Simply Because We Love Each Other - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

What an adorable girl.

Those four words kept circling through my mind, accompanied by the memory of her smile.

I was honestly surprised that she had taken the initiative like that. And, of course, I couldn’t have been happier.

I didn’t know why, but every time I saw her, I felt lighter somehow.

The truth was, I had already finished my work at home. I only came to the shop to make a few adjustments—and, conveniently, to watch her.

The way she wiped down the tables, carried cakes and drinks over to customers, or stood behind the counter smiling at people…

There was something incredibly captivating about her.

When I glanced at the clock, it was almost ten, but she still hadn’t gone home.

I got up, packed my things, and walked over to the counter to pay.

Without saying a word, I handed her the bill along with a small piece of paper.

On it, I had written in Chinese:

“Could I have your phone number, little girl? ^_^”

I had asked my cousin about her and learned that Chinese was her second language.

For some reason, that made me ridiculously excited.

It felt like there was some invisible thread connecting us.

After all, I had been learning Chinese since I was little. I had even lived in China until I finished second grade before moving back to Vietnam.

When she received the note, she looked at me with slight surprise.

Then she smiled.

Without saying a word, she wrote something on the paper:

“xxxx! 4USD.”

She handed it back to me and gave me a playful wink.

That little gesture completely caught me off guard.

Her eyes were monolids, yet large and perfectly round, always bright and full of life. Somehow, they made her look even more adorable.

I smiled, then turned and walked out of the shop.

We were falling in love.

He had asked for my phone number.

And he had even written it in Chinese.

For a moment, I wondered if he had somehow been keeping tabs on me.

Then I realized…

Okay, Daria. You’re seriously imagining things now.

Still, I carried that strange mixture of happiness and nervous excitement with me until our shift ended at ten-thirty.

As soon as I stepped outside and was about to wheel my motorbike out, I noticed someone standing beneath the tree beside the shop.

Someone very familiar.

He walked toward me.

“Getting home this late doesn’t scare you?” he asked. Then he smiled and added, “How about I escort you home?”

And he even winked at me.

“Uh… yes… of course.” I felt completely flustered. Inside, however, I was practically screaming with happiness. “Thank you.”

“Daria, hello. I’m Dieter.”

We just stood there looking at each other and smiling like idiots.

We probably would have stayed that way much longer if my phone hadn’t suddenly started ringing loudly.

It was my mother, worried sick because I still hadn’t come home.

When we finally reached my house, he didn’t forget to say,

“Daria, goodbye. Sleep well.”

For a moment, I just stood there, stunned.

Then I managed to mumble,

“Ah… you too. Call me when you get home.”

The moment I finished speaking, my face turned bright red.

I hurried inside without daring to look back at him.