3

Lucille likes silence. To her, it was comfortable and calming. It makes her think. It makes her breathe. It’s something that she enjoys very much.

But this silence was killing her. It was making her feel suffocated. The fast beating of her heart isn’t helping at all as well. If there’s one thing she could wish for right now, it is that she evaporate and disappear right at this spot.

His arms that Lucille didn’t know had been wrapped around her waist slowly loosened, his eyes landing behind her back.

“Do you need anything with my girlfriend?” the beautiful man asked and Lucille had to tilt her head a little, almost forgetting why everything happened.

The man that had been following her since earlier looked grim, a dangerous expression showing on his face as he glared in her direction before turning his back and leaving the two of them behind.

The moment she was sure that the dangerous man was already gone, that’s when Lucille was able to finally catch her breath.

She was close to crying and she can feel her knees shaking. Her ears were ringing and it was too loud, so deafening that she swears all she can hear was the loud beating of her heart.

Because of nervousness, Lucille’s knees wobble and Valentino was quick enough to catch her making sure she doesn’t fall to the ground.

A whimper escaped Lucille’s lips. What happened was too terrifying for her. At this point, her mind was already all over the place and the fact that just kissed a stranger hadn’t registered to her yet.

A deep voice that sent chills down her spine surprised her.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Lucille lifted her gaze and despite the fear that she had been feeling, she still noticed how his voice was laced with concern. But she shrugged it off. She’s a stranger to him. He’s probably just concerned because the danger she was in was very obvious.

“Oh, my God!” Lucille can’t help but exclaim. There was a panic in her voice and Valentino was a bit nervous. The moment he saw the man following her earlier, he was very quick to realize why she came up to him. And despite being unprepared for what she just did, knowing that she was safe will always be his top priority.

Danger had always been eminent to her reincarnations ever since then. And he hated the fact that the reason why they met again in this lifetime was that she was actually in danger.

“I am so sorry for suddenly kissing you! I was really panicking earlier and I saw you from afar so I pretended that I was with you!”

Her eyes were already misty and it breaks Valentino’s heart how the woman had to experience that.

A timid smile escaped his lips. He doesn’t want to show too much emotion to her. He doesn’t have any plans on being in her life. For years, he had been able to avoid her reincarnations and despite suddenly meeting her right now, he still wants to stick with his plans and avoid her.

He’ll treat this as an incident where their paths simply cross and they will never see again after this.

“It’s okay. I understand the moment I saw the man. He was actually carrying a knife and it was good that you approached me. It’s already late. You shouldn’t be wandering in her alone at this time,”

Lucille can’t take away her eyes off the man. His blue eyes seems like it was hypnotizing her, making her stare at him for a longer time.

She had seen a lot of men in suits as she had worked in the corporate world too. She had seen men with beautiful faces but none of them matches his.

He’s like a demigod. His face is perfect that if she wasn’t able to stop herself, she would have drooled in front of him.

How is he real?

“It’s late and I know you are probably still shaken by what happened. If you don’t mind, I’d drive you home just so I can be assured that you will be safe,”

Lucille wasn’t sure how to react to that. For one, something bad almost happen to her and she wasn’t sure she was already sane enough to make decisions. It was also not helping how she was easily distracted by his excessively handsome face.

Before she knew what was happening, she was already riding in the passenger seat of his car. And it’s everything she could imagine. His car smells like him, manly and it was annoyingly clean too.

“You can drop me off at the nearest convenience store. I need to buy things anyway and I am already thankful that you had helped me. I don’t wish to bother you anymore,”

The man was looking straight ahead and Lucille swears that his side profile was even more perfect.

“If that’s what you want,” he simply answered.

To Valentino, that would be better. He doesn’t have to know where she lives right now because he wasn’t really sure how much he would be able to control himself.

He was already doing so well and he doesn’t want to break his habit and come close to her again. He knows that doing so would just bring danger to her life and for some reason, he thinks that what happened tonight was also due to them being close.

And he doesn’t need that.

The car was eerily silent afterward and none wants to talk.

Lucille wanted to ask for his name but she feels nervous and embarrassed at the same time. She doesn’t want to seem like she wants to know him more. The fact that she suddenly kissed him earlier was already enough embarrassment.

Valentino had to control himself. He doesn’t want to look at her. Seeing her face would only make him weak.

She looks exactly as I remember…

He had to bite his lower lip to stop himself from asking how she was doing- if she was living a good life. Because that’s what he only wishes, for her to live a good life.

In no time, they were able to reach the convenience store after Lucille gave him directions. There was hesitation in both of them but Valentino tried his best not to show it.

‘I miss you…’ he wishes to tell her but he tried his best to keep that to himself.

“Are you sure you will be fine here?”

Lucille bites her lower lip as she tries her best not to feel things.

‘Get a grip of yourself, Lucille! Don’t show him how attracted you are to him!’ she tries to scold herself.

“Yes, mister. And thank you so much for the help earlier and again, I apologize for what I did. I know I must have invaded your personal space and I should have thought things through before taking in action,”

And it’s true that Lucille feels so bad for kissing the man. But only because she did that without consent and looking back, it was an asshole thing to do as well.

Valentino tried not to show any reaction.

“I understand why you did that and you don’t have to worry. Please make sure to be careful next time,”

“Thank you,” Lucille bowed, and even though she was still a little hesitant, she made a choice to reach out and opened the door on her side. After she was able to go out, she closed the door and bowed one last time. The window was down and Valentino just gave her a nod in acknowledgment.

Slowly, Lucille started walking towards the convenience store, trying her best not to look back.

She doesn’t understand why but as she walks away from him, there was this feeling of regret that was enveloping her system.