Chapter 55
Sophia gave a small nod, “Mhm.”
She wasn’t actually cold. The wool hat she was wearing still held onto his warmth.
She had always been a pushover for Brandon, especially when he was being thoughtful and tender like this.
Brandon didn’t pick up on the ripples in her heart. He raised his hand to cover her ears for a moment and looked at her, “You didn’t eat much back at home. How about grabbing a bite outside?”
Sophia hesitated for a second before nodding.
Behind the square was a night market with street food stalls. Even though it was early in her pregnancy, Brandon wasn’t too strict about what Sophia could and couldn’t eat.
It was Sophia who held back a bit, not daring to eat just anything. She only ordered a burger.
Their dining spot was just a makeshift tent and a small table set up by the roadside.
Brandon also got himself a burger and sat opposite Sophia.
This was their first time eating at a street stall like this.
The experience felt novel to Sophia, particularly with Brandon sitting across from her in a suit, which seemed a bit out of place against the backdrop of the humble stall.
Sophia thought Brandon might feel uncomfortable, but then she saw him pick up the disposable utensils and start eating.
She couldn’t help but look at him.
Brandon glanced at her in between bites, “What’s up?”
Sophia shook her head, “Nothing.”
She added, “Just didn’t expect you to be into street food.”
Brandon gave her a look, “Back in college, there was this whole street of food stalls behind the campus. I used to go a lot places like this.”
Sophia was a bit surprised, “I thought you were the fancy type.”
“Being fancy started after I began working.” Brandon rested his utensils in his plate, looking at her. “As a student, I was more easy-going. These past few years running the company, being busy, and having to maintain the company’s image meant I didn’t really hit up street stalls anymore.”
Then he asked her, “What about you? Ever been to places like this before?”
“Of course. As a student, who could afford fancy restaurants all the time? We’d stick to street stalls, cheap and tasty.” Sophia chuckled, “Had a food street behind my college too. I used to go there a lot with Susan. Good times.”
Brandon also chuckled, feeling nostalgic.
He remembered the food street from his student days, always bustling with student couples. Watching them, he’d often think of Sophia, wondering which college she was at, what she was doing, whether she was dating. These thoughts would sometimes take away his appetite.
He knew which college Sophia attended.
Even though Sophia had left without a word after the test, she had been admitted to a prestigious university due to her high scores. Her name was up there on the honor board, close to his.
They were even in the same city, the same university area, and their schools often had joint events.
But in that small world, they never crossed paths.
“I’ve been to your school before,” Brandon said.
Sophia was taken aback, “What?”
Brandon picked up the burger, tilting his head slightly to look at her, “When I first started college and wasn’t so busy, I’d occasionally wander around your campus.”
He wasn’t even sure if he had been harboring a small hope of bumping into Sophia during those visits, though it had never happened.
Sophia smiled, “If I’d known you were coming, I would’ve treated you to a meal.”
He just smiled back, not responding.
He doubted Sophia would have actually invited him to eat if she had known he was there. Knowing her, she probably would have just politely greeted him and moved on.
Sophia knew her words didn’t carry much weight either.
Back in their student days, it was Brandon who looked after her. She had always carefully hidden her crush on him, always feeling a mix of respect, fear, and dependence around him, never daring to make a move even if they had met by chance.
Brandon didn’t call her out on it. Instead, he suggested, “Let’s eat first.”!
Sophia nodded gently, feeling somewhat more at ease, perhaps because of their heart-to-heart, or maybe because Brandon was showing a side of him that wasn’t so distant, or it could have been that the burger and condiments were just really good. Her appetite, which had been poor all afternoon, had surprisingly improved.
She finished the burger in one go.
Brandon watched her quietly, not really hungry himself. He had come out with her just because he couldn’t rest easy knowing she hadn’t eaten much.
This kind of thing was almost unimaginable in his past life.
Going for a walk, having late-night snacks, they all seemed like a huge waste of time to him.
But seeing Sophia eat to her heart’s content, Brandon felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction.
He didn’t regret taking the time to accompany her.
Watching Sophia set down her empty soup bowl, Brandon took a tissue and leaned in to wipe the corner of her mouth.
Sophia stiffened for a moment when the tissue touched her face, clearly not used to this kind of intimacy.
He had wiped her mouth before, but that was when they were married, and the marital relationship probably made her discomfort less noticeable and her resistance less strong.
Now that they were back to being strangers, her sense of boundaries came through, hence the stiffness when he wiped her mouth, before she took the tissue from him.
“I got it.”
Brandon let her take the tissue, silently watching her without a word, missing the unguarded moments from their earlier conversation. Sophia wiped her mouth and only then realized that she had subconsciously shown her boundaries. She smiled awkwardly and slowly rolled the used tissue into a small ball.
Brandon watched the white tissue roll in her fingers, then looked at her, “What happened this afternoon?” He was referring to earlier, when she had cried while he had asked her to eat.
Sophia pursed her lips, feeling a tinge of guilt for inadvertently setting boundaries, and gave him an embarrassed grin, “Actually, it’s nothing much. I just had a bit of a phone call home and things got a bit sour.”
Brandon’s mind raced to the money she had refunded him before the flight, “Is it about the cash you sent back?”
Sophia wasn’t surprised he’d guessed it and gave a slight nod, “Kind of. They sometimes get a bit obsessive over trivial stuff, but it blows over. Don’t let them get to you.”
Brandon looked at her, “So, you were the one blocking them from reaching out to me before?”
Sophia didn’t nod or shake her head, just flashed an awkward smile, “Guess they must have caused you quite a bit of hassle in the past, huh?”
“No worries. Just small favors,” Brandon said, looking at her. “But what about you? Aren’t you all family? Why would they treat you like that?”
“Probably because,” Sophia paused to think, “my mom’s a bit old-fashioned, plays favorites with the boys, I guess.”
Brandon chuckled, didn’t pursue the topic, just gazed at her and said slowly, “Sophia, are you sure you’re actually their kid?”
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