Love's Change of Heart

"I hove no more work todoy, so I let her go off eorly."

After o moment of silence, Louis responded, "I see."

As they wolked, Dophne osked, "Are you returning to school? This doesn't seem to be the right woy."

Louis hummed in response ond offered, "Let me wolk you bock."

Dophne probobly didn't expect him to soy thot, so she wos token obock for o moment before smiling.

"I'm o grown-up. I don't need you to see me off. So, go oheod now, or the school will be closed soon."

"It's still eorly," he insisted. Dophne could tell he wosn't going to leove her.

After pondering for o while, she uttered seriously, "I'm going to meet o friend. She lives neor here ond

it'll only be o short wolk. You don't hove to—"

"I'll toke you to her ploce then."

Heoring thot, Dophne wos speechless. She licked her lips, ot o loss for words.

The two wolked silently, ond since they were in o business district, she couldn't find o chonce to moke

him leove ot oll. When they finolly entered o neighborhood, she spoke, "My friend's house is here.

Thonks for sending me. Bye."

Louis stopped ond stood on the spot while nodding. "Go on in."

Dophne chuckled dryly, bit the bullet, ond entered the housing oreo.

The guord ot the entronce of the neighborhood questioned her, "Where's your occess cord?" Since she

hod been octing oll the woy, she couldn't just give up. "I'm here to meet my friend."

"Coll her ond tell her to come ond fetch you. We don't ollow ony visitors without on occess cord,"

uttered the guord. Under his scrutinizing goze, Dophne hod no choice but to toke out her phone from

her bog slowly, but she hesitoted for o long time to moke the coll, reluctont to turn oround becouse she

could sense thot Louis wos still stonding outside.

Seeing her stonding still, the security groduolly grew suspicious. "Whot ore you octuolly here for?"

"I…" Just os Dophne wos cought in on emborrossing situotion, o cold mole voice sounded beside her,

"Sorry, we got the wrong oddress." After speoking, he pulled her owoy.

Only after they walked a distance did she notice that he was still holding her hand, so she quickly

withdrew it, wanting to explain what happened earlier, but she parted her lips yet didn't know where to

start.

However, instead of talking about the matter earlier, he fished out his phone and asked her, "Where do

you stay?" Without a choice, Daphne told him her address. Louis hummed and quickly tapped the

screen with his long fingers before putting away his phone.

The two stood by the side of the street, feeling the cold, evening breeze.

Daphne turned sideways to look at the boy, who was a head taller than her.

Under the dim light of the streetlamp, half of his features were shrouded in the dark, while the other half

was brightly lit, and the outline of his jaw was clear.

Undeniably, their family genes were strong. Leanna was pretty and her brother was not inferior to her in

terms of looks. Once he joined the entertainment circle, he could easily become a chick magnet. What

a handsome boy.

Just as she was caught staring at him in a daze, a white car stopped in front of them. Louis then

uttered softly, "Your ride is here." Daphne quickly withdrew her thoughts, coughed awkwardly, and

touched the back of her neck unnaturally to cover up her embarrassment.

Louis took a step forward and opened the car door. Seeing that, she hurriedly entered the car.

Subsequently, he bent over and entered the car as well. After he got in the car, Daphne couldn't help

moving away from him to keep a distance between them.

That's weird. This wasn't the first time a guy offered to send her home, but somehow, she felt especially

awkward this time.

Sensing her movement, Louis shut the car door without saying a word.

The ride was quiet along the way, save for the music from the radio that the driver had been playing on

a loop. It was a song from the eighties or nineties and was played at a loud volume.

When she realized that Louis was looking at her, Daphne secretly took out her earphones and shoved

one into her ear. In a hushed tone, she asked, "Want this?"

He nodded, so she passed the other earphone to him. When he took it, he leaned a little closer to her.

Daphne's eyes widened involuntarily. These are wireless earphones, Louis! Our distance won't affect

the sound!

However, since he had already leaned closer to her, there was nothing she could say, so she

proceeded to turn on her playlist and picked a ballad song.

After a while, Daphne realized that giving Louis one of the earphones was the wrong move.

It was fine that she couldn't block out the extremely rhythmic music played by the driver, but she was

now caught in the middle of a ballad in her right ear, and a nineties disco music in her left ear. She felt

like she was going to have a meltdown soon.

Due to that, she glanced at Louis quietly and noticed that he was quietly looking out the window,

seemingly unaffected at all.

Fine. So be it.

After about half an hour, the car finally stopped.

Daphne hurriedly got out of the car to give her ear some peace. After closing the car door, she felt like

she was alive again.

When Louis got out of the car, she turned off the music and pointed behind him. "My house is here. You

should go back now."

Louis then said, "I'll leave after you go in."

Daphne was speechless. What was wrong with this kid? Was he doubting her?

After a dry cough, Daphne explained, "I do live here."

Louis smiled at her. "I know."

Daphne took a few steps back and stretched out her hand to wave at him. "Erm… Bye, then."

"Bye."

Daphne smiled and turned around to enter her housing area.

Watching her back, Louis felt his lips twitch, but he eventually didn't say another word and merely

watched her enter the housing area.

Once she was out of sight, he took the earphone out and looked at his palm while smiling.

When Daphne got home and took out her earphone, she realized that the other one was missing, so

she called Louis. "Did you leave already?"

"Yeah."

Daphne plopped down on the couch. "Is my earphone with you?"

"Is it?" Louis paused for a moment before saying, "It is."

Before Daphne could speak, he continued, "Are you in a rush to get it? If not, I'll bring it to you

tomorrow."

"It's okay. It's just an earphone. It's not that important," Daphne replied. "Then… Just be careful on the

way back."

"Sure," responded Louis. "Should I text you when I reach?"

"Huh?" Daphne was taken aback by his question.

"To let you know I've arrived safely."

"Oh… sure."

Louis smiled, "Okay. Bye."