Nelly suddenly felt the flower shop become empty. She turned to look at the bunch of seductive roses in front of her, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
“Like them?” Karl quickly returned to Nelly’s side, now wearing a thick coat and carrying a cloth bag. He casually picked up her backpack.
Nelly tilted her head: “I like the ones you grow.”
His gaze became even more tender, though his voice remained calm: “There will be.”
As they spoke, someone pushed open the door – a slightly shorter middle-aged man who raised his hand when he saw Karl: “I’m here to take over, hard work.” He noticed Nelly and paused, then showed a kind and teasing smile: “Oh, brought a girlfriend today?”
“Hello, Uncle Li,” Karl smiled smoothly at the shop owner, naturally taking Nelly’s hand, “I’ll help again tomorrow. It’s cold, please be careful riding home.”
Nelly was led out of the flower shop by Karl, looking up to see the deep blue sky darkening. Winter days get dark early, and streetlights were already on before work hours ended.
The weather was unexpectedly nice; Nelly exhaled, feeling warm despite the cold air.
“Oh, I should go back to my dorm to organize things…” Nelly saw two students pulling luggage and suddenly remembered her original important task.
Karl casually pulled up the hood of her cotton coat, glanced at the lit street lamps, and said matter-of-factly: “I’ll wait for you, I’ll take you home.”
Nelly awkwardly lowered her head: “You can wait here, or you’ll be noticed.”
Seeing him look a bit disappointed, Nelly softened and compromised: “Well… you can follow me to outside the dorm, but,” she reached out to pull down his coat’s hood and pressed the brim low, apologetically saying softly: “We won’t hide it from everyone forever, but for now, is this okay?”
Karl’s eyes, hidden under his bangs, reflected gentle lamplight, and he nodded.
Nelly walked to the dormitory area, turned back and waved to the tall, thin young man behind her: “I’ve mostly organized my things, I’ll be out soon. Go hide in the convenience store nearby from the wind.”
He obediently nodded. But when Nelly reached the dormitory entrance and looked back, he was still standing under the streetlight, his long shadow stretching beside him.
