To be honest, Arthur had to admit that Lily's words during dinner had indeed provoked him.
Whether it was a man's possessiveness or something else, when Lily spoke to him in that teasing manner, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions, even though he knew she was doing it on purpose. It got to the point where he really couldn't eat anymore.
Still, he managed to finish three bowls of rice.
After returning to his room, he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. Just as he could guess Lily's intention to provoke him, he found himself both amused and exasperated by her antics.
He had originally planned to go back out and continue eating, but then Natasha's message arrived. Considering the importance of the matter, Arthur decided to address it first, while also 'ignoring' Lily to get a rise out of her.
However, perhaps he had pushed her too far, because when Arthur returned, the first thing he noticed was that his room door was wide open. He stepped out into the living room and found no sign of Lily. He knocked on her door, but there was no response. When he opened it, he discovered she wasn't there either.
"Lily!" Arthur called out, but there was still no answer.
"Where is she?"
Panic began to set in. He jumped down from the second floor and spotted Lily's slippers at the entrance. "Did she go out?"
He opened the main door and stepped outside. The cold air hit him, and he frowned slightly. Before he could start searching, he spotted Lily sitting on the doorstep, wearing a white sweater and jeans, hugging her knees with her face buried in her arms, her shoulders shaking.
"...What are you doing here?" Arthur quickly took off his coat and draped it over her.
Lily looked dazed. She raised her head to meet Arthur's gaze, her face streaked with tears and confusion in her eyes. When she recognized him, she grabbed his sleeve. "Listen to me, no one is chasing me. Some people have tried, but I turned them all down. And that senior who wanted to take me out to eat? I rejected him too. I just said those things on purpose. Please, don't leave."
She seemed extremely anxious. After blurting out her thoughts in one breath, she looked at Arthur with pleading eyes, appearing utterly vulnerable.
This side of Lily was something Arthur had never seen before. She was usually full of energy, lively, and fiercely strong! But at this moment, her fragile demeanor felt like a knife had been plunged into Arthur's heart.
He quickly hugged her and said, "I know, I know. I understand you said those things on purpose."
"You know?" Lily pushed Arthur away slightly and asked seriously, "You really know?"
Arthur nodded.
But in the next moment, Lily burst into tears. "You weren't in your room, and your phone was unreachable, so I came out to look for you. I searched for so long! I went to the bar across the street, then to the café on the next block. I couldn't find you... I was so scared. I thought you had left... I thought you didn't want me anymore..."
After that last sentence, both of them fell silent. Some feelings had been brewing for a while, but neither had ever voiced them. They had always been cautiously testing the waters, but taking that final step always seemed to require just a bit more courage.
But now, at this moment, looking at Lily, who was crying like a delicate flower in the rain, Arthur gently wiped her tears and softly said, "How could I not want you? You are the brightest light I've found in this dark world."
Lily immediately threw herself into Arthur's arms, softly sobbing.
Arthur held her close, but the warmth of the girl in his arms made his heart ache and anger rise simultaneously. "Lily! It's one thing for you to come looking for me, but why didn't you wear a coat?"
"I was afraid I wouldn't find you," Lily buried her face in Arthur's chest. "You're so amazing; you can even fly. If you suddenly took off, I wouldn't even be able to catch the hem of your clothes..."
"...You knew about that?" Arthur's expression remained calm, as he had already anticipated this.
"Yes," Lily replied. "I had my suspicions early on. Later, when we were eating, we saw that big green guy and that big gray guy fighting. After that, I passed out and didn't know what happened. But later, I saw the news and recognized you... Even with a mask on, I could tell it was you. After all, that outfit was given to me by someone who had ulterior motives."
"...You knew they had ulterior motives too?" Arthur's attention was inexplicably diverted.
Then he picked Lily up. She cautiously wrapped her arms around his neck but didn't look up at him. Since they were already at the door, Arthur carried her inside. After going up to the second floor, he placed her on the living room sofa.
Perhaps due to the sudden change from cold to warm, as soon as Lily sat down, she sneezed three times in a row. Her face flushed, and she looked quite unwell.
Arthur frowned and reached out to feel her forehead. "You have a fever."
"...It's fine," Lily lowered her head and answered softly, still avoiding Arthur's gaze.
"Am I really not worth a single glance from you?" Arthur frowned.
Lily quickly glanced at him and then immediately looked down again. "No..."
"..."
Even though Arthur was usually quick-witted and articulate, at that moment, he didn't know what to say. He leaned in closer, but Lily quickly turned her face away. "It's too fast..."
"What's too fast?"
"Aren't you trying to kiss me?" Lily asked in a low voice. "It's too fast. You can't do it this quickly. You haven't even pursued me..."
"..."
What kind of chaos is this? She usually seems like such a normal girl!
He gently tapped her forehead with his finger. "Always overthinking things. I just wanted to check your temperature."
"...Then, then your hand would have been enough."
"My hand isn't enough. I need to use my eyelid," Arthur said. "Don't get in my way."
"Oh," Lily agreed. Seeing Arthur's face approach again, she quickly closed her eyes and gripped her pants tightly, clearly nervous.
Feeling Arthur's eyelid press against her forehead, she kept her eyes tightly shut, not daring to look. Only when the pressure disappeared did she cautiously open her eyes to look at Arthur. "I... Achoo!"
(End of Chapter)
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