Sophia took nothing but her phone when she left home in a hurry. However, since Alexander claimed he was hungry, she had no choice but to get into the car and go with him for supper.
Sophia had a long dress on since she had gone out with the Dawson family for a meal earlier. Unfortunately, she was wearing a pair of flip-flops instead of her high heels at the moment. Also, all she had was her phone in her hand and nothing else.
Her outfit was considered appropriate for a supper outing, though. Not far from the mansion, there was a place where they sold all sorts of grilled food items.
Kylie had told Sophia before that Penelope occasionally took her there for supper when she was still alive and in good health. Sometimes, they would take Lukas along too. However, since Lukas was a germophobe and had always felt that the roadside stalls were not hygienic enough for his liking, he would merely follow the ladies just to keep an eye on them.
In the end, when Penelope realized that Lukas had no intention of eating anything there, she stopped taking him along.
When Sophia first heard that, she found her granny to be a very interesting person. If fate had been on their side, she might have been able to join them for supper too.
Sadly, there were no ifs in life, as by the time the Dawson family had located her, it was already too late. The car came to a halt, jolting Sophia out of her thoughts. She then got out of the vehicle with Alexander.
One look and she could see that the long street was lined with numerous stalls that sold barbecued and street food. It was currently still early. The street was filled with families and young couples from nearby universities.
This was the kind of environment Sophia was exposed to growing up. In fact, the condition at home was worse than the state of the food street. To her, the place evoked a sense of familiarity instead of any negative impression. As for Alexander…
Sophia then recalled Kylie telling her that the three of them used to have a difficult time finding a table for themselves when they came in the past. Instinctively, she glanced at Alexander and asked, “Are you sure you want to eat here?”
Alexander also cast a glance at her before answering, “Yes.”
Sophia raised her brows and told him about Lukas. “Don’t you suffer from minor germaphobia too?”
Alexander held her hand and walked toward a nearby stall. “I don’t anymore.”
When he was with her, there was nothing he could not tolerate. Sophia could not help but smile when she heard his reply. “I hope you don’t regret your decision later.”
The moment the good-looking couple walked in, the staff immediately went over to greet them, “What would you like to have?”
Sophia found a two-seater table by the side and said, “We’ll have a look at the menu first.”
The food choices were limited when it came to supper. In the past, Sophia went out with Katherine for supper very often, so after she took a quick glance at the menu, she handed it to Alexander. “Take a look and see what you want to have.”
It was indeed Alexander’s first time patronizing such food stalls. Although he grew up in a loveless family, money was never lacking in the Xenos family. Furthermore, his friends around him were of similar status. Since money was not an issue for all of them, they had always splurged when it came to food.
Their most humble time was perhaps during their high school days when they ate in the school cafeteria. Once Alexander went to university, he never stayed in the dorm and certainly did not eat food from cafeterias anymore.
There was nothing weird on the menu except for the obvious oil stains. Alexander looked at Sophia and saw no sign of disdain on her face, so he suppressed his discomfort. “I’ll take the oatmeal then.”
“How about some barbeque?”
Sophia pretended not to see the expression that just flashed across his face. Instead, she asked the stall owner for some napkins and placed them in front of him. “Maybe, we can go somewhere else.”
“What would you like to eat?”
Sophia snorted lightly and replied, “I like this and this, and also this one.”
“All right then. We’ll order these.” As he was talking, he raised his hand to get the server’s attention. “Hi, we—”
Not wanting to make things difficult for Alexander anymore, she stopped him and said, “Forget it. Let’s go somewhere else.”
Alexander frowned and looked confused. “Why?”
“I don’t feel like eating these all of a sudden.” Alexander eyed her for a while before responding, “Actually, I can—”
“No, it’s okay. Let’s just go.”
In the end, the two of them went somewhere else for supper. Given the time that Alexander had arrived at her place, he most likely had not had dinner yet. For someone as affluent as he was, Sophia doubted that his tummy could stand the hunger.
It was late once they were done with supper, so Alexander sent her back to the Dawson residence.
During their absence, the fireworks display ended. It was now very quiet in the neighborhood.
Sophia unbuckled her seatbelt but did not get out of the car immediately. She turned and looked at Alexander. “I had a good time tonight.”
That was the happiest birthday she had ever had since she turned seventeen.
She had her family and the man she loved with her. Alexander reached out to caress her face before saying, “I will do my best to make you happy for the rest of your life.”
By now, Sophia was already used to the flirtatious way Alexander spoke. Although blushing, she was much calmer than the first time she heard such things.
The corners of her eyes crinkled, and she leaned forward to kiss him on his lips. “Goodnight, Alexander.”
Her scent overpowered his senses. Before Alexander could react, the heat on his lips was gone. Sophia had already moved away when he returned to his senses.
He looked at her with those dark eyes of his. “Goodnight.”
Sophia chuckled softly before she opened the car door and got out.
Alexander watched her walk into the mansion, and he touched his lips.
The rest of the Dawson family was asleep, so Sophia tiptoed her way upstairs.
When she saw that the light on the second floor was still on, she was slightly taken aback. “Lukas?”
Sophia nodded. “Lukas, were you waiting for me?”
“Grandpa told me to wait up for you.”
As he said that, he got up from the couch and looked at her before asking, “Did you enjoy yourself tonight?”
Sophia glanced at Lukas before nodding in embarrassment. “Yes, very much.”
“Good,” he said before rubbing her head. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Go and sleep then.”
Initially, Sophia thought Lukas was going to question her about something else. She did not expect him to caress her head and allow her to go to bed.
Sophia eyed Lukas once more and saw that he meant what he said. His serious expression told her that he was not kidding around, so she replied, “Take a good rest too, Lukas.”
“Hmm… Yes, I will.”
At least, Alexander knows how to behave himself today.
Lukas returned to his room. Before sleeping, he walked to the balcony and glanced outside.
In the darkness, the black car was still parked under the streetlights.
It was very late. Yet, he had not left.
Lukas frowned as he closed the sliding door before returning to his bedroom.
At the end of the day, they’re still young people.
After Sophia returned to her room, she also looked out from her balcony.
Unsurprisingly, Alexander had not left yet.
She took out her phone and sent him a message.
After receiving her message, Alexander looked up and sent a brief response before driving away slowly.
Once the car was out of sight, Sophia smiled to herself as she turned to head inside.
