Chapter 1106: Chapter 1106

The cruise trip was going to take them from a few destinations in Spain eventually landing in Italy to various cities like Rome, Florence and Venice. Today was their last day in Spain where Jin and Alix would spend some time in Barcelona before their cruise ship would start heading towards Genoa, Italy and continue its cruise to Italian cities.

They were now wandering inside Sagrada Familia, the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. The church’s construction was first started in 1882 and since then, it was still in construction - even today in the 21st century.

Alix paused beneath a cluster of soaring columns. "Gaudí never saw it finished. He gave it everything, but he died with it still unfinished," she muttered to herself.

By Gaudi, she meant the church’s chief architect who had first overtaken the construction in 1882.

"Wonder if there was any point devoting his whole life to it."

Jin looked at her sideways. "That doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth building. It’s still beautiful."

Their eyes met - which Alix couldn’t quite put her finger on as to why his black irises seemed to particularly draw her in.

"You would chase after something you know you might not get to see the end of it?"

"At least I know I gave it my all. Die trying is better than doing nothing."

She slightly clenched her bag that still held the other scarf. She had been planning to give it to him but couldn’t.

It’s just a scarf. Why is it so hard? She wondered.

Then there was Jin, who had his own uncertainties he was grappling with. He was just like Alix - not knowing what was exactly bothering him but that discomforting feeling was increasingly growing heavier than he had expected since the past few days.

Alix glanced at him, sensing the faint heaviness in his gaze.

It’s definitely because he thinks that I didn’t make anything for him...This is not like me at all. What the hell am I doing?

At the time, Jin, too, glanced at her side, watching a strange tension in her expression. That only further dampened his spirits as if somebody was crushing his heart under a foot.

A man suddenly bumped against him to which the former profusely apologized.

"Oh sorry sorry! I didn’t see you."

"It’s okay," Jin replied.

"Oh it’s you!" The man brightened.

Jin recognized the Malaysian couple that was his neighbor at the DIY fair.

"You were at the neighbouring booth at the fair, right?"

"Yeah. Congratulations on winning the event by the way."

"Ah it was nothing really..." he said, embarrassed.

"Hey give yourself credit where it’s due!" His wife knocked him on his head.

They glanced at Alix. "She..."

"Oh that’s great! Nice to meet you!" The wife chirped.

"Same here," Alix found her enthusiasm very oddly familiar with a certain quadruple’s group energy at the Liu family.

"Do you mind if we take some pictures together?" she eagerly waved her camera. "You are such a pretty couple! I definitely want to take a group photo! Pretty please?"

"Yeah, sure," Alix said.

Jin paused for a beat and nodded.

"Thanks a bunch!" She beamed. Read full story at NoveI(F)ire.net

They went to a well lit and picturesque spot and setting the timer, they clicked several group photos. Jin then helped them with clicking their couple pictures.

"Now your turn!" She chirped.

Jin thought he would see some hint of resistance in Alix’s reply but she only shrugged. "Sure."

W-Was I feeling nervous over nothing this whole time?

He stood closer to her, his heart speeding like a bullet train. A couple’s picture demanded a reasonable sense of closeness so he asked, "Is it okay if I..."

She looked up and blinked. "If you?"

She blinked twice. "Yeah sure."

Her calm response actually threw him off his pace.

Wait...was it really that easy?

Yes, it was true that they slept on the same bed and he had even hugged her to sleep one night but that was as far as it went. They were physically closer but not intimate.

His arm slowly reached out and wrapped around her waist as he tugged her closer.

Is it only me or is it very loud around here?

The Basilica was actually quiet and serene so Jin surmised it was his own heart that was beating like crazy. Alix slightly tipped her head and smiled for the pictures as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"You two are so cute! Now let’s go over there!"

"Hey, hey hold on now," the husband scolded her. "Change your shoes first before your feet start acting."

He glared. "That’s what you’ve been saying since time immemorial. But you collapse anyway and then I have to carry you all the way on my back."

"Trust me, my legs are really fine now!"

"I know they are not so change them right now," he remained stubborn.

Alix stared at their banter curiously. "Does he have x-ray vision to see her feet? Interesting."

"Not x-ray vision..." he muttered.

She looked up and felt a strange emotion in his eyes. Just like the one she had been noticing in his gaze for some time now.

His daze broke and he looked down at her with a smile.

Thought Alix as she returned to her room from an evening walk around the ship. She thought Jin would definitely join her like always but to her surprise, he had stayed behind tonight. There was going to be some event on the deck so she assumed they would attend together. But she had to go alone.

And now she knew why.

She folded her arms, seeing two empty liquor bottles and a tipsy Jin before her on the bed.

"Aliiiiix!" Jin’s eyes brightened as he waved at her.

"What happened here?"

Jin made some space on the bed and patted it furiously as if signalling her to sit in front of him. She knitted her brows for a moment but eventually acceded.

He held her hand and gently pulled her back against his chest. His own arms wrapped around her waist with a grin as he secured her in his embrace. Alix blinked, slightly surprised by his boldness.

Jin hugged her tightly but not too tightly that would suffocate her. He pressed the left side of his face against her right cheek with a bright smile.

"Alllllliiiiixxx hehe...I love you," he slightly tilted his head with his silly smile intact. "I love you a lot!"

She stared at his bright eyes and the reddish drunken hue on the tip of his nose. "Is that why you are drunk?"

"Hmmmmmm drunk...?" His eyes blinked drowsily, his expression slightly faltering. "Ah I’m drunk...I’m sorry. But I couldn’t help it...It was all...all veryyy...noisy here," he pointedly tapped at his forehead. "Too noisy that it hurt a lot...and I was sht-shtarting to get all angry about it...And I didn’t want to be angry on our trip..."

She recognized the familiar somber pain in his black irises. She knew something was bothering him for a few days and now her heart raced, suspecting what it could be. It took her a long moment before she got the courage to ask.

"What is hurting you?"

Jin couldn’t meet her gaze so he looked down, staring at her hands. "It hurtshh when I think...you would have been happier if you were with...Hou Lin instead of me..."