HEIRESS REBORN: MARRYING HER EX-FIANCÉ-Chapter 78: A Sweet December to Remember (3)

*I am outside.*

Ayana’s phone vibrated with a message popping up on the home screen. She was almost done with her meal as her gaze glanced to the screen and she read the words.

’He’s not coming inside?’ Her eyes flashed with confusion as she sipped some water, and wiped her lips gently with the folded napkin.

Ayana got up and quickly put on her winter gloves and winter coat over her turtle neck sweater. She slipped her phone in her purse and walked out of the VIP room.

A nearby hostess led her to the entrance of the restaurant, and Ayana stepped outside into the familiar cold. When she did not see her fiancé’s vehicle parked in the former spot of hers, her confusion deepened until she heard a familiar voice.

’’Over here.’’ 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Ayana snapped her gaze to the side where she saw a man grinning warmly at her from a small distance. Surprise flickered in her eyes as she took his good-looking visage in the black winter coat.

It’s been quite some time since they last saw each other face-to-face. She couldn’t help but be amazed. It was as though she was staring at the Axel Kratos of her past life.

He had completely matured into a grown adult.

Ayana’s lips unconsciously tugged up at the sight of his handsome face as she narrowed the gap between them.

’’How was your trip?’’ She asked once she stopped before him and their gloved hands naturally came together.

’’It was good.’’ Axel replied, staring at her apologetically. ’’Pardon me for the delay. The traffic was quite terrible.’’

’’It’s alright.’’ Ayana did not blame him. She more or less understood what how traffic was like in the New York city, especially on the holidays.

Some travel to visit their families. Others shop for last-minutes gifts or attend holiday events. It also didn’t help that Étoile Royale was located near the heart of the city, Manhattan.

’’Are we going back or....’’ Ayana trailed off, thinking if they would return to the restaurant since Axel had booked a reservation.

He silently stared at her face for a moment, his gaze lingering and Ayana began to wonder if said something wrong just now.

’’Can we go to my apartment?’’

Ayana blinked, the question hanging in the air.

She held his gaze for a moment until she felt her face growing warm. A deep blush crept slowly onto her cheeks.

’’...’’ A visible puff of breath escaped her lips as she silently averted her gaze shyly. Noah’s former words suddenly resurfaced in her mind, making her to feel even more self-conscious.

The air turned awkward around them as the silence grew thick.

’’If you don’t want....’’

’’Let’s go.’’ She answered when Axel was about to change his words. This time, she looked at him with her flushed face; both from the cold and the mood.

’’Let’s go to your apartment.’’ She said with a small grin. ’’We can’t keep standing here forever.’’

****

Although, Ayana had agreed to his apartment quite boldly, that did not mean she was truly courageous at heart!

Immediately after she agreed, Ayana suddenly found herself seated in the passenger front seat of her fiancé car. Axel was in the driver’s seat and driving them to his apartment.

Perhaps he must have driven to Étoile Royale...Ayana neither knew nor care at the moment.

Her mind was totally blank at this point.

Both her mind and body were typically pure and virgin. Even though she knew what would go on between a man and a woman alone in a room or apartment, it did not change that she was still a novice despite her older mental age.

The car drove in silence and Ayana kept her gaze fixed ahead without sparing a glance at man on her side. Though her body was very conscious of him.

The city was fused with the festive air. Every she looked blinked brightly with Christmas lights and the towering buildings were beautifully decorated with festive ornaments.

By the time they arrived at the apartment, the night had already deepened. Ayana guessed the time was almost 10pm or some minutes after without looking at her phone. They did spend some time on the road because of the traffic.

*Beep!*

Before Ayana knew it, she was already standing inside her fiancé’s apartment.

’’.....’’

’’...’’

The two stood side by side with their backs facing the automatic door in utter silence. For Ayana, this was the second time she was entering an apartment of the opposite gender.

In her past life, it was Liam’s....No, now that she thought about it, the apartment she and Liam hardly lived in together was bought by her, but under his name.

So, she was the true owner of that apartment in a way, and technically, this was her first time in a man’s apartment.

’’I made you feel awkward, didn’t I?’’ Axel broke the silence and she turned her gaze to meet his.

’’Well....’’ Ayana hesitantly agreed to his words. He did make her feel awkward, but Noah was the one who contributed to most of it.

Ayana mentally noted to deal with him once she goes home later.

’’I don’t feel sorry about it, though.’’ He faintly chuckled as he took off his winter gloves and shrugged off his winter coat.

’’You should make yourself feel comfortable. I’ll be right back.’’ He told her before leaving her alone in the room.

’’...’’ Ayana watched his back until he disappeared from her sight and then slowly swept her gaze over the entire room.

The one word that came to mind and she could use to describe the entire room was minimalistic.

The space was open but largely plain, with a small, charcoal-gray couch sitting squarely in front of a modest flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. There were no decorative pillows or throws, just the bare essentials. The walls were painted a plain off-white, with no artwork or personal touches to soften the starkness.

To her right, the kitchen seamlessly blended into the living area, separated only by an island with two mismatched stools tucked underneath. The countertops were bare except for a lone coffee maker and toaster. The overhead cabinets, in dull and unpolished wood, added to the vibe of the room.

The space was indeed clean and organized, but Ayana felt that it lacked warmth, almost like a place meant to be lived in temporarily rather than called home.

However, the entire room was exactly how she saw the Axel Kratos of her past life.

Ayana went ahead to couch and dropped her purse. She shrugged off her winter coat and pulled off her gloves before folding them on the headrest.

’’Do you want to have anything?’’ Axel entered the living room and moved to the kitchen side. He stood behind the island and met her gaze. ’’ I have chrysanthemum leaves to make tea.’’

Ayana blinked, pursing her lips that threatened to break into a smile. Even if they had not seen each other for a long time, he still remembered what she liked best.