Lucas and Lucy left the gallery as the autumn sky threatened another shower. The cold afternoon air outside seed to justify the idea of hot chocolate even more. They walked side by side, their steps synchronized without them noticing. The city was busy, but sohow they isolated themselves in conversation.
"I still don't think you need to reward for that." Lucy said with a giggle.
"It's the least I can do," Lucas replied with a carefree smile. "Besides, you can never have too much hot chocolate, right?"
Lucy rolled her eyes with a smile. "Okay, you win. But don't make a habit of it!"
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They soon arrived at a small Coffee on a charming corner. The place was cozy, with a rustic décor: dark wood furniture, hanging lights with a yellowish glow and a fireplace in the corner that gave off an inviting warmth.
Lucas held the door for Lucy, who entered with a nod of thanks. They found a table by the window, where they could watch the movent on the street. The rain was falling slowly, painting the glass with small drops that dripped down slowly.
"So, do you co here often?" Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow as she examined the nu.
Lucas chuckled. "Not really. But when I was a kid, I loved this kind of place in Japan. I always liked coffee shops with a quieter atmosphere, so when I saw this one, I knew I had to try it."
Lucy smiled, impressed. "You have a nostalgic way about you, don't you? Always talking about Japan so fondly."
"It's just that... there are a lot of good things that stayed there," he replied, looking away for a mont, as if old mories were hitting him. "But I'm also trying to create good mories here. Like now." He looked at Lucy and winked with one eye, smiling.
Lucy felt her cheeks flush and twisted her attention back to the nu. "Right. Let's see who gets the best hot chocolate."
After ordering, the atmosphere between them beca even lighter. Lucas recounted stories from his childhood, how he and Nishida would compete to see who could draw the best picture in the steam from the window during the cold winters.
Lucy, on the other hand, told how she and her cousin always tried to create hot chocolate recipes at ho, but often ended up with a disaster in the kitchen.
"Once, we tried to make it with marshmallows, whipped cream and cinnamon... and we ended up putting pepper in by mistake," Lucy recounted, laughing as she recalled the mory. "It was horrible! My cousin was coughing for hours."
Lucas almost spat out the sip of water he had taken, laughing. "I wish I'd seen that! It sounds like sothing I'd do. What's worse is that I'd probably still say it was good, just to avoid admitting my mistake."
Lucy joined in the laughter, feeling more and more at ease. She was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Lucas. Despite his growing fa as a player, he seed to be soone very simple and genuine.
When the hot chocolate arrived, they both made a point of tasting it and giving their opinions exaggeratedly, like culinary critics.
"Hmm, very pronounced cocoa notes, with a slight hint of vanilla," Lucas said, bringing the cup to his lips again.
"And the creaminess?" Lucy joined in, imitating a serious tone. "I'd say it's perfect, but the marshmallow could be bigger."
They laughed again, and the rest of the afternoon passed in the blink of an eye. They talked about everything and nothing: movies they liked, music they listened to, books they never finished reading and even went to a nearby bookstore, for that matter.
At one point, Lucas even tried to impress her by describing the recipe for traditional Japanese hot chocolate, which included a touch of matcha.
"You really like food, don't you?" Lucy joked.
"Food is life, Lucy. It's not just liking it. It's a serious commitnt," he replied, feigning indignation.
When they finally realized how much ti they had spent there, the rain outside had stopped and the sky was taking on the orange hues of late afternoon. So they started walking through the streets again, now with the cold even more present.
As they walked, Lucas took off his jacket and put it over Lucy's shoulders without warning. "You're shivering. Here, I'm fine with just the sweatshirt."
Lucy tried to refuse. "But I..."
"No excuses. Consider it part of the compensation," said Lucas with a smile.
She didn't insist, but the sensation of having sothing of his wrapped around her made her feel unexpectedly warm, even in the afternoon's chill.
The two of them walked to the station where they had t, and this was a little without realizing it. When they looked at each other, and Lucas was about to think it was ti to say goodbye, Lucy said:
"There's one more place I want to show you before we go."
Lucas arched an eyebrow, curious. "Oh yeah, and what would that be?"
"You're going to have to trust ."
Lucas couldn't resist and followed, intrigued. They turned a corner and stopped in front of an old building. It was discreet, with exposed brickwork, but it had a peculiar charm typical of old buildings in England. Lucy glanced from one to the other, as if checking whether they were being watched. Then, with a mischievous smile, she took Lucas's hand.
"Co on," she said, pulling him towards a narrow alley next to the building.
Lucas followed, not quite understanding what was going on. He looked around, trying to decipher the situation. "Lucy, what are you up to? Are we going to be arrested?"
She laughed softly. "Only if you make a lot of noise. Trust , I've been here several tis."
They reached a snail-shaped tal staircase that seed to lead to the top. Lucy climbed with confident steps, like soone who knew the way well.
"Are you sure we won't get in trouble for being here?" Lucas asked.
Lucy looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Trust , Lucas. As long as no one sees us, there's no problem. Besides, this place is worth it."
When they reached the top, Lucas realized what Lucy wanted to show him. In front of them was a winter garden. It was a large, well-kept space, with beds of plants of various species, so exotic and others more common, but all with a delicate beauty that seed to flourish even in Brighton's cold climate. There were wooden benches scattered around and small lights hidden among the plants, which glowed softly as the daylight waned.
The setting looked magical under the setting sun, and you could see the sea in the distance. The orange tones of the sky were reflected in the damp leaves of the plants, and the air was fresh from the recent rain.
Lucas remained silent for a few monts, absorbing the stupendous landscape.
"Wow!" he finally said, looking around. "This is incredible. I would never have thought this place existed."
"Few people know. I discovered this garden a few years ago. Whenever I need so ti to think and take my mind off swimming competitions, I co here." Lucy replied, leaning against one flowerbed and crossing her arms.
"It's a great place for that. You really know how to choose."
They sat in silence for a few seconds, just enjoying the view and the light sound of the wind swaying the flowers. Suddenly, Lucy turned to him, taking a deep breath.
"Lucas... there's sothing I need to confess."
He raised his eyebrows, surprised by the serious tone in her voice. "What is it?"
She looked away for a mont, as if gathering her courage. "I've been looking forward to us having this mont. Really. I think... I feel sothing strange when I'm with you."
Lucas stared at her, not knowing exactly how to react. He felt his heart beating faster, but tried to remain calm.
"Sothing different, like... good or bad?"
Lucy laughed nervously. "Good, Lucas. Very good, actually. But scary at the sa ti. You have this thing about being... so easy to be around. But sotis you don't seem to realize how much it ans."
"I'm not sure I understand..."
Lucy ran a hand through her hair for a mont. "It's just that I don't really know how to explain it, but your presence magnetizes anyone who looks at you. You're funny, kind, simple, mysterious, while intelligent, affectionate, docile, hard-working, persistent and so many qualities that I could list for twelve hours straight... Yeah, I think I've made it pretty clear that I like you, Lucas."
She raised her head and looked at Lucas to see his reaction, and to Lucas she was more beautiful than ever. Her blonde hair, under the evening sun, made each strand have a golden hue, and her black eyes were shining with the innocence of a girl in love.
'Does she really like ?' Lucas asked.
Lucas had spent so much ti preoccupied with soccer over the last few months that he had never stopped to notice a little better how the surrounding people looked at him.
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