the mountain of clothing. She managed to pull the scarf and Miles already knew why it was making her laugh.

"It's giving Gru vibes," Eloise was able to say.

The Miles Eloise initially knew was laid back, quiet, humorless, and was nothing like the Miles she was seeing now. She watched him laugh while clutching the scarf she found.

When he noticed he seems to be the only one laughing, he quickly collected himself.

"What's wrong?" Miles said and placed his hands on her shoulders and examined her face. He raised his hand to her forehead to check her temperature but was shortly slapped away by Eloise.

"I never knew that I will see this side of you."

"What do you mean?" Miles crossed his arms against his chest.

"You were often reserved and serious, but now you turned into a completely different person."

"I never changed into someone else, Eloise. You just naturally unlocked a side of me that I never reveal to just anyone."

Eloise was unable to generate a response inside her head. Her mind was preoccupied with comprehending everything that was happening.

"Please don't think that I'm putting a show just to impress you. If I want to pursue you, shouldn't I show the real me? This is the real me, Eloise." A smile can be found on Miles' face as he justified himself.

"Oh."

"I just thought you were just forcing yourself to match my personality. I guess I'm just a fun person to hang out with," Eloise proudly said in the last part.

Miles shook his head as he giggled at the situation.

"I think the exhibition will start in a few minutes."

"Okay, let's do that."

Even though the event was about to begin, the two took their time to reach their destination.

"I think I almost ruined everything by bringing that up," Eloise said out of the blue.

"It's fine. At least, everything is clear to you now," Miles reassured as he placed his hands inside his pockets.

It took them no time before they reached the venue. "And we're here."

"So how did you manage to find this exhibition?"

"Well my cousin has one of her works displayed in here, so I decided to bring you here with me."

"I see."

The two paused in their conversation to concentrate on the works on display.

"Fancy seeing you two here."