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"It's only a little more far away," Suo chuckled, noticing Lili barely catching up to him. He didn't know why he asked her to visit the noodle shop that recently opened on a freezing night.
He looked behind, regretting seeing Lili trembling. What else could he have said when she asked what he wanted from her?
He had a lot on his mind.
"Shall we get back?" He looked at her, trying to warm her hands "It's only a little far away," Suo chuckled, noticing Lili barely catching up to him. He didn't know why he asked her to visit the noodle shop that recently opened on a freezing night.
He looked behind, regretting seeing Lili trembling. What else could he have said when she asked what he wanted from her?
He had a lot on his mind.
"Shall we get back?" He looked at her, trying to warm her hands by rubbing them together.
"Huh?" Lili cast him a piercing look that conveyed her disbelief.
"After we came so far?" she questioned, pulling the zip of her sweater. Even with the scarf Suo wrapped around her, it was cold. A sensation of warmth filled her heart, which she could hear thumping against her ribs.
"Sorry," Suo apologized, gently holding her palm.
"Geez, stop making a big fuss out of it," Lili complained, looking away from him with a flustered expression.
The sound of laughter fell in Lili's ears, the unmistakable sound of melody.
"Huh?"
"Lili." Suo placed a hand on her arms and gently squeezed it. "let's go." He said.
She could feel the warmth in her hand as he held it. He suggested they hold hands so she could feel warm and keep up with his pace, and she agreed it was reasonable.
"Reasonable enough to do with a friend," she told herself, looking at the large fingers intertwined against hers.
She continued to look at their interwoven fingers when Suo stopped abruptly. She also stopped, noticing him craning his neck to look around.
"There." He indicated the dimly lit corner of the nook.
"He likes noodles," Lili remembered as they approached the small shop, wondering what caught his eye.
The door was foggy, and Lili felt the warmth leaving her hands when Suo pulled the door open. She stared at her palm for a moment before following him.
"Good to see ya' again, son." The shopkeeper said as he waved his hand, Suo looked happy to be there.
"This place has good egg noodles." He smiled, and Lili caught the sight of his dimples.
"So, two cups of noodles for the young man and the miss." The shopkeeper said enthusiastically, putting on his apron.
Now that Lili looked around, there was no one else except them. Soon, she could feel the heat radiating from the hot bowl of noodles kept on the wooden table.
She took the chopsticks, muttered out thanks, and hastily began to shove on the food.
"Shit." She dropped the chopsticks at the burning sensation in her mouth. The noodles were hot.
"Are you okay, miss?" The old lady stood up as Lili gulped down the glass of water Suo passed to her.
"Blow on the food. It's hot, Lili." He said, looking worried.
After she had calmed down, Lili noticed the shopkeeper asking Suo a discrete question, to which he took his time.
What sort of question could it be? Lili wondered. Suo had been quick and witty at the same time, and she was curious to know what they were talking about.
She leaned, pretending to fetch the tissue on his side.
"Is she the one you spoke about?"
She heard the hushed whispers of the old man. The lady, whom the shopkeeper later introduced as his wife, was excited about winter and knitting sweaters.
"We had our first kiss under the mistletoe!" The man laughed at his flustered wife. "She always gets happy around Christmas!
Lili nearly choked on her noodles, and Suo had to pass another glass of water.
"Mistletoe, they are parasites," she wiped her mouth.
"You seem to know about plants," the shopkeeper commented. "It's not a tradition here, though," he laughed, patting his wife's shoulder.
And that was what was on Lili's mind as she walked out of the shop, her stomach relatively full from the second serving.
"Thank you for coming with me." Suo looked at her with gratitude.
"It was nothing," Lili shook her head.
"I thought I'd run into Umemiya-san," she sighed, walking ahead to match his speed. And that new student Suo had told her about, she had a hunch she'd run into him more.
"Take it easy." He smiled at her, his palm intertwining with hers once more.
The next few minutes were quiet, and Lili was left pondering about the situation. Something caught her eye, and she dragged Suo into the narrow streets.
Perhaps Suo was curious about what she was up to; he glanced at where she was going. Lili pointed her hand to something that hung high and reached the top of the shop.
'Will's Chocolate,' it read. He wondered if she was hungry.
"Do you want to—"
The shop was closed, and it looked old. Suo paused when he felt something on his lip-something that caught his attention. The warmth he remembered from holding Lili's hands washed over him, mingling with the chill of her breath close by. As he tried to collect his thoughts, he noticed Lili pointing something above.
It was a mistletoe.
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I won't be posting frequently for the next few months and I apologize for the inconvenience.
