He licked his lower lip, seemingly embarrassed by his own confession; but the next moment, he smiled candidly, his eyes bright: “But now I know you love me too, so… even though I’m not yet used to this world, I feel at ease.”
Nelly could only hug him tightly back, expressing all her emotions with a single syllable: “Mm.”
She reached out to adjust the shirt collar inside Karl’s round-neck sweater, staring at his neck and suddenly asking: “When did you start working here?”
Karl was stunned, then pursed his lips and tilted his head slightly, a suspicious redness spreading across his face, his voice no longer as confident as before: “Just after the day I found you…”
Nelly raised an eyebrow and fell silent.
In her silence, Karl became visibly uneasy, lightly clearing his throat: “I wasn’t stalking you… I just heard you were studying here, so I found a part-time job.”
Seeing Nelly still silent, he grew more nervous, hastily adding: “I only happened to see you pass by twice, but you looked busy, so… so I didn’t stop you or tell you. Sorry.”
Nelly stared at him for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. She leaned on his shoulder, her laughter intermittent: “No, you don’t need to apologize, I’m not angry… I just imagined the scene, it’s too funny…”
Karl politely nodded along, smoothing her hair.
“By the way, I haven’t asked you,” Nelly wrapped her arms around Karl’s neck, slightly tiptoeing and rubbing noses with him, “How did you find me back then?”
Karl focused on her, deepening the smile at the corners of his mouth, mischievously teasing: “Secret.”
Nelly glared at him, slightly pouting, but before she could retort, Karl’s fingers slid from her hair to the back of her head, pulling her forward, and his warm lips pressed against hers.
Although he clearly tried to restrain himself, the passion of their reunion still leaked through their lip and tongue contact.
With only a flower rack and glass window separating them from the outside world, Nelly blushed and pushed against Karl’s chest, softly saying: “There are people outside…”
Karl seemed reluctant but still pressed her shoulder, moving behind the flower rack to grab the bag he hadn’t picked up earlier.
