Chapter 175 Chapter 175
“Um… okay,” she mumbled, eyeing him warily. His ego seemed to be the main reason why he had agreed to it, but she hoped he would have fun regardless. They stood in line for the ride and waited a few minutes for their turn.
He ended up scaring a few other visitors away with his death glare, so they had an entire row of seats to themselves. As soon as he sat down, Maxwell held on to the metal rail in front of him tightly while Valerie happily smiled to herself, anticipating the ride.
“This is going to be amazing.” she gushed.
“If you say so,” he grumbled, sitting stiffly in his seat.
The boat began to move back and forth slowly, but the higher it rose, the faster it became. Valerie giggled, raising her arms in the air and enjoying the wind in her hair. She squealed when the boat reached its highest point before it descended so fast her stomach dropped.
Maxwell, on the other hand, was quiet. So quiet that at first she completely forgot about him. It was only after a while that she gazed at him and found that he was pale. His face looked green, and he pressed his lips together furiously. They formed a firm line. His eyes were focused on the boat, glaring at it like it was his nemesis.
The swing slowed after a while and then stopped. They got up and left the ride, Maxwell staggering a bit since his legs were wobbly and he was dizzy. Valerie followed him, still excited about the ride.
“Maxwell, are you okay?” she asked concernedly once they left it behind and returned to the street leading through the park. She put her hand on his arm, inclining her head at him.
“Never been better,” he replied through clenched teeth, his body stiff as a board.
“Are you sure? We could sit down for a while,” she suggested.
He shook his head and proceeded to walk on like nothing was wrong. “As long as you enjoyed it, it was worth it,” he muttered under his breath.
It probably hadn’t been meant for her ears, but she picked his words up regardless, blushing. “You’re very sweet,” she whispered. “Even though you don’t look like it.”
The more time she spent with him, the easier it became to understand why she was his girlfriend. He was grumpy and rude, had a huge ego, and his arrogance was undisputed, but he was also very adamant about helping and supporting her. Even though she had forgotten about him, and he had no obligation to stay with her, he went above and beyond for her. She was flattered by this. Her heart swelled in her chest as tiny butterflies fluttered in her stomach.
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.
“Oh, um, I just…” she sputtered, getting flustered by his piercing gaze that gave her the sense he knew more about her than she was aware of. “I like you.”
He grinned cockily. “That’s nothing new, sugar.” He playfully ruffled her black hair, messing it up.
She sent him a slightly annoyed glance, trying to fix her messy hair before they continued on their way. It didn’t take long for Valerie to get Nicholas Clarke's eyes on something else that she loved. “Cotton candy.” she gushed after she spotted a nearby candy store.
She shyly took his hand, looking up at his face. “I want to get cotton candy,” she told him and pulled him after her towards the shop. He gave an amused snort and followed her quickly. The store offered three different flavors, and she had trouble picking one for herself.
“Which flavor is your favorite?” she asked him, tilting her head curiously.
“Strawberry,” he said, instantly triggering a memory.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his eyes moving over the strawberries on the kitchen counter and the cake dough she was working on. Valerie flinched in surprise, not having heard him arrive. She put her spoon in the sink and wiped her hands.
“What does it look like? I’m making your favorite: strawberry shortcake.” she smiled. “Last time, we kind of ruined it, but this time, it’s going to work out. I promise.”
His eyes lit up just hearing that, and he moved over to the strawberries to steal a few. “Hey, don’t snack on them.” she said, but he easily evaded her and ate the fruit before she caught him.
“You… Do you like strawberry shortcake?” she mumbled in awe. That was a surprise. His liking something sweet wasn’t something she would have expected. Maxwell continued to astonish her, defying all expectations she’d had of him since she had first seen him in the hospital.
“You remembered.” He grinned, looking both relieved and proud. “I see we are making progress today.”
Valerie flushed and returned his smile. “It’s all thanks to you,” she said softly. “You’ve been helping me so much. Maybe I could return the favor and bake for you?”
His very familiar and very smug smirk was back, lighting up his blue eyes. “Yes, you should.” he proclaimed. “You even promised me before you lost your memories.”
“I did? I’m sorry, Maxwell… I would have done it, had I remembered,” she said apologetically.
“Don’t worry, sugar. It’s not your fault,” he muttered. She swore she heard an ounce of remorse in his tone, but she couldn’t be sure. Confused and disheartened, she lowered her head. He didn’t like the sadness she felt and promptly led her closer to the candy store.
“Which flavor do you want?” he asked to distract her.
“Same as you,” she answered, and he ordered two for them. She excitedly took hers and put a whole cloud of it in her mouth, feeling pure bliss as the sweet taste covered her tongue.
“I love this,” she whispered, lingering near the candy store. Maxwell was too busy stuffing his mouth to answer her, and the sight prompted her to laugh. He had a piece of cotton candy stuck on his cheek. She reached out and flicked it away.
“You are a cotton candy addict, huh?” she smiled, her eyes twinkling in amusement.
“This stuff is great, so can you blame me? You, humans, have interesting food, I have to give you that.”
“You sound like you’re an alien,” she giggled.
He awkwardly cleared his throat, immediately denying it. “No, no. I’m not. Forget what I said, okay? Let’s move on, we haven’t seen the other rides yet.”
“Do you think we could check out the Ferris wheel?” she asked, since it wasn’t far away. The blue lights of the ride looked vibrant with the gray November sky as a backdrop. The Ferris wheel would allow them to see the entire park from above, and she never skipped this ride when she visited.
“Sure,” he replied while he finished his cotton candy and took her hand while they approached the entrance to the small gondolas. They were able to get in without having to wait, sitting in a gondola together.