Chapter 152 - Thief?

Raising his chin up, looking at him with her tear-filled, dark sullen gaze she held her anticipated silence for a few seconds. Eric was intensely gazing straight into her eyes, owning his small sad smirk and crossing his arms over his chest.

"You do love him so much, don't you?" Watching her all mute, he repeated his words again.

"How...do you...know..." Her voice trailed off as if a surge of crying out aloud choked her throat.

"Look at the picture and monitor the smile you had on your face when you were with clicking the picture with him. From the moment you are here, I can't even see a glimpse of this beautiful wide smile on your face, Miss Ricci." He conversed, taking a deep huff of breath out, shrugging his broad shoulder. 

Holding a guilt-stricken expression on her face, she clenched her fist and lowered her eyes down from him. She was clutching her skirt on her lap, keep her quivering lips silent. 

"Miss Ricci, why are you pretending so hard to act okay when you are absolutely not? I won't lie, it definitely irked me when I saw your screen wallpaper. But... I still deliberately wanted to see that smile of bliss on your face that has disappeared completely. I realized, the only person who can make your heart happy is...that guy. Isn't it?" 

Hearing his deep heartfelt answer, Eva couldn't suppress her tears anymore and burst into tears, wailing out bitterly. She covered her mouth with her hand, lowered her head down, and whimpered tearfully, "I...I...am sorry...hic... You...You are right...I...I am not happy at...all! I am not okay from the inside! I...I still love him... I mi...miss him so much that...It...It hurts me so bad...hic..." 

"Finally...Finally, you are honest with yourself, Miss Ricci." Watching her wrecking down into tears, he tenderly laid a soft white handkerchief right in front of her on the table, seeming a bit sad for her. Neither she touched his handkerchief, nor she raised her chin above. Lowering her head down, she continued grieving heavily.

"Loving someone truly doesn't mean the way of destiny would be always full of roses and bloom. Sometimes, loving someone also means you gotta take a few steps back from each other to know what your heart actually wants! Either the two of you can one another more deeply than earlier...or you can grow toxic towards each other. That's the only outcome we will be always left with."

He was whispering in a soft tone, looking deep down at her grimace which was facing downwards. "In your case, I guess, both of you might have a bad breakup. But you must have realized until now, that the only person who can be the reason for your true happiness is that person, confined in your screen and also in your heart. And that's why, I also think you shouldn't have come here, Miss Ricci." 

"I...didn't want to disappoint...Clara by rejecting her offer brutally... After all, all she wanted is to... see me happy...hic... For my whole life...I have been nothing but... a disappointment towards others...I...I have even hurt the man I love in a brutal way a person could! Although...I still know... he will choose to bear his...every pain alone without bothering me once... And...that's what is breaking me from inside... 

I love him so much...but I can't run towards him... I feel I am...tied with unseen shackles of pain around my feet and...that's why...I am striving hard...to find the answer within myself... I am broken from inside... I want him back but...I just can't muster the courage... I can't..." She was groaning in pain, wiping her tear-soaked face lowering her eyes down.

"There must be some grave reason behind your anticipation, Miss Ricci. But...you have to honest with yourself. If your heart can't be happy around others, you will never be able to love someone again apart from that man. 

If you want to start over or walk away forever, the choice will be solely dependent on you. But...you can't fool yourself with lies and consolations. Love doesn't work that way." His proclamation sounded quite impulsive and sentimental towards her feelings.

Nodding her head in obeyance, Eva took a deep breath in and raised her chin up to look at him vividly. Softly, she tossed a small sad smile on her face but this time, her sneer was pure and sincere which he could feel. Eric smiled back at her a bit wistfully and chose to stay numb for a while, looking at each other.

....

Soon, both of them stepped out of the cafe in gentle, cordial footsteps, walking right next to each other. While they reached outside, both of them stood opposite, facing each other much bravely than being awkward.

"So, Miss Ricci...I hope you will never attend blind dates like this till the day your heart would finally choose to heal. Be the strong-willed woman you were in your life and...always be honest to your feelings." He was murmuring with a meek simper on his face, putting his hands back into the pocket and gawking at her.

"Thank you, Mr. Eric...for making me realize that I wasn't being honest with myself at all... I...I will keep your advice in mind and will never attend blind dates unless I will really be able to move on with my heart." She reciprocated, sounding much comfortable around him than before. 

"Alright, then should I call a cab for you?"

"No...it's not much far from the place I am staying in. Again...I am sorry, Mr. Eric." 

"That's fine, you don't have to be sorry so many times. I feel...I am being constantly rejected by you in that way, haha." A modest chuckle escaped from his lips as he scraped his neck, trying to avert his gaze from her. She smirked at his humble gesture and politely nodded her head.

After waving their arms at each other, both of them started to walk away on the contrary path, this time holding a pleasant appearance on their eloquence. Eric halted his motion for a second and took a glance back at her from behind while she was strolling slowly a few steps far from him. Tossing a heavy huff of breath out, he looked away from her.

"Mr. Eric?"

All of a sudden, he was startled by the sudden call from her and quickly peeked his glance back. Eva was standing and gazing at him with a fond smile, gripping her handbag tighter.

"Yes?"

"You are a good man, Mr. Eric. I hope, you find someone who will be good enough for you too." She whispered her kind wish and waved her hand at him softly.

Eric stood still watching her with a smile and nodding his head in response. Slowly she turned around and kept heading in the forward direction. He was gawking at her from behind and took a deep breath inside.

"She is a nice woman too. I wonder... if I am gonna stay single forever at this rate..." Wondering inside with a soft chuckle, he took a step forward but all of a sudden, his feet halted as his eyes ran down the ground, startling him hard. 

On the ground at a distance far from the cafe, there was lying a purple shimmering small ladies' purse which looked quite expensive enough at the first glance. Curiously he bent down and picked up the purse, impertinently gazing at it. 

But soon, his eyeballed surged wider in shock as he looked at the brandmark and he gulped his saliva anxiously.

"A Gucci purse? I doubt...it will be crazy expensive judging from the fashionable look! But... what is this purse doing here lying in the middle of the road? I wonder...if someone has dropped it by mistake... Damn, that owner must be so perplexed right now..." He was mumbling all by himself, gazing at the purse sternly.

.

"HEY!"

Suddenly, he heard a loud, vicious roar of a woman from behind which flinched him harder. Bewildered at the loud tone, he quickly shifted his gaze behind and it seemed as if his heart paused for a moment. 

Flaunting her shimmering beautiful wavy hair down her shoulder in the night breeze, Ivory was standing behind looking like an ethereal goddess, utmostly beautiful. Eric was staring at her dazzling bright perfectly crafted grimace keeping his eyes wide open in awe. For a moment, his heart seemed to stop beating when she gallantly walked a few steps towards him.

"How dare you touch my purse, you damn thief!" She grumbled out furiously.

"What? Thief?" Reviving his senses back at her loud accusation, he gulped his saliva anxiously. "Do you mean by this purse? Is it yours?" 

"Don't try to be freaking innocent! You picked my purse trying to steal it away and now acting like a fool? Wait...I am gonna sue you!" She roared at him, impulsively glaring with her fierce eyes.