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Lucy, always on top of the latest fashion trends and well–connected through her client–facing role, pulled out her phone to check out the watch.
Without waiting for Winifred to respond, she kept going, “It’s a niche brand with serious style. It’s probably worth more than his car. Only hardcore collectors would wear something like that. By the way, what’s Ms. Linton’s boyfriend all about?”
Lucy loved gossip, while Winifred was the quieter type. Once Lucy started talking about stuff like this, she couldn’t be stopped. While they waited by the curb, a gust of wind blew by, making Winifred shiver a little.
Just then, their ride arrived, and the two of them climbed in.
Lucy didn’t miss a beat, still chatting away, not bothered by Winifred’s silence. She knew Winifred was usually quiet, so she was a little surprised when Winifred finally spoke up.
“They’re probably a good match, right? Ms. Linton’s grandpa was a retired chief of staff, so I bet her boyfriend’s family has some serious influence, too,” Winifred said.
Lucy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, rich people are all about family backgrounds,” she said.
The car cruised through a few intersections, but soon, it got stuck in traffic.
From the nearby stadium, they could hear music from a concert.
The driver sighed. “Man, if I’d known, I’d have taken a different route.”
Lucy glanced outside. “Looks like a celebrity concert. If I’d known, I would’ve told you to take another road.”
The stadium was packed with fans for a trending singer, and the traffic was barely moving.
Winifred felt drained. The car smelled of leather and summer heat, making her head feel foggy. She closed her eyes and slumped back into the seat.
They’d called a budget cab, so there was no AC, with just the windows down. Winifred gulped the sticky, muggy air, but the seafood she’d eaten earlier was churning in her stomach. She tried to ignore the waves of nausea.
The four lanes of traffic were crawling along, inching forward like turtles.
Suddenly, Winifred felt Lucy grab her arm.
“Hey, check it out! Ms. Linton and her boyfriend’s car are right up ahead,” Lucy said excitedly.
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Winifred opened her eyes and looked out the right window. Their car was just a car–length away from the other one.
Up ahead, the window of a black Mercedes–Benz rolled down, and Humbert’s hand appeared. It has long, delicate fingers with a cigarette held loosely between fingertips. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, his arm hanging out the window.
His hand was almost beautiful, veins standing out with quiet strength. Every so often, he’d take a drag and flick the ash outside, the tip of his cigarette glowing like a tiny star.
The night grew darker, and traffic continued at a snail’s pace.
Lucy pulled out her phone and leaned over to Winifred. She couldn’t resist snapping a quick photo. Then she looked at it and sighed. “Guys smoking? Normally, a turn–off. But when a hot guy smokes? Totally different story.”
Winifred shot her a look. “That’s such a double standard,” she said.
Stuck in traffic, the driver up front couldn’t help but light a cigarette out of sheer restlessness. He chuckled as they joked about guys who smoked.
As if she had thought of something, Lucy leaned closer to Winifred and whispered, “I once dated a guy who liked feeding me cigarettes in bed. It was annoying, and the smell was awful, but honestly, it was kinda thrilling at the time.”
Winifred frowned slightly. She wondered if this was something guys would do. After all, Humbert did the same thing to her.
*****
It was summer break, and Winifred was working part–time at the campus café. Humbert had spent a whole month in Juslinoupe with his family.
They hadn’t seen each other for so long, and the night he finally came back, he asked her to come over to his place near campus.
Winifred turned him down. She said she had to work until 10 p.m. But honestly, she was dying to see him.
They had barely chatted on WhatsApp the whole month.
Humbert wasn’t the type to share his private life. Even in Juslinoupe, he hardly took any photos, and he didn’t send her a single one. All he did was post one update on his feed.
Winifred had stared at that post a hundred times.
When she finished her shift, she walked out of the cafe. However, she barely made it a few
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Chapter 23
steps before someone seized her wrist and pulled her into a shadowy corner.
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Behind the café was that famous grove everyone loved to post about. It was lush, green, and cool in the summer night.
His kisses came down all at once–urgent and passionate with the taste of smoke filling her mouth. His fingers cradled her face, holding her still as he tilted her chin up.
Winifred didn’t like it when Humbert smoked. He wasn’t much of a smoker anyway and hardly ever lit up in front of her.
The smoke made her cough. She clutched his shirt, coughing a few more times. “This is school. Don’t you care if someone sees us?” she whispered, flustered.
It was past ten, and the place was almost empty. At that moment, she actually looked at him with a tiny spark of anticipation.
She had slimmed down a bit by then, and her features were finally showing how pretty she really was.
Every girl wanted to look good, especially for the guy they liked. Winifred was no exception. She knew he was coming tonight, so she had even done her makeup for him.
But he didn’t seem to notice. He just asked, “How much?”
“80 dollars,” Claire replied, her eyes dimming a little. “Wait, 80 dollars for a whole day of part- time work.”
Humbert gave a faint smile. “I wasn’t asking about something obscure. What’s going on in your head?”
He glanced at his watch. “I’ve been here since 7:30 p.m. I had two cups of coffee you made, and
you didn’t even look my way once. Claire, are you just pretending not to see me?”
Claire wanted to say she saw him, but she didn’t say it. With classmates around, if she went over to Humbert, everyone would notice.
That night, Claire ended up at Humbert’s fancy apartment downtown. He handed her a gift box, asking her to take a look.
Inside was a woman’s watch of the same brand that he wore–a niche label, simple in design, but far from cheap.
Back then, Claire didn’t know much about luxury brands. She only recognized big names.
Humbert said the watch wasn’t worth much. He’d just bought it on a whim.
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Winifred didn’t believe him. He looked at her and said, “It cost 80 dollars. That’s what you make in a day.”
Back then, the internet wasn’t everywhere. That brand was basically a secret among the rich.
After the breakup, Winifred sent the watch back to his place.
Now, Winifred gazed out the window. Her eyes fell on Humbert’s hand, which was casually resting on the car door. The dial of the dark, gold watch on his wrist glinted under the cover of darkness as he flicked ash from his cigarette.
The car moved forward slowly. When they drove alongside Humbert, Winifred rolled up her window. Still, their eyes met for a split second.
Humbert turned his head, meeting her gaze. A few seconds later, the tinted window slid up, hiding Winifred’s face.
Humbert held the cigarette between his lips, lost in thought.
“Humbert, are you free this Sunday? Let’s go to a concert together,” Sylvia asked, glancing at him. But he didn’t reply.
But he didn’t reply. He just stared off, completely lost in his own thoughts.
*****
Forty minutes later, the car pulled into a fancy neighborhood in Sonisburg. Sylvia jumped out and said, “Humbert, I didn’t expect to run into my coworkers tonight. They totally thought you were my boyfriend.”
Sylvia’s cheeks turned pink as she shot Humbert a quick look. “My grandpa’s always wanted to meet you. I bet he’s still awake. Maybe you could come in for…”
“Let’s do it another time. I don’t want to disturb Lloyd’s rest,” Humbert replied calmly, getting back into the car.
Sylvia watched as his car disappeared into the distance, a feeling of disappointment washing over her. When she got home, Lorraine was waiting, curious about how things went with Humbert.
Sylvia slumped, looking frustrated. “Mom, isn’t Grandpa basically Humbert’s grandfather’s old right–hand man? Can’t you get Grandpa to help me out?”
She added, “It took forever to get Humbert to have dinner with me tonight, and you know what? He was so cold to everyone. I asked him out, and he just brushed me off, saying he had things to do at the hospital.”
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Lorraine sighed. “Well, why do you get so hung up on him? There are plenty of good guys in Sonisburg.”
Sylvia shook her head. “It’s different, Mom. We’re talking about Humbert here.”
The Pierce family was at the very top of Sonisburg’s social ladder. Even for the Linton family, landing someone from the Pierce family would be considered a big catch.
Meanwhile, Humbert had arrived home. Nemo, now an old dog, gave a lazy wag of his tail as he greeted his owner.
Humbert walked into his bedroom and started undressing. As he tossed his clothes aside, something slipped out of his pocket and hit the floor.
He bent down to pick it up. It was a tube of Saint Laurent lipstick, shade 302.
Humbert wasn’t an expert on lipstick, but the moment he saw it, Winifred’s face appeared in his mind.
Her lovely and delicate face and soft, full lips, touched with the subtlest hint of color, came to him clearly. He stared at the lipstick, lost in thought.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
