Chapter 102 Only You Can Have Me
Walking out of the police station, Elysia was still fuming. She turned back to glare at the second-floor window and said angrily:
"I should have slapped Atticus a few more times back there. He's so infuriating."
Caroline linked arms with Elysia and walked toward the parking lot. "Mom, I already got what I wanted - making him apologize in front of his colleagues. That's more humiliating than slapping him."
Actually, among the three of them, Leopold wanted to teach Atticus a lesson the most, but given today's situation, he couldn't make too big a scene.
But he was keeping track of what happened today. Sooner or later, he would make sure Atticus learned his lesson.
The unpleasant incident at the wedding didn't affect their relationship, and Atticus was disciplined by his law firm for what happened at the wedding.
He was a smart guy. Caroline issuing a letter of understanding was already merciful. If things had really blown up, facing administrative penalties would be the least of his worries - he might even face criminal prosecution. If it came to that, he could forget about being a lawyer.
Leopold had originally planned to return to Solstice Mountain right away, but because of this incident, he decided to postpone his trip by two days to keep Caroline company.
When Caroline came out after her shower, she saw Leopold on the phone, apparently discussing hotel matters.
After he hung up, Caroline walked over and sat on his lap. "If the hotel's busy, just go back. I'm fine."
Leopold put down his phone and wrapped his arms around her. "It's not too busy these two days. Lily's at the hotel too, so it's fine."
"Don't let me interfere with your work."
In Caroline's mind, work and personal life should be kept separate, and she strongly disagreed with letting romance get in the way of career.
Leopold understood what she was thinking. "Don't worry, it won't." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Why don't you grow your hair long?"
Caroline answered his question with another question: "Do you like long hair?"
"Don't try to set a trap for me," Leopold said, gently biting her shoulder. Caroline let out a soft gasp and pulled down her collar to see a faint row of teeth marks. She adjusted her collar and said, "Back in high school, the school had a rule that girls couldn't have long hair. After I cut it, I thought it felt pretty refreshing, so I never wanted to grow it long again. If you like long hair, I can grow it out for you, but I can't promise I'll keep it that way."
Leopold laughed. "You don't need to change anything for me. Just be however you like. By the way, do you have any plans for Memorial Day weekend?"
Caroline wrapped her arms around Leopold's neck and thought for a moment. "In the past, I'd either stay home or take a short trip with Erica for a couple of days. I don't have any plans this year. Got any suggestions?"
Leopold held her tighter, resting his head in the crook of her neck. He loved Caroline's scent - it was comforting and reassuring.
"We can't just stay home staring at each other, right? Let's go out somewhere? See what other newlyweds do?"
Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Where are we going to watch other newlyweds?"
That stumped Leopold. He straightened up and looked at Caroline with a deliberately confused expression. "You're such a clever one. You caught me on such a tough question."
They looked at each other for a few seconds before Leopold couldn't help but laugh. "We'll watch movies, go shopping, see where we end up, do whatever looks fun, and try whatever food looks good."
Caroline narrowed her eyes. "That's what newlyweds do?"
Leopold nodded.
"Nonsense, that's what young couples do." Caroline got up and headed toward the bedroom.
Leopold quickly stood up and followed, catching up to her in a few steps. He wrapped his arms around Caroline's slender waist from behind and said in a low voice near her ear:
"How about we do what newlyweds do now?"
"That tickles!" Caroline curled up, but Leopold kept tickling her until she couldn't stop laughing.
Once they got into the bedroom, he kicked the door shut with his heel and pressed her onto the bed.
The moonlit night was calm, with gentle winds and drifting clouds.
In the room, shadows intertwined, with soft whispers and gentle sounds.
On Memorial Day weekend, there were more people on the streets than usual. Schools were on break, and middle and high school students in groups of three or five wandered through the shopping district. Caroline, arm in arm with Leopold, became part of the crowd.
Passing through the busy area, Leopold asked if there was anything she wanted to eat. Caroline pulled him toward a small food stand. "When I was in high school, whenever we had a break, my classmates and I would come hang out here. Let me take you to try this hot dog stand I used to go to all the time."
Leopold watched her quicken her pace with excitement, happy to share in her past joys.
He teased her deliberately: "Did the stuffed horse guy ever come here with you?"
At the mention of the stuffed horse, Caroline gave him a playful, reproachful smile and glanced at him. "You're so bad."
Leopold laughed. "So did he come here or not?"
Caroline deliberately tried to annoy him. "Yes, he did. Happy now?"
Leopold pretended to be upset. "Then I'm not eating."
"You're annoying," Caroline said, pushing his back from behind. "Hurry up, you have to try it. It's so good."
When they got there and saw the long line in front of the simple food stand, Caroline said regretfully:
"Look at all these people. Forget it, let's not eat here. Let's go check out what's up ahead."
Leopold wanted to experience her past happiness and held her back. "What flavor do you like?"
Caroline shook her head and tried to pull him away. "Let's not wait in line. You're finally spending time with me shopping - I don't want to waste it standing in line."
Leopold had already taken his place at the end of the line and pointed his chin at her. "What flavor hot dog do you want?"
Caroline said, "I want one with ketchup."
Leopold pointed to the chairs across the way. "Go sit over there and wait for me."
"It's okay, let's wait together." Caroline stood next to Leopold, and he naturally took her hand again.
It seemed like whenever they were together, he would hold onto her. This feeling made her heart feel sweet, though she couldn't quite say why.
After standing for almost half an hour, it was finally Leopold's turn. Following her request, he got a hot dog with ketchup. Caroline took it and offered the first bite to Leopold. "Try it."
Leopold took a bite and said while chewing, "No wonder you love it."
Caroline's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. "Good, right?"
Leopold's tone was teasing. "Did the classmate who gave you the stuffed horse like this flavor too?"
Caroline pinched his waist, and Leopold yelped. "You're actually pinching me!"
She took a bite of the hot dog. "That's what you get for talking nonsense."
Seeing a bit of ketchup on the tip of her nose, Leopold pulled out a tissue and turned her by the shoulder. "Don't move."
Caroline tilted her chin up and smiled. Leopold looked at her with complete adoration as he wiped it off.
The two of them standing on the street, their loving interaction looked picture-perfect. A street photographer captured their sweet moment and showed them the photos. Leopold thought they looked great and spent ten dollars to buy them.
The photographer quickly sent the photos to Leopold through the app. Leopold opened Facebook and posted the photo of them together with the caption: When you meet someone who's a perfect ten, everyone else just doesn't measure up.
Caroline stared at his phone. "Isn't Mr. Wipere afraid that posting on Facebook will break a bunch of women's hearts?"
"What heartbroken women?" Leopold put away his phone. "I don't care if they're heartbroken or not. You're the only one who gets to have me anyway."