In fact, when Anita said that she couldn’t see in front of her, it was more due to the guilt of taking off his clothes. She was just touching the sleeve of his jacket when she felt something in her hand. Anita, whose senses had become more sensitive due to not being able to see clearly, was startled. Before she could withdraw her grabbed hand, he pinched Anita’s hand with his fingers.

“If it’s uncomfortable, let me know.”

Uncomfortable? Rather, Anita wanted to ask him the same. Isn’t it uncomfortable? The raindrops falling sporadically seeped through the hands clasped together.

Her flushed face cooled down as the cold raindrops falling from her hair. Perhaps it was fortunate that he had flipped the jacket to cover her face.

She had to lower her head and walk because if she raised her head, the clothes on her head might fall off.

Rutger seemed to have said something. Maybe he advised her to watch the ground and walk, or to stop fussing and move faster.

There were brightly lit shops all over the street, but it was a bit awkward to go through such narrow alleys.

“Wait a moment.”

Anita stopped her steps, and to confirm where they were, she pushed up the jacket. It seemed that he didn’t like her looking outside for a moment, and his large hand lowered the jacket again.

“It will only take a moment.”

This time, Anita pulled the jacket away completely. She handed the clothes to him, seemingly unwillingly, and he took the jacket forcibly.

“Follow me.”

Anita dragged him along. Rutger seemed quite dissatisfied, but fortunately, he didn’t say anything and followed Anita.

The cafe where Anita worked had its lights off. Apparently, the owner said he was going on vacation for a few days, and today seemed to be the day. Of course, the locked door was not a problem for Anita. The real problem was elsewhere.

Anita stood at the entrance of the cafe and hesitated for a moment. The original plan did not include bringing Rutger here.

“Why did you come here? The lights are off, didn’t you notice that the door is closed?”

Anita half-listened to Rutger’s words and quickly turned around. the rain seemed to be coming down harder than since they arrived. Without an umbrella or raincoat, she didn’t want to go back to the dormitory through this heavy rain.

Anita rummaged through her pocket. Among the miscellaneous items that should have been thrown away long ago, a few keys were rolling around in her pocket. After searching for a while, Anita found the key to the shop.

“What’s that?”

Looking at the key Anita pulled out, he seemed puzzled and threw a questioning glance.

Whether he said anything or not, Anita couldn’t insert the key and rolled it in her hand for a while.

The things she had promised not to break when she first came to Aberdeen were crumbling one by one. She had vowed not to get involved with him again. Now, that decision seemed useless. She wanted to find a place he would never look for.

Anita sighed softly and finally inserted the key into the keyhole. With a clink, the door opened.

When has life ever gone perfectly as planned?

At least, Anita couldn’t remember.

Rutger stared at Anita with a face that even felt a sense of betrayal. Whatever he said or not, his gaze stubbornly followed Anita. Anita tried to ignore it and entered the staff break room to find a dry towel.

When Anita handed him a towel to wipe off the rain, his gaze still contained dissatisfaction.

“I’ve been working here for quite some time.”

“You…”

“I didn’t have to tell you, you’re not my diary, and I don’t need to tell you every little thing, do I?”

Anita, who was afraid he might ask a difficult question, quickly spat out her response. His lips, which seemed to want to say something, closed again. Rutger received the towel Anita handed over without saying anything.

“Sorry, but can you just stand on the entrance mat? The floor is slippery.”

“You really are something.”

He grumbled but obediently headed toward the entrance. Anita quickly grabbed the hem of his clothes, trying to change the atmosphere with a joking remark, but she didn’t expect him to take it so seriously.

He seemed reluctant to accept that Anita had grabbed him. 

“It was a joke.”

She tried to say it shamelessly. However, feeling embarrassment from his gaze, she unintentionally trailed off.

“…”

He just looked down at Anita without saying a word. The ensuing silence gradually became uncomfortable. Anita fidgeted with her fingers.

“I know.”

Rutger glared at her, then reached out a hand. The speed at which his hand moved closer was so slow that Anita could have easily dodged it if she’d wanted to, However, while Rutger seemed to have deliberately extended the time, Anita was frozen and unable to move.

When his hand finally touched Anita’s hair, she unconsciously held her breath, like a person submerging underwater.

“Wipe off the moisture from your hair. You might catch a cold.”

Ha. The breath she had been holding was released with a sigh of relief.

Still, he seemed unsatisfied. He even took the trouble to cover Anita’s head with the towel. She continued to squeeze the towel to pretend to dry her hair for a long time. She didn’t want to see how messy she must have looked without looking in the mirror.

“Do you want some tea?”

Anita said, turning around, still holding the towel over her head.

“Whatever you’re drinking.”

Rutger, didn’t make the slightest effort to read the menu. Taking his order, Anita went into the kitchen. She turned on the gas stove and boiled water. Anita stared blankly at the boiling water.

Outside the shop, raindrops were fiercely hitting the window. The street was so deserted that it seemed difficult to distinguish the front due to the heavy rain.

While leaning on her chin and watching the rain outside, Anita took out two cups from the drawer.

“You’ll have to pay me later.”

Anita placed two steaming cups in front of him and said.

He took the glass  Anita handed him, responding with a nonchalant tone.

“Sure, whatever.”

He was joking this time.

Becoming a pathetic person who brought it first and then asked for money, Anita looked at him with a puzzled face as she awkwardly sipped the drink.

“You have such preferences?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve never seen you drink something like cocoa.”

There was no such thing as Anita’s taste; she’d just grabbed the cocoa powder because it was the closest thing on the shelf and she couldn’t be bothered to think about it any longer. Anita decided not to mention it. Rutger looked back and forth between the mug of cocoa and her, as if he had discovered something very interesting.