Angela handed her teacup to the man across from her. “Could you pour me another cup of tea?”
Richard lifted the old teapot and poured her another cup of tea.
Angela held the teacup in both hands to warm her hands before tasting the tea in small mouthfuls.
Richard’s lips curved into a barely perceptible smile as he stared at her with great interest.
Angela was drinking her tea when she looked up and saw the smiling eyes of the man across from her. Feeling embarrassed for a few seconds, she quickly put down her teacup and started to survey the place.
The restaurant could be described as simple and crude, but it had quite an old time feel to it. When the dishes were
finally served, Angela found that she hadn’t eaten such fresh and tasty food in ages. She picked up a piece of garlic bread and started to gorge herself without her usual grace.
Sitting across from her, Richard couldn’t help finding the sight of her eating amusing. He wasn’t that hungry, but being able to see her eating so happily put him in a good mood.
Angela finished two servings of food at one go. When she let out a burp in the end, she covered her mouth in embarrassment, wishing that the ground would open and swallow her up. All she had eaten was a chicken stir-fry, a green salad, and a bowl of mushroom soup that went very well with the garlic bread, but they were all very delicious. “They’re so yummy,” she praised.
Richard stood up and left to pay the bill.
Miraculously, it stopped raining outside at this very moment. However, it was pitch-dark all around. As there weren’t any streetlamps here, many went around with the aid of flashlights.
It was still evening when they came. At this moment, however, the night was pitch-dark.
As soon as Angela stepped onto the little street outside the restaurant, Richard turned on the flashlight on his cell phone to illuminate their way back, taking her hand naturally in his. She tried to pull her hand out of his grasp, but she couldn’t; the man was holding her hand in a firm grasp.
“Richard, let go of me, okay? I can walk on my own,” Angela pleaded.
“The roads here aren’t smooth. It’s safer to let me take you by the hand.”
“It’s really not necessary. My eyesight is excellent,” Angela replied.
Just then, she suddenly heard the sound of a dog barking fiercely from an alley nearby. Frightened, she hurriedly hid on the other side of the man and clutched his trench coat tightly. “There’s a dog!”
Unfortunately, the dogs here weren’t chained up or kept inside their homes; they could run out and bark at people anytime. When heard what she thought was the sound of the dog bolting toward her, she was so frightened that her legs turned to jelly. “It’s heading this way!”
Just then, Richard stretched out his arm and took her into his arms.
In the midst of nervousness, Angela didn’t realize at all that she was hiding in the embrace of the broad-chested man and hugging him around the waist.
The dog did rush out and bark furiously at the two, but it dared not come near, as though it had a tremendous fear of Richard’s silhouette.
Richard pretended to brandish his umbrella at the dog.
Frightened, the dog hurriedly fled back into the dark alley while letting out howls of fright.
Hearing that the dog had left, Angela finally realized that she was clutching the front of Richard’s trench coat and burying her head in his chest like a coward, Feeling embarrassed, she quickly let go of him and took a step back.
The next second, however, the man. stretched out his arm and clasped her in his arms, pressing her against his chest so that his chin rested on her head.
Then, a sulky voice sounded, saying, “You hide in my arms when you’re afraid and run away from me when you’re done hiding, do you?” Angela turned red with embarrassment while feeling both ashamed and angry at her lack of courage. “Sorry,” she apologized.
