I Wish You Well In Your Next Love, My Love - Chapter 42
“Yes. I got fired thanks to a certain someone.”
“I’ll take responsibility. If you need a job, tell me. I was actually planning to hire one more aide…”
“No, no. It’s okay. It’s a part-time job I’m doing secretly from the temple, so I can’t stand out, and I can’t spare much time either.”
“If you just stay inside my office, and if I can just adjust all the hours.”
I couldn’t answer. Gerard was speaking while knowing I would refuse. He had already noticed that even if he paid me an enormous salary, I wouldn’t work by his side.
A crooked curve formed on Gerard’s lips.
When he tilted his head slightly, the light spilling out from the shop settled over his smooth jawline and the bridge of his nose.
“I’ve even said that I’ll take responsibility, so it’s settled.”
He muttered as if speaking to himself, then suddenly snatched the bag hanging from my back.
“Let’s go.”
“W-Wait.”
Gerard started walking toward the shop.
“You’re really going to buy it? I told you I don’t need it!”
“You don’t buy luxury items because you need them. You buy them because you want them.”
“I don’t even want it!”
“You were staring at it like you were drooling.”
“Not at all?!”
I had only blankly stood there for a moment because the memory of the past came to mind.
If I accepted that necklace, it felt like I would cross a river I could never return from.
The moment his unhesitating hand grabbed the door handle and pushed, I hurriedly wrapped my arms around Gerard’s waist.
His body stopped abruptly. The door, which had been half open, closed again, and the small bell chimed beside my ears.
“Please don’t buy it. I can’t handle it.”
I murmured in a small voice. His head slowly lowered. His unusually glossy eyes started from the arms wrapped around his waist, then swept over my shoulders, traveled up along my neck, and slowly took in my face.
“I don’t want it…”
I pleaded with a face that looked like I might cry. Please don’t do this.
“……”
His lips, which had been pressed in a straight line, loosened slightly. The stubbornness seemed to soften for a moment, but it wasn’t a good sign at all. Instead, for an instant it felt as if a spark of interest flashed across his face before disappearing.
“Alright.”
The moment Gerard removed his hand from the door handle, I also released his waist.
“Um, may I pass then?”
At the quiet voice speaking up, I startled and quickly stepped aside. Without realizing it, Gerard and I had been blocking the shop entrance.
A passerby who recognized Gerard’s face even glanced back after hesitating to enter the shop.
I grabbed Gerard’s hand and moved with him to a spot a block away.
“Let’s eat dinner before going back.”
Gerard, who had obediently let himself be dragged along, spoke in a calm voice.
“You should go ahead. Have a nice meal.”
“Is rejecting things a habit for you?”
“…It probably won’t turn into a scandal, but just in case.”
“And walking around holding hands like this is fine?”
“Ah.”
Gerard lifted the hand he was holding.
Worried someone might see, I quickly shook my hand free and stepped away from him.
Gerard let out a short laugh as if he found it ridiculous.
“Should I buy the necklace, or should we eat dinner? Choose one.”
“Is there another option…”
“Right then. I’ll go buy it.”
Without any warning, Gerard suddenly turned around and quickly headed back toward the shop. My bag dangled repeatedly under his hand.
It looked like he would really buy it if I didn’t stop him, so I sprinted at full speed and blocked his path.
“F-Food. Let’s eat!”
* * *
What.
What just happened.
It felt like the ground was rising up and the night sky was melting down like clay.
“The key… that’s strange, it was here.”
The ground swayed so much I couldn’t even walk properly with a single step.
If it weren’t for the hand firmly holding my body, I would probably have been crawling.
“If you can’t drink alcohol, say so beforehand.”
A voice like a sigh sounded right beside me.
“…Gerard, shush.”
“What?”
When I muttered, he asked back as if he found it amusing.
