Chapter 96: Chapter 96

However, their closeness was formed from there. Hera's chatter made Hugo feel less alone. He couldn't deny that amidst his busy life as Sam's confidant, there were times when he truly felt lonely. His greatest distraction was the games he played. If he could meet the creator of this game, Hugo would definitely want to express his gratitude.

"Hugo, I'm scared!"

Hugo glanced briefly at the girl's hand on his stomach. The embrace was slightly tighter than before. The helmet also pressed against Hugo's back more closely. Amidst the playing song, Hugo wasn't deaf to Hera's sobbing there. Slowly, he reduced the speed of the motorcycle that was slicing through the road towards the outskirts. This time, the destination was more towards the East.

"Still scared?" Hugo asked, gently stroking Hera's hand. "I'm not speeding anymore."

"Why do we have to speed in the first place?" Hera asked, opening her helmet visor. She wiped the corners of her watery eyes. "I'm scared."

"Okay."

"Just okay?" Hera was taken aback, unable to believe Hugo's words this time. "You can be really annoying, you know. You know you did something wrong. I don't like speeding, and yet you're speeding. What's going on? Where are we even going? Is it far? You didn't even tell me our destination this time."

Intentionally, Hugo pressed the gas a little hard, then braked suddenly. It made Hera jump in surprise, and her scream was heard quite loudly again.

"Hugo!"

"When will your mouth run out of power?" Hugo shook his head with a chuckle, revving the engine again, though not as hard as before. Luckily, the road ahead wasn't too crowded. Once past the South and East borders, it became quieter with fewer vehicles passing by. The road Hugo took was not a main road.

"Answer me first, where are we going?"

"To Lake Jingga. Ever heard of it?" Hugo released one of his hands to pull Hera closer to him. There was no resistance this time, and Hugo took the opportunity to gently rub the back of her hand. "The sunset there is beautiful to enjoy."

Hera remained silent for a while. "I don't know, but some of my friends at college have been there."

"Why does your voice lack enthusiasm? What's wrong?" Hugo straightened his back slightly, making Hera lean even closer than before.

"Some say that if you visit Lake Jingga with your boyfriend, you'll break up. It's not a good omen for a long-lasting relationship."

Hugo wanted to laugh, but hearing Hera's voice devoid of any enthusiasm, he felt guilty if he were to laugh at that strange analogy. And there was one thing that piqued Hugo's curiosity. "Are we dating, then?"

Upon hearing Hugo's question, Hera's mouth suddenly gaped open. Her mouth was wide open. Her eyes fixed on Hugo's broad back, which was comfortable to lean on. "So... we're nothing, huh?"

***[]***

Hugo couldn't hide his laughter at all. He didn't know how many times he had tried to calm down, but how could he restrain himself? Since getting off the motorcycle, Hera's face had been pouting. Her walk seemed to stomp the ground as if it could shatter the earth. Not to mention, she refused to look at Hugo for even a moment. Whatever he asked, her answers were very brief: yes or no. Even when it came to the food he ordered, Hera didn't want much.

But Hugo's intentions were good this afternoon. He wanted to take Hera out to unwind. Even though he didn't step foot on the campus grounds, accompanying Sharon while she worked on her assignments had given him insight into how busy she was as a student. Sometimes he heard her long complaints, especially about annoying professors and classmates.

"Do I need to give you a warning?"

"Don't bother," Sharon said with a smile. Her eyes returned to the laptop screen, and her hands danced as she typed many things there. "I complain just to be heard. You don't have to take action, Hugo."

Ah... why was he drawn to a time long gone? Only the roles changed? It used to be Sharon, now it was Hera. The difference was that Sharon was calmer, smiled more, and her words were friendly. Hera, on the other hand, often pursed her lips and made a series of sighs and complaints. But Hugo didn't mind.

"Still angry?" Hugo asked as he placed a glass of Hera's favorite avocado juice on the table.

"I'm not happy that the bribe was just juice. I can do that too," Hera grumbled. She crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly. She was still annoyed by Hugo's behavior. What did he say earlier? They weren't a couple? Oh my God!

But... when Hera thought about it, when did she ever listen to Hugo's request for clarification about their relationship? They suddenly became close and spent a lot of time together without any clear definition. Wasn't that dangerous for her as a woman?

In theory, yes, it should be like that. But could Hera deny the times when Hugo often talked with his mother? They had a close relationship, talking about many things so casually, and Hugo could meet the desires of that middle-aged woman. And somehow, Hugo's presence seemed to fill the void left by his deceased brother.

Hera was a girl who had learned to be patient and have a big heart in order to keep moving forward despite her challenging economic situation. She didn't easily get upset, even though she felt envious when she saw many of her peers being showered with love by their parents. Meanwhile, she had to work hard to help her mother. She had one stroke of luck; Tony.

When she received the news of her brother's death, it felt like the world was truly unfair to her. And there were many things surrounding her brother's death that she discovered.

So when Hugo, a figure who craved attention, entered her life, she was very happy. She didn't mind that he often looked at her cynically, scolded her, acted coldly, and sometimes did things his own way. Just like now. Hera should realize what kind of person Hugo was.

"Still angry?" Hugo moved closer to Hera, shifting his seat.

"Upon reflection," Hera sighed softly. She played with her foot, swinging it slightly forward, her gaze no longer fixed on the juice that Hugo had brought. Her hands were no longer crossed. She felt that her rational thoughts had returned. "I shouldn't be upset. It's true, we don't have any kind of relationship." She smiled faintly. "Sorry for the trouble."

From the side, her face illuminated by the evening sun was perfect. There was nothing lacking there, although if a comparison was made in terms of beauty, Hera was different from Beatrice. Hugo himself admitted that. As a man who appreciated the visual appeal of the opposite sex, the girl sitting next to him didn't fit into his criteria. But... Hugo enjoyed their closeness not because of looks.

Who knows? Maybe it was because Hugo felt lonely? What was certain was that Hugo freely took Hera's finger and held it tightly, slightly lifting it up in the air. It made the girl wide-eyed, her gaze fixed only on their linked hands.

"But I like our closeness, Hera."

She wanted to scream with joy, but her annoyance resurfaced in her mind. She also wanted to ramble on and on as usual, but this time Hera had to hold back. She didn't want to be seen as too easily won over by Hugo's sweet words.

But unfortunately, he probably wouldn't repeat those words. Right? Should Hera take out her phone? Record every detail of their time together today? She was sure that Hugo wasn't the type of person to repeat happy moments. Hmm... this was a happy moment together, right? It wasn't just Hera who felt it, right?

Oh, Hera! She gently tapped the side of her head, considering it as a form of frustration due to her strange inner voice. It was wandering all over the place.

"I've set my goals. Well... I admit, sometimes because you're by my side, I remember Sharon." For the first time in a memory that Hugo didn't want to let go of, that name was spoken so casually. There was no burden, although the longing for that gentle brown-haired girl still remained.

"Who's Sharon?" Hera asked curiously. Her face now looked at Hugo with a puzzled frown.

"If I tell you, promise not to be jealous?"

"Ugh!" Hera abruptly pulled her hand away. "How can I be jealous? Who am I to you? Nothing, right? You said it yourself, didn't you? Forget? Do I need to repeat those words? So you remember?"

Hugo burst into laughter. Once again, he saw Hera's pouting face, but Hugo knew that Hera was curious about the name he had just mentioned. "Are you really not curious?" he asked while tidying Hera's messy hair due to the wind.

"No." Hera squinted for a moment, appearing to be thinking, but then she shook her head, dismissing her thoughts. The question took over—Who is Sharon? It wasn't usual for Hugo to mention a woman's name. That girl must have a special place in Hugo's heart. But who was she? Which one was she? Had Hera ever met her? Should she also ask Beatrice?

"I bet her head is full of questions," Hugo guessed, smiling. "Do you want to know?" he offered once again.

Hera mumbled softly, feeling somewhat uneasy, torn between her pride and curiosity. "Um... who is she?" she asked. Ugh! If she could criticize every word that had just slipped out of his mouth, she would have done it already. Why was it so easy for her to ask like this? It seemed like she really wanted to know who that girl was!

"But you can't refuse if we officially start dating today. Well, maybe like Eland and Anne. Their relationship is a step further. But I'm sure you'll be surprised."

Hera's mouth fell open. Her eyes blinked without a pause as she stared at Hugo.

"I'm willing to wait for you to finish college, to work and make your mother and Tony proud. I'll be proud of your achievements too. After that, we can have a more serious conversation."

Hera blinked slowly, as if regaining her awareness. "What do you mean?"

"Today," Hugo smiled faintly. "I want to solidify my feelings for you, Hera. I thought it was just a liking for your endless chatter. But... I'm attracted to you."

Could Hera scream right now?

"And today, I want us to officially... um, date? Yeah... something like that. It doesn't matter what we call it. The important thing is that I want you to be more open with me. Rely on me. Pay attention to me. Care about me. And most importantly, trust me. This relationship. Because the same goes from me to you." The hand that had been released by Hera was once again held by Hugo, this time with a much tighter grip.

"Is you confessing me again?"

"No," Hugo messed with Hera's hair playfully. "Inviting you to watch the sunset. It'll be soon."

"Oh, Hugo! You're serious, aren't you!"

Hugo chose to remain silent while leaning back, letting Hera shake his shoulder occasionally. He listened to every complaint and whimper from the girl. Despite all that, he didn't let go of their intertwined hands. Occasionally, he gently stroked the back of Hera's hand, either out of fatigue or boredom from talking continuously. Eventually, Hera leaned on Hugo, probably due to tiredness or the desire for comfort. The man shifted slowly to make Hera more comfortable leaning on him.

"You was really serious just now, right? You weren't just saying it?"

"Hm." He used his free hand to embrace Hera.

"It's okay to wait for me, right?"

"Of course."

Hera's smile grew wider. "Okay, let's date." Her face blushed, making her lower it while shyly smiling. But suddenly, Hera remembered something.

"You haven't told me who Sharon is. Who is she?"

"There's a reward if you want to know."

"Why is that?" Hera stared in disbelief. "You're cheating."

"For every piece, there's an expression of affection."

"Ugh!" Hera sighed in annoyance.

"Do you want to know?"

"Just expressions of affection, right? I love you, Hugo. Like that, right?"

Hugo chuckled. "Complete with a peck on the cheek."

"Huh?!" Hera was even more surprised by Hugo's words. "Why did it turn out like this?"

"Do you want to?"

"Just expressions of affection, right? I love you, Hugo." She said it along with a light kiss on his cheek. Hera was consumed by her curiosity. Rather than leaving her unsatisfied, it was better to indulge Hugo's wish. After all, it was just this, right?

"Sharon is a girl from my past," Hugo replied briefly.

"And then?"

"Well... let's start from the beginning, the expressions of affection." Hugo folded his arms across his chest. He smiled satisfactorily, his playful gaze fixed on the bewildered girl before him.

"Why did it turn out like this?!" Hera stared in disbelief. "You tricked me, Big Brother! Ugh!"

One thing Hugo was certain of: Sharon was in a separate box, while Hera was now close to him. Without realizing it, Hera had entered Hugo's life in an unusual way. But Hugo liked it. It didn't matter if a long time was wasted, but Hugo made sure of one thing.

They would always be together.