After lunch, Lia quickly pushed her chair back and stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder in a hurry.
"I'm going home," she said.
Lucas rose too, tossing a few notes on the table. "Wait. I'll take you home. Just let me pay first."
Lia raised a brow. "How about I pay this time?"
Lucas didn't even pause. "Your duty is eating, lady. Not paying."
She gave him a teasing glare. "I believe in equality."
"I don't," he replied with a casual shrug, then smirked. "Now finish your juice."
Before she could protest further, he turned and walked toward the counter.
At the register, Lucas's eyes caught a bunch of fresh lilies arranged in a small glass vase. The soft, delicate white petals stirred something in him—a memory, perhaps, or maybe just a warm feeling he wasn't ready to name.
He leaned closer to the cashier. "Can I buy those lilies?"
The cashier shook his head politely. "They're not for sale, sir."
Lucas smiled, voice softening. "My wife loves lilies. Just tell me how much."
The man behind the counter blinked, then grinned knowingly. "Wife, huh? In that case…" He named a price, and Lucas paid extra without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Lia sat by the window, watching the street outside, her mind distant—until a voice broke her thoughts.
"Lia?"
She turned, startled. "Oh—Hi, Noah," she said, visibly surprised.
Noah looked her up and down, frowning. "What are you doing here? You look like a skeleton."
Lia forced a half-smile. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"You work here or something?"
"I came to eat," she replied simply, not meeting his eyes.
"Huh. That's kinda hard to believe."
Back at the counter, Lucas heard the exchange and instinctively turned. His eyes locked onto Lia and the unfamiliar guy standing too close to her.
The cashier chuckled, nudging him. "She's cute. But looks like someone else noticed too."
Lucas's jaw tensed. He grabbed the lilies, his steps firm as he made his way toward them.
Lia had just stood up. "Well, Noah, I should go now."
She reached for her bag, but Noah stepped in her way and touched her arm, stopping her.
Lucas was there in an instant, wrapping one arm protectively around Lia's waist and pulling her gently back. "You shouldn't touch a woman without her consent."
Noah scoffed. "But you just did."
Lucas didn't answer. He didn't need to—because in that moment, Lia placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned slightly into him.
"Meet my boyfriend, Lucas," she said, voice calm but firm. "He came to pick me up after class."
Lucas blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the word boyfriend. He glanced at her, then quickly masked his expression.
Noah narrowed his eyes. "He's your boyfriend?"
"Do you have a hearing problem?" Lia shot back. Then she turned to Lucas. "Lucas, this is Noah."
Lucas's voice was cool, controlled. "And? How do you know him?"
"Umm… nothing special," she said, hesitating. "We talked on SNS for a while."
Lucas nodded slowly, then shifted his gaze to Noah. "Hi."
Noah gave a mocking smile. "Now it makes sense. No wonder you came to eat here. Without him, it'd be out of your limit."
Lia flinched, just barely—but Lucas caught it.
He stepped forward slightly. "Why don't you give me your father's number, Mr. Noah? I'd like to remind him to teach you how to speak to a lady."
Noah's face darkened, but before he could retort, Lucas turned back to Lia and gently handed her the bouquet of lilies.
Noah sneered. "She likes the little white flowers. Not those."
Lucas smiled. "They're called baby's breath."
Before either could say more, Lia spoke up, her voice suddenly louder than before.
"I love lilies too." She looked at Noah with a boldness Lucas hadn't seen before. "And more importantly, they were bought by my man."
Lucas felt the words hit him like a shot of warmth. My man.
He reached for her bag. "Gimme that, or we'll be late, babe."
Then, without glancing at Noah again, he took Lia's hand and walked out.
Outside, he placed the helmet gently on her head. From the corner of her eye, Lia could still see Noah watching through the window, fuming. She climbed onto the back of the bike and held Lucas tightly—tighter than she ever had before.
They drove in silence for a while, the only sound the wind rushing past.
Finally, Lucas spoke. "Who was he? Your ex or something?"
"No," she replied quickly. "We used to talk over a game. Then he… proposed. I said no, but he kept pushing me. When I still refused, he started insulting me. I blocked him after that."
Lucas paused. "You didn't like him?"
"No." Her voice was soft but certain.
"That was a fast reply," he muttered.
She didn't answer—but her arms around his waist tightened.
The rest of the ride passed without another word. But Lucas couldn't stop thinking about the way she was holding onto him—as if she didn't want to let go.
---
He pulled up to her house and stopped the engine. "Here we are, miss."
Lia slid off the bike. "Thank you… for today."
"That's what I should say," Lucas replied.
She took off the helmet and handed it back with a small, genuine smile. "I should go now."
"Yeah, sure… Bye-bye."
"Bye."
Lucas watched her walk to the door. She didn't turn around.
But he didn't leave either. He waited until the door clicked shut, the soft sound barely audible over the hum of the evening.
Only then, with a faint smile and a whisper she'd never hear, he said to himself—
"I love you."