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HAVING remembered their original purpose in coming, the two stopped by a number of stores to do some shopping, and in the process she spotted a familiar face, as often happens to anyone when wandering about the city.
“Ah, Lucian!” Oriana gasped. She panicked the moment she realized her classmate was headed their way. She glanced up at Vincent, who seemed to have located him as well.
“Should we say hello?” Vincent wondered.
“Uh, no, um… I mean, if we did, he’d probably just make a fuss, which would be annoying.”
Those weren’t the most convincing reasons. So what if he made a fuss? So what if he was annoying? It didn’t even sound like a proper excuse. And yet, as she fidgeted there restlessly, Vincent nodded.
“In that case, let’s hide,” he said.
“R-Right.”
Really? He’s actually going to hide with me? But we’re not even doing anything that would warrant hiding. Most people didn’t usually hide unless they had something to feel guilty about. All they had to do was confidently say hello. Then again, this was Lucian they were talking about; he lacked all delicacy and would probably grill her for all the details of their outing. Worse, he’d likely try to tag along afterward.
I wonder if Vincent finds our time together too precious to waste, the same way I do.
Oriana hurried after him into an alleyway. The space was cramped, but the bigger problem was there was nothing there to hide behind.
“And get this, after that, the guy…”
“Come on, stop screwing with me.”
The conversation between Lucian and his friend trickled into their ears. If they stayed here, standing next to one another, they were practically begging to be found. Seeing the panic on her face, Vincent’s expression hardened. He stooped down closer to her.
“Oriana, my apologies.” He yanked her toward him, wrapping his arms around her.
Oriana was so shocked she was speechless. The difference between them in height made it so that he was practically enveloping her, his nose bumping against the top of her head.
“Vin—”
“Shh.” Air whistled past his teeth in a simple but effective order.
As Vincent breathed, the hot air from his mouth poured through the strands of her hair, sinking into her scalp. He had one hand wrapped around her head and was pressing her face into his chest. She knew it was to help keep her hidden, which was why she closed her mouth and refrained from speaking.
While Vincent stood there holding her, he kept his back turned toward the main thoroughfare where Lucian and his friend were chatting. Vincent looked different than usual in these clothes, so there was no way Lucian would be able to recognize him with only a brief glance. As the seconds passed, Lucian and his friend’s voices began to fade into the distance.
Lucian was surely gone by now, which meant there was no risk of them being found. And yet for some reason, Vincent didn’t release Oriana, though he didn’t strengthen his embrace either. He simply stood there, frozen, his arms circled around her.
He smells of cedarwood and sweat. This was the first time she had ever been this close to him. They were both so aware of the other’s presence that, even amid the din of the city, they could still make out the sound of each other’s breathing.
Vincent’s chest slowly rose and fell. Though he had his arms around her, there were at least two hands worth of space between the two. Even so, his chest filled her vision. She was struck by the sudden urge to touch him. His neck was so close, and she longed to loop her arms around it. She wanted to throw herself at his chest, to feel every part of him. She wanted him to cradle her like a precious porcelain doll while she basked in the moment and thought of nothing else.
The moment Oriana started to move her arms, Vincent must have sensed it because he jerked away. “Ahem, I’m sure we should be in the clear now.”
“Oh, right.” Having been thrust unceremoniously back into reality, Oriana bobbed her head over and over.
The two peeked out from the alleyway, but Lucian didn’t seem to be in the vicinity anymore.
“Looks like he’s gone,” Oriana said.
“That’s good.”
“Yup.”
“Really, it is.”
“Yep, sure is.”
“Yeah.”
Their replies had turned perfunctory at some point, but neither one seemed eager to point as much out.