Raeleigh did not know when Zorion had sat down beside her. She had been off with her thoughts alone for quite a while. She did not know how long Zorion had been there. He was just there when she came to her senses.
Raeleigh raised her head, seeing Zorion there. It caught her by surprise and she did not react for a while. By the time she regained her composure enough to react, Zorion had already turned to look elsewhere.
Raeleigh was engrossed in her stupor for so long, it was as if she had lost her mind!
After staring agape for quite some time, Raeleigh finally asked, "Why are you sitting in silence?"
"Should I be in high spirits?" Zorion retorted immediately. Raeleigh had never offended him, yet Zorion made it a point to antagonize her from the start.
Raeleigh looked away and decided not to speak further. Otherwise, he would say something that would make her want to crawl into a hole somewhere.
"Let's date." What Zorion said caught Raeleigh off guard. At first, she did not hear it clearly. After she grasped what he said, she turned to Zorion and asked dumbfoundedly, "What?"
Raeleigh thought she had misheard.
Zorion did not say anything. He looked around and turned to kiss Raeleigh on the lips. Raeleigh stood up subconsciously. She was not angry. She was frightened.
Zorion pursed his lips after that kiss. He faced away, looking at the other side as he sat there gracefully.
Raeleigh raised her hand to wipe her mouth then walked away.
When Zorion looked back, he noticed Raeleigh escaping in a hurry. He suddenly laughed and covered his mouth. Then, he shouted at Raeleigh. His loud and powerful voice filled the area, echoing within the vast expanse.
Raeleigh stopped and faced Zorion, who was then standing opposite the bench. Zorion was smiling. He blinked, then looked around and walked towards Raeleigh. Raeleigh stood there and stared at him. She asked, "What do you want to do?"
"I want to love you!" Zorion answered very frankly. His reply flustered Raeleigh. She could not help but yell, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm not talking nonsense. It doesn't matter if you don't accept it. I want to love you."
"Don't love me then." As Raeleigh was about to leave, Zorion raised his hand to take Raeleigh's arm. Raeleigh lifted her hand to hit him, but Zorion grasped her hand, not allowing her to do so.
Zorion did not do anything futher. He merely held Raeleigh's hand and dropped his gaze. "I mean no harm. I don't want to force you into anything. Since you aren't receptive, you can turn a blind eye to it. However, I won't let you escape easily."
Zorion released his grip and stepped around Raeleigh. Raeleigh followed him. Zorion suddenly halted, but he did not look back. He put his hands in his pockets and said, "If you love Jepherson, and he loves you back, if your feelings are mutual. I can stop. It's a gentleman's choice.
However..."
Zorion turned around and stopped in front of Raeleigh. "If you don't love Jepherson, or if Jepherson doesn't love you enough, I am your 'however'."
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