Hinari was again speechless. Her mouth hung open as she blinked at him like she couldn’t believe what she just heard.

She was so surprised that she froze for a moment. When she finally snapped back to reality, she first stared at Zaki’s messy hair and then down his pale, haggard face which had been crying for a long, long time. Her gaze then fell on his body, wearing a pair of oversized white pyjamas. And when her eyes finally reached his bare feet, Hinari’s eyes slowly widened. She didn’t notice this at all since she was so focused on his beautiful eyes but now that she surveyed him from head to toe, she couldn’t believe it! Zaki actually looked like a sick and devastated vampire who just survived his species genocide. Well, he still looked beautiful but compared to the jolly and mischievous Zaki from before, this man before her looked like a really weak patient.

Noticing his body condition, Hinari felt her heart clench but when she looked at his eyes again and saw those pair of beautiful pearls shining so brightly like never before, she was suddenly soothed. She could see that his eyes were finally showing the light of life that she hadn’t seen in them before.

Hinari wanted to tell him that she didn’t mind at all. No matter how sorry he looked, it really didn’t matter to her. She wanted to tell him that she didn’t care if the setting and circumstances weren’t romantic at all. She wanted to tell him that hearing him say those three words to her was all she could ask for. She wanted to tell him that having him was the most romantic paradise for her.

But she knew she couldn’t just force him to say it. As much as she wanted to, Zaki looked like his mind was still in a mess and he still needed to clear his mind. She wanted to take advantage of him but it wouldn’t mean as much if he was forced.

Thinking about it, Hinari pouted and her shoulders dropped. She didn’t want this chance to slip away but since Zaki assured her that he wouldn’t run away anymore, her spirit lifted.

"Okay, I will give you 24hrs but... on one condition. You must stay within my reach during the 24 hrs!" she firmly said and Zaki immediately agreed.

"Okay."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Seal your promise with a deep and bold kiss."

"..."

"C’mon beauty, kiss me! Or do you want me to kiss you?" she asked and Zaki looked away.

"We didn’t brush our teeth yet," he replied and Hinari was about to puff her cheeks when she remembered that the words he said were quite familiar. Where did I hear this excuse before?

Hinari quickly scanned her brain and when she remembered that day when Zaki trolled her for having saliva on her face, her eyes narrowed.

She also recalled that she kissed him hard which caused him to leave her in the middle of the highway.

Reminiscing that first time she tasted his lips, Hinari couldn’t help but bit her lip mischievously. The next moment, imitating what she did back then, she yanked him towards her and kissed him hard.

Zaki was actually doing this purposely. He knew that if he declined, this girl would surely react and make a move mischievously. Well, somehow, Zaki just wanted Hinari to cheer up and be her usual naughty self again. He also like it when she’s being bold as usual so he did this. He wanted to clear all these worries in his head through making himself lost with the warmth of her kisses.

And so, just like that, the two kissed in the middle of the garden as the bright sun shone on them. They’re kiss was passionate, especially Zaki’s. Hinari could feel that he wasn’t holding back anymore, making her so happy she didn’t want this kiss to ever end.

However, when they’re lips finally parted, and they were about to kiss again, a loud noise halted them.

"GROWWWLLLL..."

Both their stomachs growled loudly, reminding them that they hadn’t eaten since yesterday.