Tearing her gaze away from the sunset skyline of the city, Leslie cald her tensed nerves as she looked at Calix driving by her side. The passing lampposts outside cast lights and shadows on the man’s side profile but, she could tell he was in a rry mood.
Both of them left Mapleview Hills around ten minutes ago. Calix said the place he would bring Leslie was around half an hour away from their ho. He still kept it secret.
"Are you going to show... one of your gold mines?"
Calix only laughed when Leslie playfully made a guess.
Instead of having Logan as the chauffeur, Calix drove the car himself. Leslie’s wheelchair was stored in the trunk of his favorite luxury sedan. No one else was with them.
"Openly admiring , Mrs. Xu?" asked Calix without looking at Leslie as he sensed her staring at him. Chuckles rolled out of his mouth, "Well, you can look at my handso face all you want."
Leslie’s lips trembled from holding back laughter, but...
Giggles escaped her lips, rising above the soft lody played by the radio.
"Hahaha! Really ah. You look more eager than... I am... Shouldn’t I be the more excited one?"
Leslie’s following remarks in between her laughter softened Calix’s eyes. He tapped one finger on the steering wheel out of his excitent.
"Can’t I be excited for dinner with my wife? I think you’ll love the surprises ah. Fingers crossed!"
Calix’s enthusiasm prompted Leslie to laugh more. Her shoulders shook from the vibrations coming from her chest.
"Hehe, I’m looking forward to it... Based on my previous experiences, you’re good with surprises, Mr. Xu."
"It’s good that you’re aware," Calix replied smugly. He winked once at Leslie before focusing on driving again, "Just know that I don’t do it on random people."
"Hehe, okay~ I know ah."
Covering her mouth, Leslie refrained from teasing Calix about how his flirting had beco smoother. Despite still showing his bashful side from ti to ti, the frequency had lessened compared to before.
Leslie fiddled with the handbag sitting on her lap. Her eyes remained on Calix’s side profile for a mont longer before she threw her gaze out of the windows.
’Oh... I smile too much.’
Leslie looked at her reflection on the glass panel. The sight of her countenance glowed with happiness caught her off guard before she resorted to smiling more. Calix’s figure was faintly reflected alongside hers.
’Will my guess co true?’
Whether her assumption beca reality or not, Leslie knew she would surely enjoy whatever Calix prepared for them tonight.
Soon, Calix exited the expressway before continuing to drive along an unfamiliar route. Not many vehicles passed by theirs as they entered an intersection of another road.
Leslie noticed the lampposts changed from the standard ones to more exquisite shapes. The new surroundings reminded her of the entry roads of Mapleview Hills and Phoenix Heights.
"We’ve arrived."
Calix’s announcent answered Leslie’s guess. Unconsciously clenching her hands together, she looked out of the front window.
A pair of huge and tall wrought-iron gate doors stood at the end of the road. More lights brightened the area.
Even before Calix’s car reached them, the doors opened automatically. Two guards in the black suits bowed as he drove past the gate.
Slowing down the speed, Calix eventually stopped at a spot opposite an archway leading further inside the place. Two people who were dressed in professional suits stood there as if waiting for their arrival.
"The view is prettier inside," said Calix as he unbuckled the seat belt. His smile softened as he heard Leslie gasping in awe.
"It’s a rose garden?" Leslie peeled her eyes away from the outside, looking at Calix with sparkling eyes, "Really?"
"Hehe, yes."
Holding back her excitent, Leslie pursed her trembling lips. She waited for Calix to get the wheelchair out of the trunk. The two people rushed to help him but, he politely declined.
"Here, my lady."
"Thank you, gentleman."
Calix helped Leslie out of the car before she sat in the wheelchair. Placing her palms over her mouth, she stared openly at the wrought-iron archway standing in the middle of the towering rose hedges.
The exterior was already this enchanting! She couldn’t imagine how more srizing the interior would be!
"Happy already?" Calix chuckled. His eyes fondly lay on Leslie’s face.
"Yes!"
While Leslie was still imrsed in the exquisite surroundings, Calix silently gestured at the two attendants to leave him and his wife in private. They imdiately disappeared.
"Let’s go inside. There’s more for you to see."
Leslie quickly nodded. Laughing at herself, she tried to calm down with the fragrant scent of the roses in the air.
Calix slowly pushed the wheelchair toward the archway, letting Leslie take her sweet ti admiring the view.
The cascades of velvety roses in red, pink and white colors covered the delicate lacework of the iron arch. Twinkling fairy lights interwoven with the lush ivy, basking them under the warm glow.
Rose petals carpeted the stone pathway. As Calix and Leslie moved further inside, they crunched softly under their steps. The faint echo drowned under the gentle sounds of a fountain nearby.
The sky had completely darkened, allowing the candles and fairy lights to glow more prominently between the blooms of roses.
Leslie wandered her eyes from the hanging blooms above to the ones bordering the pathway. Her gaze eventually fixed on the other canopy of roses built at the end of the archway.
"Wow~ I didn’t expect to dine... surrounded by roses."
Leslie let out a chuckle. She saw a candle-lit table placed under the canopy. A white crisp tablecloth draped the surface, decorated with a centerpiece of freshly picked roses.
Calix stopped right next to the table. After pulling out a chair, he assisted Leslie to sit.
"Thank you, Mr. Xu."
"As always, Mrs. Xu."
Calix took a seat right next to Leslie as always. Seeing the delighted look on her face pounded his heart with more anticipation.
"Do you think it’s dreamlike?" asked Calix quietly, finding himself lost in Leslie’s sparkling eyes. Her smiling countenance glowed under the warm lights.
"Dreamlike and romantic."
Her answer deepened his smile.
For so reason, he believed tonight would go smoothly for him.
"I’ll call for the waiter," Calix clapped his hands once, "Hope you’ll love the food choices."
"I won’t say no to delicious food," replied Leslie with a wide smile. She wondered what kinds of dishes would be served to them, "You know I eat almost everything edible."
"Haha, indeed you are."
Two waiters appeared with a three-tier food trolley. They started by serving Calix and Leslie with the appetizers.
"Oh~ They sll nice."
Leslie covered her mouth. Her appetite was enticed by the plates of appetizers on the table.
"Well, let’s dig in."
Calix and Leslie began to savor the dishes. The two waiters made themselves scarce, leaving the husband and wife alone under the canopy of roses.
Soft music accompanied Calix and Leslie, resonating from the hidden speakers of the rose garden. The gentle flow of water from the fountain intermingled with the lody.
Truly, it felt as if only they existed in this charming rose garden.
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