“Um, could you please not stare at me like that?”
“Huh, does it bother you?”
As a man who was used to being stared at by women as if it were an everyday occurrence, I was surprised by his words.
“Of course. If a man is stared at like that by a woman he’s interested in, he’ll misunderstand… or is it okay to misunderstand?”
“I don’t know. I just like looking at things.”
When I said that easily, Emilio made a groaning sound and frowned reproachfully.
“By the way, that lady Lucia told me about your hobby. Personally, I advise you to stop.”
“But… I’m not bothering anyone.”
Why is it wrong to just sneak a peek? Jeremiah knew about it too, but he didn’t tell me to stop.
However, lately I have been looking only at him, so I rarely look at anyone else. Nothing else satisfies me.
So, I didn’t think it was that big of a problem…
Not understanding Emilio’s reason for saying that, I tilted my head and muttered.
“That’s not the point. You’re already engaged, right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s why it’s not okay. There are men like me who will misunderstand.”
“There’s no one like that.”
“There is.”
I was surprised when he said it with a serious face and clear words.
“Anyway, please remember it.”
“Uh, well, okay.”
I couldn’t understand it at all, but I thought it would be better to listen quietly here.
Still, I thought it couldn’t be true.
Eventually, when we reached the entrance, Emilio stopped.
“This is good. It’s cold, and it’s better to go back soon.”
“Yes, you’re right. Thank you very much for today.”
“No problem, it’s my job. Oh, I forgot to say one thing.”
Emilio said as he put on his coat.
“I can’t say much about it, but I think there will be something good happening soon.”
“Something good?”
“Yes, something good. Well then, excuse me.”
Emilio quickly finished getting ready and left without giving me a chance to ask any questions.
I could still call out to him from behind.
But for some reason, it was difficult to call out to him. His hunched back seemed to be telling me not to call out, so I closed my half-opened mouth.
——What kind of good thing is he talking about…
Emilio didn’t give me any hints, so I couldn’t even imagine. I let out a small sigh and returned the bow.
I have to hurry, or Paula will be waiting.
At first, I walked quickly. But when I thought that Paula was waiting, even that felt frustrating, and in the end, I started running.
However, in the end, I ended up getting a scolding from Paula.
◆
That night.
When I told Jeremiah about meeting earlier that day, he immediately frowned.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. But more importantly, please take a look at this.”
I showed him the notebook and explained how helpful it had been. I wanted Jeremiah to know.
After hearing the story, Jeremiah nodded quietly and said, “I see. That’s good.”
“Yes. I was worried all the time.”
“I know. You always looked like you wanted to say something, so I thought you were probably worried about them. But I also knew that you were holding back for our sake.”
We sat on the open part of the two-seater sofa, and Jeremiah smiled at me while looking at my face. Then he gently overlapped his hand holding the notebook with mine.
Just that made my heart beat wildly.
“Still, I pretended not to look because I wanted you to be here with me. So I’m happy that your worries have been resolved.”
“I-I see.”
My voice unintentionally rose.
While calming my pounding heart, I watched as Jeremiah’s hand reached out and took the notebook.
“Can I take a look?”
“S-Sure.”
When my hand was released, I felt a little calmer. However, it was quite embarrassing to have someone read something I wrote other than a letter. While I was sitting there feeling uneasy, Jeremiah suddenly said,
“I see, I understand now.”
“W-What do you mean?”
I couldn’t stand stuttering like this since earlier, so I couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s clear that you genuinely care about them. To be honest, I’m a little jealous.”
Jealous? They are not more than friends or comrades. They are important to me because we can share our feelings, but it’s strange to think of them that way.
As I looked at Jeremiah with a puzzled expression, he noticed my state and gave a wry smile.
“Just kidding. What I understand is that you are indeed a wonderful woman. I’m happy to be by your side.”
“!”
What a wave of attacks. If he praises me so much, there won’t be anything left to praise in the future.
Moreover, he had the audacity to show me his most gentle smile, which is my favorite, making him even more wicked.
Feeling at a loss, I ended up getting a little angry and said in return.
“You say that, but it’s actually Jeremiah who is wonderful. I don’t know anyone else as kind as you, in this life or the next. I’m the one who’s happy to be by your side!”
When I returned his words back to him, Jeremiah looked a little surprised at first, then became dissatisfied.
Strange. Why is he dissatisfied when I praised him?
“Um, did I say something weird?”
There was no answer even when I asked. As I was wondering what to do, he suddenly reached out and hugged me, and my thoughts stopped.
“Um, could you please not stare at me like that?”
“Huh, does it bother you?”
As a man who was used to being stared at by women as if it were an everyday occurrence, I was surprised by his words.
“Of course. If a man is stared at like that by a woman he’s interested in, he’ll misunderstand… or is it okay to misunderstand?”
“I don’t know. I just like looking at things.”
When I said that easily, Emilio made a groaning sound and frowned reproachfully.
“By the way, that lady Lucia told me about your hobby. Personally, I advise you to stop.”
“But… I’m not bothering anyone.”
Why is it wrong to just sneak a peek? Jeremiah knew about it too, but he didn’t tell me to stop.
However, lately I have been looking only at him, so I rarely look at anyone else. Nothing else satisfies me.
So, I didn’t think it was that big of a problem…
Not understanding Emilio’s reason for saying that, I tilted my head and muttered.
“That’s not the point. You’re already engaged, right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s why it’s not okay. There are men like me who will misunderstand.”
“There’s no one like that.”
“There is.”
I was surprised when he said it with a serious face and clear words.
“Anyway, please remember it.”
“Uh, well, okay.”
I couldn’t understand it at all, but I thought it would be better to listen quietly here.
Still, I thought it couldn’t be true.
Eventually, when we reached the entrance, Emilio stopped.
“This is good. It’s cold, and it’s better to go back soon.”
“Yes, you’re right. Thank you very much for today.”
“No problem, it’s my job. Oh, I forgot to say one thing.”
Emilio said as he put on his coat.
“I can’t say much about it, but I think there will be something good happening soon.”
“Something good?”
“Yes, something good. Well then, excuse me.”
Emilio quickly finished getting ready and left without giving me a chance to ask any questions.
I could still call out to him from behind.
But for some reason, it was difficult to call out to him. His hunched back seemed to be telling me not to call out, so I closed my half-opened mouth.
——What kind of good thing is he talking about…
Emilio didn’t give me any hints, so I couldn’t even imagine. I let out a small sigh and returned the bow.
I have to hurry, or Paula will be waiting.
At first, I walked quickly. But when I thought that Paula was waiting, even that felt frustrating, and in the end, I started running.
However, in the end, I ended up getting a scolding from Paula.
◆
That night.
When I told Jeremiah about meeting earlier that day, he immediately frowned.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. But more importantly, please take a look at this.”
I showed him the notebook and explained how helpful it had been. I wanted Jeremiah to know.
After hearing the story, Jeremiah nodded quietly and said, “I see. That’s good.”
“Yes. I was worried all the time.”
“I know. You always looked like you wanted to say something, so I thought you were probably worried about them. But I also knew that you were holding back for our sake.”
We sat on the open part of the two-seater sofa, and Jeremiah smiled at me while looking at my face. Then he gently overlapped his hand holding the notebook with mine.
Just that made my heart beat wildly.
“Still, I pretended not to look because I wanted you to be here with me. So I’m happy that your worries have been resolved.”
“I-I see.”
My voice unintentionally rose.
While calming my pounding heart, I watched as Jeremiah’s hand reached out and took the notebook.
“Can I take a look?”
“S-Sure.”
When my hand was released, I felt a little calmer. However, it was quite embarrassing to have someone read something I wrote other than a letter. While I was sitting there feeling uneasy, Jeremiah suddenly said,
“I see, I understand now.”
“W-What do you mean?”
I couldn’t stand stuttering like this since earlier, so I couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s clear that you genuinely care about them. To be honest, I’m a little jealous.”
Jealous? They are not more than friends or comrades. They are important to me because we can share our feelings, but it’s strange to think of them that way.
As I looked at Jeremiah with a puzzled expression, he noticed my state and gave a wry smile.
“Just kidding. What I understand is that you are indeed a wonderful woman. I’m happy to be by your side.”
“!”
What a wave of attacks. If he praises me so much, there won’t be anything left to praise in the future.
Moreover, he had the audacity to show me his most gentle smile, which is my favorite, making him even more wicked.
Feeling at a loss, I ended up getting a little angry and said in return.
“You say that, but it’s actually Jeremiah who is wonderful. I don’t know anyone else as kind as you, in this life or the next. I’m the one who’s happy to be by your side!”
When I returned his words back to him, Jeremiah looked a little surprised at first, then became dissatisfied.
Strange. Why is he dissatisfied when I praised him?
“Um, did I say something weird?”
There was no answer even when I asked. As I was wondering what to do, he suddenly reached out and hugged me, and my thoughts stopped.
