Chapter 24: Attention

Lucia fell silent after realizing that she had just said something wrong. In front of her, Molly who suddenly stopped crying, looked at her with sparkling eyes.

"Mommy...!" Molly grabbed her and hugged her tightly. Lucia laughed blandly, she felt very ashamed of herself right now.

How could she so easily say something she couldn't take back? In front of her, Chris, although relieved that his daughter didn't cry, started to worry about something much more serious.

"Ahahahaha..." Lucia laughed stupidly. She ran out of ideas to get out of the problem she had just created.

"You idiot! What do you think you just said?" Said Leo who couldn't understand Lucia's statement.

"It can't be helped? Is this all I can do?" She said avoiding guilt.

Meanwhile, Chris just smiled and didn't think about blaming Lucia's spontaneous remarks. He knew that Lucia was only trying to help him.

"It's okay! Molly always refers to the woman who talks to me as her mother. By tomorrow she'll have forgotten about it!"

"I-is that so?"

"All right, Molly! How about buying some ice cream with Uncle Leo?" Leo said offering himself. Molly looked doubtful because she had just gotten the mother she wanted. But on the one hand, she also really wants ice cream.

"Mommy, can I have ice cream with Uncle Leo?" Molly asked. Instead of asking her father for permission, she asked her new mother for permission.

"Molly, why ask Aunt for permission? Better ask your Daddy for permission!" Leo said.

"Daddy, can I have some ice cream?"

"Sure!"

"Hurray...! Uncle, let's go get some ice cream!" She said excitedly.

Leo immediately got up from his seat and carried Molly on his shoulders. Molly laughed with delight. Lucia didn't expect that Leo was so close to his friend's daughter.

"Seems like they are very familiar, huh?"

"Yes! Leo loves her and Molly too! She thinks Leo is her prince and when she grows up she wants to be Leo's bride!"

"Hahahaha... really? Oh my gosh! Leo really can take other people's hearts, can't he?"

"Yeah, I thought so too! So, aren't you working today?" Asked Chris who was unaware that Lucia was looking at the work uniform she had been wearing since last night.

Hearing Chris' question, Lucia felt a little hesitant to tell what really happened. Especially if she had to say that she and Leo stayed at the treehouse last night. She didn't want after Leo, anyone else would know her forbidden secret.

"Uhm... that, today I'm late so I decided not to work! Hahaha... I really suck, huh? It's only been three days of work, but already absent!" She said while laughing awkwardly. She knew that being absent after three days of work was irresponsible.

"Are you happy at your job? Are there guys still bothering you?" Different from Lucia's worries, Chris was worried about something else, namely her safety at work.

Lucia felt both touched and confused, it made her feel nervous if she had to look Chris in the eye. His gentle blue eyes always showed the shade in his heart. Chris is a very nice guy which is hard to find anywhere else.

"I'm fine, Chris! I can be me. You don't have to worry about me!"

"Is that so? Thank goodness! I know you are very strong, but still I feel anxious because after all you are a woman!"

Lucia was stunned, she didn't know whether she should be offended by Chris' words or be happy. If someone else said it, Lucia might get angry and say that women aren't always weak, women don't need men to protect them. But since Chris said it, it sounded like "Even though you're very strong, you're still a woman who needs to be protected"

"Chris!"

"Yes? You want to say something?"

"Do you hate me?"

"Hate? Why should I hate you?"

"It's okay! It's possible that you feel hurt towards me because of something I did to you in the past!" She said, still reluctant to look into the eyes of Chris who was sitting right in front of her.

Chris was silent for a moment, he could understand the meaning of Lucia's words. However, as someone who never harbored feelings of hatred or grudge. Chris couldn't help but laugh softly so that Lucia wouldn't have to lower her face like that again.

"I never thought you were a bad person! Maybe you used to be really passionate, but I think it's because you like to be surrounded by lots of friends."

"Is that so? So, you think so?"

"If you think about the past, it will never end. All we can do is reminisce about it and keep moving forward. Life goes on, if all we do is mourn the past, we won't get anything in this life. Life is too short to regret everything that happened!"

Lucia was stunned, she felt the emptiness in her soul little by little filled with strange little lights. Chris' smile made her start to believe in herself.

"Chris, shouldn't you be going back to London today?"

"Yeah, I'm leaving at four in the afternoon!"

"Is Molly coming with you too?"

"Yeah, she has to go to a playgroup. She's been off for 10 days!"

"It must be hard taking care of a child alone!"

"I didn't take care of Molly alone! My late wife's parents took care of her. My wife died a week after giving birth to our daughter, since then my wife's mother and father have taken care of her along with two babysitters too!"

"Is that so? Thank goodness! Does that mean you're still living with your wife's parents?"

"I don't live with them! I live alone in an apartment only one mile from the hospital where I work!"

"Are you a specialist?"

"Yes, I'm a neurosurgery specialist. Why? Would you like a consultation?"

"Hahahaha...maybe! You've been a genius since childhood. But I didn't think you'd actually become a doctor. Is your dad still alive?"

"My dad is still alive! He's remarried!"

"R-really?"

"Yes! He married eight years ago to her first love in high school who is already divorced from her husband."

"Her children?"

"There are six of them!"

"Wow... you have six stepsisters and brothers, don't you? It's good because you seem to be living a good life. Thank goodness! I hope you can find a mother for Molly soon!"

"Actually, I'm not thinking about getting married again!"

"Really? Is it because you love your wife so much?"

"No, not for that! Forget it!" Said Chris. There seemed to be something that Lucia didn't want to say. Seen from the look on his face that suddenly changed.

"I see! You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But I hope you're still happy with or without a woman by your side!"

"What about you? Are you happy living in America?"

"Uhm... should I tell you?"

"If you don't want to talk about it that's fine!"

"Is that true?"

"Yes!"

"Hahahaha...actually nothing special!"

"Are you happy?"

"Y-yes, I-I'm happy!" Lucia smiled awkwardly. Trying to say something very different from the actual reality. But when she suddenly spoke about her predicament, it felt as if she was trying to sympathize with people who had been hurt by her in the past.

From behind the glass of the crepes shop, you can see that it is starting to rain. Lucia and Chris thought of Leo and Molly going to get some ice cream, but had not come back even though it had been 20 minutes.

Driiinggg... driiinggg...driiinggg...

Chris' phone rang as expected, Leo called him. Chris immediately answered Leo's phone.

"Leo, where are you?"

"We're still at the ice cream shop. Molly, want to talk to dad?"

"Yes, Uncle! Daddy...?"

"Hi, honey? How's the ice cream?"

"Uncle Leo took me to the ice cream parlor which is really good! I ordered a very large ice cream!" She said excitedly.

"Wow... it must be really delicious, huh? Well, then tomorrow I have to go to the dentist with grandma, okay?"

"Don't want to go to the dentist, Daddy!"

"Honey, you made an appointment to go to the dentist if I took you to Grandpa's in Lancaster, didn't you? So you have to keep your promise, okay?"

Though hesitant and forced, Molly had no choice but to listen to her father's words.

"Okay, Daddy! Tomorrow I'm going to the dentist with Grandma!"

"Good girl! All right, I'll be waiting for you at the crepes shop. When the rain stops, ask Uncle Leo to take you here, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy!"

"Hello Chris? It's raining outside. Molly and I are eating ice cream. When the rain stops, we'll be right there!"

"Okay, but don't let Molly eat too much ice cream, Leo! She'll have a toothache!"

"Geez, kids should eat a lot of ice cream to have a happy childhood. Never mind, don't get in our way! You had fun with Lucia and ate the crepes that I didn't eat. Oh yeah, don't try to kiss her because she hasn't brushed her teeth!" Leo said before ending the call.

"Damn Leo! Watch out! 'll definitely beat you to death!" Lucia thought that she could hear Leo's words from Chris' phone.

The atmosphere became awkward and Lucia just smiled awkwardly like a fool. Because of Leo's bullshit, maybe now Chris was starting to suspect something.

"Did you meet Leo this morning?"

"Y-yeah, we met by chance and he invited me here! Ahahaha..." Lucia had to lie because she didn't want Chris to know that she and Leo were staying at the treehouse, kissing and even almost having sex.

"Thankfully, it doesn't seem that hard to get you and Leo back together like before, huh?"

"Hahahaha...you think so?"

"You were like twins who couldn't be separated!" Chris said. Lucia was reminded of her childhood memories when she and Leo were really that close.

But now for some reason, she wanted to remember what the relationship between her and Chris was like? That can be said, the most contradictory in every way. Chris who is smart, diligent, kind, gentle and doesn't like violence must befriend a rude, naughty and very mischievous girl like her.

"You're right, if you think about it, Leo and I were very close, right?"

"That's right! There were times when me, Bryan and Pierre were jealous of your closeness!"

"Jealous? Really?"

"How's that? It feels like we wished we could get that close to you too. But Leo, he always knows how to get your attention!"

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