Ning wandered all around the area with her camera, Leo following a short distance behind to keep an eye on her.
When they reached the town's only restaurant, Ning turned toward Leo, a few steps away.
“Leo, let's have dinner here. My treat.”
His hands tucked into his coat pockets, Leo curved his lips in a faint smile and walked toward her.
“Your treat?”
Ning nodded with a smile, pulled open the restaurant door, and went inside. Leo blinked, his thoughts unreadable, then followed her in.
The atmosphere inside could not have been more different from the frozen world outside. Some kind of event seemed to be taking place. Everyone was formally dressed.
Realizing this as she entered, Ning started to back out, only to bump into Leo behind her. A smiling, middle-aged blond man in a suit approached.
“Miss, we're hosting a wedding party here. You and the gentleman behind you are very welcome to join us.”
Only at the latter part of his invitation did he look at Leo behind her.
Ning reacted quickly. Professional courtesy prompted her to ask:
“Would you mind if I filmed? I'll edit the footage and post it on my personal social media account.”
The blond man shrugged, his face full of smiles. “Of course not. What a wonderful thing to do.”
Ning and Leo went in and took a table by the window.
While she adjusted her camera to begin filming, Leo fetched two glasses of wine and set them on the table.
Their food soon arrived. Ning briefly showed the dishes to the camera. Across from her, Leo rested his temple against one hand and watched, the suggestion of a smile lingering at his lips.
Everyone in the restaurant began singing along with the music. Ning caught their infectious enthusiasm. Though she didn't join the dancing, her camera captured the moment perfectly.
As spirits rose, Ning raised her wineglass with everyone else. Leo did the same. They smiled at each other and drained their glasses.
The bride, standing in the middle of the restaurant, happened to notice them and slowly brought the crowd their way.
Slightly tipsy, Ning let the bride pull her into the dancing. Since she and Leo had been sitting together, everyone assumed they were a couple, so the groom drew him in too. They formed a circle. Someone played a saxophone while others clapped and cheered.
Without her noticing, someone else had taken her hand. When she turned to look beside her, she found Leo there.
A few more glasses of wine followed. Her mind drifted, until the party was almost over.
In the end, Leo carried Ning out of the restaurant in his arms.
They had only gone a few steps before she began squirming restlessly. With no other choice, Leo set her back on her feet.
Ning barely managed to stand steady. She shook her head, trying to focus on Leo in front of her. The longer she looked, the closer she leaned.
Snow began to fall. A flake landed on her eyelashes. Leo watched them flutter, sending it drifting from her long lashes to the ground.
“You're... Leo.”
She murmured the words, then pitched straight forward. Her forehead brushed his lips, leaving a fleeting warmth, before she collapsed into his arms.
Leo went rigid. Slowly, he lifted a hand to his lips. His heart kept accelerating until its pounding was all he could hear. He stood stunned for a long moment before coming back to himself.
In twenty-eight years, this was the first time he had encountered someone who could make his pulse race the way racing did.
Ning was caught somewhere between drunk and sober. Before Leo could react, she suddenly straightened and took two steps back, waving at him with flushed cheeks and a sweet, gentle smile.
“Goodbye, Leo!” she murmured softly.
As though she really meant to say goodbye, she turned and walked straight ahead without looking back, still swaying slightly.
Leo watched her retreating figure in surprise. The warmth she had left against his chest was slowly fading...
Frowning a little, he caught up in a few strides. Without another word, he scooped her into his arms again and carried her toward the cabin.
By the time they returned, it was completely dark.
Leo set Ning on the sofa, then went into the kitchen to pour her some warm water.
When he returned to the living room, she seemed to be murmuring something he couldn't make out. He sat beside the sofa, lifted her into his arms, and offered her the water.
Ning kept her lips tightly closed. What remained of her reason and caution made her slowly open her eyes to see who was in front of her.
“Relax. I haven't poisoned it.”
Only then did Ning obediently drink.
Looking down at her head, Leo couldn't help reaching out to gently ruffle her hair. Somewhere inside him, his heart was softening into something as sweet and yielding as cotton candy.
Once she had finished, Leo set the glass on the coffee table and gently lowered her back into place. Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, a sudden pull stopped him.
The next instant, Ning had drawn him close. Her cool, beautiful face filled his vision, her cherry-red lips right before him.
Before he could react, she tugged harder and pressed her lips to his.
Ning made a soft sound and sleepily lifted her eyelids. “So soft... like jelly,” she mumbled.
Then she parted her lips and lightly sucked and nipped at the corner of his mouth.
A vein throbbed at Leo's temple. With an effort at restraint, he pulled away. Feeling that warmth leave, Ning opened her eyes a little and murmured, “Don't go.”
Her cheeks were flushed, her voice low and soft. To Leo, it was nothing short of an enchantment.
At last, he no longer wanted to hold back. He kissed her, the simple press of lips gradually deepening into a tangled kiss.
Five minutes later, Ning fell asleep in the middle of it.
When she stopped responding, Leo opened his eyes and discovered that she was asleep. Exasperated laughter escaped him. He pressed another kiss to her lips and gave them a light nip.
“You can fall asleep while kissing me? What am I, a sleeping pill?”
His helpless murmur held a note of accusation.
Leo carried Ning back to the bedroom, put her on the bed, and tucked her in. He watched her sleeping face in silence for he didn't know how long. Only when his phone rang out in the living room did he leave, closing the door behind him.
A little after seven in the morning, Ning woke up thirsty.
She slowly sat up, her head still groggy. Scattered memories from a few hours earlier began piecing themselves together.
A dozen seconds later, her eyes flew wide. She covered her face with both hands as her cheeks and ears heated up.
She had actually... taken liberties with Leo!
“What do I do? What do I do?”
The kiss replayed in Ning's mind again and again. Silently screaming, she collapsed onto the bed and rolled from side to side.
What was she supposed to do? This was mortifying!
The first kiss she had guarded for twenty-four years—she'd given it away just like that?
Her thoughts were a jumble. After thinking for a long while, Ning finally made a decision. She scrambled out of bed and began packing.
She deliberately kept every movement quiet, terrified of waking a certain someone.
When she was done, Ning eased the bedroom door open and carried her suitcase straight toward the front door.
“Miss One Little Lemon, where are you going?”
Leo's low voice suddenly came from behind her.