Chapter 173 Chapter 173
Her excitement dimmed. “Why not? Did something happen?” she asked, concernedly. “Where was it?”
“In your… flat,” he said reluctantly, not looking her in the eyes. His behavior weirded her out.
“Huh? Were you a burglar?” she joked, but he didn’t react to it and continued to look at the tabletop with a frown.
“No, I wasn’t. You invited me, sort of,” he muttered. “That’s how we met.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. I would never let a stranger into my home. Why did I do that?” she said suspiciously. Since she had finished her food, she now focused all of her attention on him, which he didn’t like.
“Valerie, don’t ask so many questions, okay? We will try something else to get your memories back,” he continued, hoping to divert her attention from this topic. “We visited an amusement park a while ago… and we could also return to the arcade where we had a date.”
Sighing, she decided to let the problem go for now. “Both sound good to me, but I think I would prefer the amusement park.”
“Good. We could leave right away,” he said, but interrupted himself when he remembered something. “That is, if you’re feeling well enough for that. Wouldn’t want to aggravate your injuries.”
“I’m fine. A bit of fresh air won’t harm,” she smiled. She stretched her arms and got up to gather the dishes. He helped her and filled the dishwasher.
“Then it’s a plan. This time, we won’t ride any rollercoasters, though.”
“Why not? They’re the most fun!” Valerie pouted. She looked at him in confusion, noting his grumpy expression.
“I don’t like them,” he grumbled.
“That’s strange,” she hummed, putting her hand on her chin.
“Why?”
“Oh, I’m just surprised that you’re scared of rollercoasters. I thought you were braver than this?”
“Huh? I am brave.” he countered, offendedly. “And I never said I was scared.”
She smiled sheepishly, not sure why he made such a fuss over her remark. Maybe he had a big ego. Everything she had learned of him so far certainly pointed that way.
“Maxwell is the bravest, got it,” she teased and put another plate in the dishwasher.
She missed his surprised expression. He was astonished at how easy it was to get along with her, even though she hardly remembered him. They were in tune with each other despite her amnesia, and their bickering was just the same as usual—almost as if nothing had happened at all.
Before she could pick up another dirty plate, he stopped her. “Let me do the dishes alone. It’s better if you take it easy. Sit down, sugar,” he said and ushered her back to the table.
She glanced at him and sat in one of the chairs. “You said it again,” she mumbled.
“Huh?”
“You always call me sugar. Since you seem to like pet names, I’m wondering whether I gave you one as well,” she said and watched him in anticipation, curiosity swirling through her brown eyes. “I think I would do that…”
He cleared his throat, annoyance crossing his face. “No, you never did.”
“What? That can’t be true.” she insisted, increasing his annoyance. “I sure did.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“What kind of argument is that? You’re a child,” he said exasperatedly and shook his head.
“If you don’t tell me, I will guess,” she decided stubbornly. Maxwell leaned his hips against the counter, crossing his arms. His blue eyes flitted from her pouty lips to her determined gaze. A small smirk settled on his face. In a way, she was cute when she sulked, but he would keep that observation to himself.
“Then guess all you want,” he snickered. “You will never find out.”
She thought for a moment, looking at him. What kind of pet name would make sense for someone like him? Maybe it had something to do with his appearance? She studied him for a moment, her gaze moving back to his dazzling eyes.
“Hmm… angel eyes?” was her first guess, but he didn’t like it at all. If anything, he seemed to be offended as if she had insulted him.
“No,” he grumbled instantly. “Never compare me to an angel. They are the worst.”
She didn’t understand what kind of problem he had with angels. Weren’t they viewed as kind and pretty? Not in his opinion, apparently. “Whoa, okay. I just thought it would sound nice because your eyes are really beautiful.”
“Yeah, I know that,” he answered smugly, smirking at her.
“Uh… okay. That’s a very arrogant attitude,” she couldn’t help but remark. Secretly, she kept wondering how someone like him had become her boyfriend since they were an unlikely couple. It was questions like this one that spurred her to regain her memories as soon as possible.
On top of that, whenever she asked him about something specific, he became strangely evasive, and she had a good hunch that he was omitting certain details about her life. She wasn’t sure why, but she hoped he wasn’t trying to hide something bad from her. Valerie couldn’t take another disappointing relationship.
“So?” he asked, arching his eyebrow. “You are definitely in love with me, and it’s not like my attitude really bothers you.”
Valerie blushed, glancing down at her lap. He was so straightforward and full of himself, she couldn’t believe it. “Well, I’m not sure about that at the moment. I kind of forgot…” she stuttered nervously. Nonetheless, she couldn’t deny that she was attracted to him. More than just a little bit.
He sighed. “Right, you forgot,” he said disappointedly. “But you are not opposed to our relationship. You’re blushing all the time around me. Think I wouldn’t notice?” He switched from disappointed to cocky within a few seconds, prompting her to raise her head and look at him. A grin curled his lips.
“Hey, don’t change the topic. I still want to find out the pet name I gave you,” she said, flustered. “My next guess is… cutie pie?”
She blinked, thinking that his eyes had looked red for a fraction of a second. “Stop fooling around, Valerie,” he complained. “That’s even worse than the actual thing.”