Chapter 4
A BIT OF GUILT
After what happened to me and Rozen, I did my best to stay away from him—and I stayed away for two years.
"Coreen, Noah has band practice at home. Would you like to come?" Reina asked me.
I smiled upon hearing Noah's name, but that smile immediately faded when I realized the evil Elizalde would be there.
"Oh! I can't today. Me and my family are going out," I reasoned.
What a waste. I want to see Noah, but I really don't ever want to see that animal Rozen ever again. I don't think I could control myself if I saw him. I might even punch his face again.
Besides, my family and I were really going out. As the youngest child, I am very close to my family. My elder brother Luke and elder sister Julie have their own families now. My parents married young so they had Luke and Julie at an early age. My family loves spending time together. My parents especially love exploring the world, traveling abroad, and trying new cuisines. That day, we went to this garden restaurant called Countryside. It had a stone path that led to a butterfly garden outside.
As I was seated on a wooden chair inside the restaurant, someone familiar caught my eye.
"Shit!"
"Watch your mouth, Coreen!" Luke warned me.
I rolled my eyes at him and looked at the guy again. What the hell is Rozen Gaiser Elizalde doing here? We were just five meters apart— that was the closest we'd ever been after two years.
He was staring at the ceiling's intricate design. I shook my head and rolled my eyes.
"What's the problem, my dear? You looked irritated," Julie asked as she was feeding her child.
"Nothing, Ate... Just..." I couldn't touch my food.
I stood up and dropped the cutlery by accident. "I'm going to the toilet," I told my mother, who nodded.
But I went straight to Rozen. He almost jumped out of his seat upon seeing me, especially after I held him by the neck.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I whispered to him.
"Easy, Coreen... Easy..." He smiled. "You scared the shit out of me." He glanced at our table. "You're here?"
I let go of him like he was radioactive. "Don't pretend that you didn't know that I was here. I saw you looking at our table!"
"You came from that direction so I deduced that that must be where you were seated." His forehead furrowed, and he let out a devilish laughter.
That's it? That's his excuse?
"Idiot! I don't ever want to see your face again. I hate you," I whispered to him.
"Why? I didn't cheat on you, Coreen. I love you," he said, glancing at the other girls around us.
Countryside had a strict Reservations Only policy, so there were normally few customers. But today was different. The restaurant was full! All around us were other girls my age.
"What? Stop joking around, Elizalde!" This was embarrassing. Everyone here might think that we were in the middle of a lover's spat. Yuck!
He steepled his fingers in front of him and leaned closer to me. "You know telling me to stop only makes me want you more," he warned me, smiling and making my skin dimple with goosebumps again. This is dangerous. So. Dangerous.
"Really? After two years? If you really wanted me, why did it take you two years to tell me?" I didn't realize how my question sounded until after the words were out of my mouth.
