Sam and Alice had arranged to et at a nearby restaurant, thankfully not on the chaotic Fifth Street.
It wasn't that Sam was afraid of that place, but every ti he went there, trouble seed to follow.
Riding his motorcycle, Sam stopped in front of a convenience store. Knowing Alice's habit of drinking, he decided there was no need to ride his bike to the restaurant.
Sam took a taxi to their eting spot.
The scenery outside the window flew by.
Sam reflected on the deepening winter, the desolate atmosphere growing stronger.
Everyone was bundled up, but it couldn't warm the emptiness inside.
Getting out of the taxi, he looked at the stylish restaurant in front of him. The ivy climbing the walls was now withered, not its season to thrive.
The brass sign had a Nordic village charm, and soothing music drifted faintly from inside.
Sam pushed the door open and walked in.
It was quiet inside, definitely the kind of place Alice would like. After all, she was a woman who preferred to drink in peace. To put it plainly, without any sarcasm, she had a 'bourgeois charm.'
He quickly spotted Alice. She was the kind of woman who would stand out anywhere. At this mont, she was sitting quietly at a table by herself.
Her slightly curled long hair was still smooth, her nose straight, and her features delicate and cold.
Especially with her teacher's aura, her intellectual and restrained vibe was even more pronounced. As Sam walked by, he noticed countless n, whether accompanied or not, stealing glances in her direction.
n are always like this, unable to resist a beautiful sight.
Of course, this didn't an they didn't love the girl beside them; it was just a natural instinct.
In fact, those who pretended to be indifferent to other beautiful won might be the ones hiding sothing.
Sam calmly approached her.
She looked elegant today, though a bit cold.
A tailored coat, and underneath, a form-fitting black dress.
She looked up at the handso young man.
"You're a bit late."
She seed to be complaining about his slightly delayed arrival.
Sam smiled at her.
"I saw you outside, so I took a mont."
"Hmm?"
Alice seed puzzled by his words.
Sam flashed the straightforward and charming smile typical of his age.
"Because you looked so stunning today, I had to make sure I wasn't mistaken."
Alice's eyes widened slightly, her cold face softening, like a flower blooming in the harsh winter.
During a date, a guy doesn't have to be overly proactive, but he should never overlook the effort the girl has put in.
Whether it's a special outfit, ticulous makeup, or even a small accessory change, noticing these details shows that you care and pay attention to her.
No matter the purpose of the date, making the other person feel good is never a bad thing.
Getting stuck on so-called 'male pride' can easily ruin things.
At this mont, Alice felt a bit moved.
What the heck... starting off with such sweet talk?
But Alice still had so doubts.
"Really? I see you almost every day. You make it sound like we don't see each other often."
Sam took a sip of the coffee on the table and replied nonchalantly.
"Because we usually have to keep our distance, face-to-face monts are rare. And today is a special day, isn't it?"
Alice couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Not many face-to-face monts because you're a womanizer?"
She huffed, but there was no real anger in her expression, just a hint of resentnt.
Sam shook his head helplessly.
"That's for your reputation, of course... Hmm? I haven't seen those earrings before."
This ti, he didn't clumsily change the subject but focused on the delicate earrings hanging from her ears.
The silver teardrop-shaped earrings looked exquisite, not overly flashy, complenting her cold and elite aura.
The kind of woman you'd fantasize about in an office setting.
Alice couldn't help but feel a bit pleased.
She had bought these earrings while shopping with Aurora, and they were quite expensive for her. She had hesitated but eventually bought them.
She didn't expect Sam to notice them so accurately.
It was worth the money...
She pretended to touch her earrings casually.
"Oh... just sothing I bought on a whim, nothing expensive."
Sam didn't discuss the value of the earrings or whether it mattered.
At this mont, all that was needed was a simple sentence.
"But they look really good on you, very special."
This complinted the earrings' value and subtly suggested they looked good because of her.
A win-win.
Alice couldn't help but show a shy smile.
"You're full of sweet talk."
Though she said that, her expression betrayed her.
Just then, the dishes Alice had ordered arrived.
So exquisite dishes, fitting her bourgeois taste.
She casually said, "I didn't know what you liked, so I ordered a bit of everything. But don't waste it if you don't like it."
As she spoke, she kept glancing at Sam's expression, as if to see if he really disliked the food.
"That's not the case. I'm quite picky, but I can eat all of this. Looks like we have similar tastes."
Really?
That's good... Alice breathed a small sigh of relief.
Her mood relaxed, accompanied by the soothing music.
They chatted while eating.
At first, it was simple topics. After all, Alice and Sam's roles were clear: a teacher and a student. There weren't many common topics, so Sam took the lead in finding things to talk about.
It seed like he was concerned about her work, so she did most of the talking, while Sam listened attentively.
Not with perfunctory responses like: "Hmm, oh, really? I see."
But with occasional agreents and mild counterpoints, without being confrontational.
The goal wasn't to make her take his words to heart. What was said didn't matter much; even between couples, most conversations were trivial.
The key was to make her feel that he wasn't brushing her off, that he was genuinely listening to her concerns.
For any woman, your attitude is the most important thing. Many n find it botherso when won talk about trivial matters and expect them to listen attentively. What's the point?
But maybe it's a matter of patience.
Sam was very patient.
So even though Alice did most of the talking, she didn't feel uncomfortable. Instead, her desire to confide in him grew stronger.
Until she rembered sothing.
"By the way, is sothing going on with your club? I heard from Isabella that it might disband?"
Sam almost forgot that Alice was the club's advisor, even if only in na. Many club activity reports had to be reviewed by her.
So it wasn't surprising she knew so things.
Sam smiled.
"Nothing much, just that the club's activities are quite unique. Isabella probably thinks if we can't achieve them, we might as well disband."
"What kind of activity would lead to that?"
Alice frowned slightly.
Sam didn't hide anything and told her about Isabella's request for each mber to exchange gifts.
Hearing Sam's explanation, Alice thought for a mont.
"That's not an easy task... Isn't it because of you? With you in the middle, it's no wonder the club might disband."
Clearly, she had so resentnt about Sam's ambiguous relationships with the other girls.
Last ti, there was even Zoe...
Thinking about it, her good mood seed to turn into sothing else.
Sam chuckled bitterly, "Not everything can be blad on , right?"
"Who told you to be Angel's boyfriend? A boyfriend, no less."
She emphasized the word 'boyfriend,' almost gritting her teeth.
Sam blinked innocently.
"Do you think if I weren't her boyfriend, they wouldn't argue?"
Alice glared at him.
"You've got the two prettiest girls in school, and you still have the nerve to say that?"
"Don't say things like that, Alice-sensei."
"Isn't it true?"
Hmm? Hadn't he and Angel slept together? And he wasn't in a relationship with Sophie?
But then Sam said, "You're one of the prettiest won in school too."
Alice was visibly taken aback, looking at Sam, unsure of what to think.
"Wait, Alice-sensei."
Sam suddenly spoke, making Alice's previously annoyed expression hesitant.
Then she saw the young man stand up, his tall and slender figure like a tower, not imposing but with a strange sense of dominance.
It made Alice feel a bit nervous and flustered.
Then he bent down in front of her, reaching out, and she almost closed her eyes.
But Sam simply reached out and gently wiped a bit of sauce from the corner of her mouth with his finger.
He casually wiped the sauce off with a napkin in front of her.
Alice's heart pounded uncontrollably, feeling her cheeks heat up rapidly.
It was... burning.
He was her student, a high schooler younger than her.
Why did Alice feel like a girl experiencing her first crush, facing a tidal wave of emotions?
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