Chapter 33：Did Neil Like Lia?

A cool feeling filled Lia's heart, or maybe like a ray of sunshine on a very bright spring.  Clouds did not appear in the sky, only thin clouds were scattered.  Everything seemed clear, everything seemed colorful, and everything looked very beautiful.  Lia smiled a few times subconsciously, and she didn't realize how stupid her smile was at that time.

Meanwhile, Neil was still nagging.  He was like a boy who was presenting how his summer vacation was, which was filled with many vacations in various exotic places, and he couldn't wait to show it off to his classmates.

"I do think that something happened to you.  I tried to trace the place where we met, around the bus stop.  I even drove my car quickly that morning.  I thought if only I could find you there, just getting off the bus, then I'd be back home feeling relieved.  But I still can't find you."  Neil stopped his speech.

"Eh, sorry for being rude."  Neil moved awkwardly, and then picked something up in Lia's damp hair, pressed against her cheek.  Neil's strong and sturdy hand moved gently, lightly touching the edge of Lia's cheek skin.  He got something in his hand and waved it in front of Lia's eyes.

"Dry leaves, or maybe wet leaves.  And or maybe dry leaves that get wet."  Neil chuckled to himself.  He stretched his body backward, turned slightly towards his seat, and looked for a trash can to throw away the dry leaves that were wet from the rain.  There's nothing strange about Neil.  It felt great to have helped someone with small and simple things.

His gentle smile warmed the cold, and the ice melted in one breath.

Lia was stunned for a moment, forgetting that her heart exploded because the skinship was so short.  When Neil's fingertips touched the edge of her cheek skin, she felt a heat sting her, making the turmoil in her stomach suddenly uncontrollable, like lots of butterflies flying and making a riot.  Lia wanted to cover up that expression, but in the end, she just became a stupid girl in love.

"Why?  Is there something wrong?"  Neil became confused, at the change in Lia's facial expression.  He had never seen Lia so empty, not even when she was sleeping, or even drunk.  Neil was still able to see life on Lia's face, even when she didn't show the life itself.

Starting to feel even more uncomfortable, because Lia didn't respond at all.  What Neil saw was an empty Lia with a faint smile etched, with an intention that was hard for Neil to guess.

Until finally Lia woke up after Neil gently patted her fragile shoulder.  A small, gentle touch had now become a wonderful link to Lia's consciousness. Wasn't this a very obvious form of dependency?  And wasn't this the time Lia decided that she had to get Neil as her lover?

"Oh, sorry, I was daydreaming about something."  Lia's fingers pulled a few strands of hair that were scattered on her face, then tucked them behind her ears in a very soft and spoiled feminine movement.  But Lia did it as naturally as possible. She wanted to impress Neil imprecisely.  Lia wanted to approach Neil but she didn't want to look cheap.

Neil laughed out loud, his face was red, and even sweat was dripping from the pores of his small face.  Neil had very soft and healthy skin.  At the end of his laugh he said, "Gosh, you're so funny.  I feel great to be able to laugh so freely after this."  Then he took a deep breath as if releasing all sorts of troubles that were filling his head.  His hands wiped the tears that were running down the corners of his eyes and he wiped his runny nose.

Lia was stunned for a moment.  For some reason, she felt that Neil was telling her about his life problems.  Neil seemed to say "Lia, I have so many problems in my life.  I need you to comfort me."  Everything was seen in Lia's eyes, all of them urged Lia to act immediately and became a hero and also a place to lean on for Neil.

This was a golden opportunity!

Once again Lia tucked her hair behind her ear.  She gave a small smile before speaking.  "Haven't you been able to laugh out loud lately?  Umm, do you have a problem?"  Lia tried hard to look sympathetic, but when she saw Neil's handsome and gentle face, she couldn't help but smile stupidly.  It shattered the serene impression she was working so hard to build.

"Well, yeah everyone has problems, right?  Both me, you, and everyone in this world.  It's all-natural."  Neil nodded before he took a sip of his hot coffee.  He smacked his lips a few times, looking satisfied with the taste of the coffee he had just bought.

Lia glanced at the coffee Neil was drinking.  When she falls in love then her eyes will be blinded by anything.  When she saw Neil, Lia would never stop smiling, her eyes would sparkle, and with every gesture of Neil's body, she would imitate down to a few small details.

When Neil licked his lips, Lia unconsciously did the same thing that made Neil think that Lia seemed to want to drink the coffee that he was drinking.  Neil leaned forward, then pulled a packet of coffee from the back pocket of his pants.  His hand moved to hand the coffee to Lia.

"You can make it now if you want.  I keep some in my trousers pocket.  At first, I just wanted to try, so I bought a few.  But the taste turned out to be good, and I'll decide to buy some more later before going home.  So take it!"

The packet of instant coffee with the original taste was now in front of Lia, on the tips of her rough fingers and her slightly cracked nails.  Usually, Lia would pay close attention to details about her body, and what she would show to the person she was meeting.  But Neil's charm distracted her.

Lia didn't take the packet of coffee, she just forgot about it.  All in her head right now was about Neil, what he liked, and whether Lia was one of them.

Lia unknowingly moved too much, she even squirmed like a girl flirting with a guy.  And a second later Lia asked, "Do you like black coffee?  What kind of coffee do you like?"  Then Lia asked for more things, beyond her control, and also outside her habits.  Everything just flowed, so urgent and as if pressing her so strongly.

Lia must free herself from the curiosity that gripped her heart, about Neil, about what he liked.

At the end of Lia's question, Neil froze.  He even gaped.  It was not quite clear what impression he had of Lia, and whether he realized that Lia liked him.  But what was certain was that in the end, Neil laughed again, exploding from before.  He even held his stomach, feeling cramped for a moment.

At the end of his giggling laugh, Neil said, somewhat panting, "I feel like an idol being chased by a lot of fans.  Gosh, this is the best day ever.  Thank you, Lia."  Neil patted Lia's shoulder repeatedly, while he continued his burst of laughter. He was so focused on himself that he forgot that there was a girl who loved him even more, and deeper.

***