She had thought that Simon was the exception, only to find that he was a liar too.
Emma did not know what had happened between her and Samuel. When she learned that Bertha was going back to Switzerland, she asked her out for lunch. Since Bertha did not want to ruin Emma’s fun, she agreed to go. She was not expecting the lunch date to be at Samuel’s house, though.
She wanted to leave, but she smelled the aroma of her favorite dish from the kitchen. She had left Centville for a year and missed her home country’s food. No matter what, she just could not get used to European food. Bertha’s feet were rooted to the floor, and Samuel came out of the kitchen.
+15 BONUS
“Come on, try it and see if this is what you want.”
The sight of her wanting to leave but also wanting to stay made a teasing look appear in Samuel’s eyes. Even after so many years had passed, Bertha remained the same. She was still as pure and adorable as before.
When Bertha met his burning gaze, her cheeks turned red, and she cleared her throat awkwardly. Meanwhile, all Emma could think about was the food, and she did not notice the strange interaction between the two people beside her. She dragged Bertha to
the table, who picked up the cutlery reluctantly. Before they ate, Bertha looked at Samuel and said, “I’m only here because of
Emma.”
The moment the food entered her mouth, the familiar taste assaulted her senses. Right then, Bertha thought that she was back
home in Centville. Her sparkling eyes made Samuel laugh.
“Why are you laughing? Do I look funny when I eat?”
Samuel shook his head in resignation and put more food on her plate. “No. But if you like it, you can come here every day.”
“Really?”
Bertha was so excited that she jumped to her feet. Being able to eat the food she liked in a foreign country was not an easy feat.
Samuel’s heart started beating faster, but he pretended to be calm as he smiled and nodded. “But if that’s the case, we’ll have to be friends.”
At first, Bertha did not notice anything strange. But after their meal, Emma had to rush off to her part–time job and did not have time to send her to the airport. So, Samuel sent her there on the excuse that they were friends. Right then, Bertha realized that she had fallen into his trap.
However, Samuel did not give her a chance to say no,
He wrapped a scarf around Bertha’s neck and mumbled, “It’s cold out there. Remember to wear more layers next time.”
The smell of his cologne wafted into her nose and enveloped her. It slowly melted her heart, and her face burned again. She bit down on her lip and looked elsewhere to divert her attention, but her actions did not escape Samuel’s eyes.
“Why are you looking away? Am I that scary?”
Samuel bent down and tilted his head as he drew closer to her. She was completely captivated by the gentleness in his eyes, and she even started stuttering, “I–It’s nothing.”
Samuel said nothing and held her hand with a smile as he sent her to the airport.
