Chapter 28 - Is This Really A Date?

Ethan took out the transparent earpiece, and after a moment of hesitation, he kept it in his ear as he tapped it twice, "Ethan Frey. Please state your reason for attempting communication."

A monotonous female voice sounded from the other side to this surprise instead of Nuan's voice which he was expecting to hear.

"Uh…I want to talk to Mr. Nuan Moon. He should be the head of—"

"Please stand by. We will get back to you soon."

"Eh? Hello? What did you mean by that? Hello?" To Ethan's surprise, the call got cut off after the woman told him to simply stay put.

"Ha…I hope they won't show up before my house," Ethan shook his head with a sigh and still wondered if what he was doing was the best option.

However, he thought about his mother's situation again and didn't feel any hesitation anymore.

*Ting!*

Suddenly, Elden received a message on his phone, and to his surprise, it was from Sui,

[ Ethan…can you meet me at Broadway Park within an hour? Come alone and don't tell anyone about our meeting. I have something very important to tell you. ]

'Is she indirectly asking me out for a date?' Ethan couldn't help but think that since Broadway Park was a famous spot for couples to go on dates and he couldn't help but feel astonished. Sui had never sent him a message like this, and her words also made it sound a bit secretive, just like sneaking out for a date.

'Nah…don't get ahead of yourself, Ethan. She probably just wants to tell me something that must be bothering her,' Ethan decided to not keep his hopes up but just go and see her to find out the reason himself. He knew Sui was not the type to ask out on a date like this.

Still, he wondered if meeting her this morning had something to do with this message.

And that didn't stop him from putting on the best clothes he could find and also combing his hair neat and nice while spraying some deodorant here and there.

And when he came down to eat, both Lena and Alina, who were waiting for him at the table, had a blinking expression upon seeing him looking smart and fresh, especially since he was wearing a blue blazer with a white t-shirt underneath and beige pants.

Alina's gaze unconsciously got fixed on him, but then she smiled and asked, "Ethan, are you going out already?"

"But where are you going this early while dressing so nicely?" Lena curiously asked with a hint of surprise in her tone.

Ethan knew these two would ask him this, and so he said candidly, "It's nothing. I have a meetup with my project mates in some park to discuss our college project. It's a Saturday, so we decided to do it today."

Lena parted her lips as she nodded and said, "Oh, then you should at least eat your breakfast before you go. Your aunt seems to have made yet another tasty dish for you."

Alina couldn't help but smile as she expectantly looked at Ethan sitting down at the table, right beside her, while Lena was sitting on the opposite side.

She eagerly placed the plate full of spicy and seasoned meatballs before Ethan and said with a keen smile, "Here you go, Ethan. I made sure to make it soft and tasty enough for you to finish it all in one go."

"Thanks so much, aunt!" Ethan happily said as he popped one of the meatballs into his mouth and closed his eyes as he relished in its taste, feeling as if it was melting inside his mouth.

Alina's gaze was fixed on his mouth as she saw her chew her meatballs with a very blissful expression, making her unconsciously smile in happiness.

But she was so engrossed in watching him eat she didn't notice the time passing, and before she realized it, Ethan had emptied the entire bowl of meatballs and got up as he said eagerly, "That was really delicious, aunt. I wouldn't mind if you could cook them for me again."

"Anything for you, Ethan," Alina said with a radiant smile as she saw him rush out in a hurry after washing his hands.

"You really spoil him too much, Alina," Lena said with a helpless headshake.

"Who else other than me can spoil him?" Alina said with a soft smile.

—

After a while, Ethan finally reached Broadway Park, where he fiddled with his blazer with a bit of nervousness as he looked around to spot Sui. There were many couples walking past him, even high school couples, and all the way to married couples walking together.

The air was filled with romance, especially since it was a Saturday morning, and Ethan couldn't help but feel affected by the atmosphere around him.

"Ethan…you are early…" A cool and sweet yet familiar voice sounded from behind as Ethan turned around immediately, only to be surprised to see Sui standing right behind him. Her expression seemed cold as always but only upon a closer look can one see the soft smile that could melt the heart of any man. Her eyes were deeply peering into his as she kept gazing at him with a softened expression, making Ethan feel a bit flustered since she had never stared at him with such an…expression. It didn't seem like the way someone would look at their friend for sure.

And another fact that surprised him was the graceful yet modest-looking white sundress she was wearing along with a small handbag over her shoulder. It was loose-fitting with spaghetti straps and a wide neckline, revealing her exquisite collarbones. The dress was tighter around the waist, accentuating her perfect slim waist while its lower half was a full skirt. Overall, the dress gave her a soft, light, and feminine look that Ethan had never seen before. It was as if he had never seen this side of Sui in the past, making him wonder if she really called him for a surprise date. Was this the moment he had been waiting for?

"Is there something wrong with my dress? You keep looking at it. I should have known this kind of dress wouldn't suit me," Sui said in a dispirited voice as she lowered her gaze to look at her dress.

Ethan reeled himself back from his reverie as he immediately refuted her, "Of course, not. I was just surprised…you look more beautiful than ever."

Ethan had no idea where he got the courage to say that, but he just couldn't resist not saying what he felt.

Sui raised her head and looked at him with sparkling eyes as she gently touched his chest and said as she stroked downwards, "You are looking very handsome in this dress. It feels like a long while since I saw you like this."

Ethan felt his heartbeat increasing hearing her words and wondered what was going on here, but he was happy that she liked the clothes he was wearing.

She then grabbed his hand and interlocked her fingers with his as she said, "Let's just go to someplace else."

Ethan was again surprised seeing her hold his hand, but then he also locked his fingers with hers as he nodded, "Sure."

He felt as if she told him to come here for a good reason and was now feeling even more curious to know what it was.

Broadway Park was very crowded yet spacious enough for people to walk around, and it was only a matter of time before Ethan and Sui also slipped into the crowd and kept walking while talking about various things.

But unlike how things usually were, it was Sui who was asking Ethan a lot of questions, most of them, he was not really expecting her to ask.

And they soon walked underground into a subway station which seemed quite empty, but Ethan didn't notice as he was happily conversing with Sui, feeling as if he had never felt so close to her like now.

She was already hugging his arm to her soft chest while resting her head on his, all of them which felt like obvious signs to Ethan that Sui probably wanted to confess her feelings for him!

"Your arm feels so warm…like always," Sui said in a soft voice and then suddenly stopped walking as she looked at Ethan, whose pupils appeared dilated as he looked at her face that looked more stunning than ever before, especially her glimmering blue eyes.

She gently grabbed his hand and pressed it against her soft chest as she said while maintaining her gaze with his, "Ethan…do you feel that…my heartbeat?"

Ethan felt his mind going blank upon this sudden turn of events, but he somehow ignored the soft feeling of her soft yet firm breasts as he was surprised by how fast her heart was rapidly beating. It was no slower than his or maybe even more!

'She likes me that much?'

"By this, I am sure you realize how much I have always liked you and always will…I have only had eyes for you the entire time, but I never said anything to you because I…I was not ready. But now I realize how stupid I was to not tell you how much I longed for you. But more importantly…you feel the same for me, right? Or did I misunderstand?" Sui asked as her expression softened while looking at him with a besotted expression.

Ethan had no idea how things came to this, but he decided to not hold back anymore as he held her hand and pressed it against his chest as well, "You can feel my heartbeat as well, right…Do you think you have misunderstood my feelings for you? I have always liked you as well but never had the courage to tell you."

Sui's fair cheeks began to redden as her expression became dazed upon sensing his heart rapidly beating. Her lips arched into an pure smile, and before Ethan could realize it, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer as his lips got plundered by her.

Ethan's body stiffened for a moment but then relaxed as he hugged her slender waist and relished in the warm, passionate kiss while tasting her soft velvety lips that seemed to melt into his mouth.

However, unbeknownst to him, a slender figure dressed in a sexy black spandex suit and wearing a half-mask was hiding behind the stairs. Her pupils shook and quivered as she saw the two exchanging such a loving kiss and silently took out a sharp dagger from behind her back.

She aimed it in their direction as if to throw it and hope to kill a certain someone!