Chapter 42 Curiosity
As they cruised past Harbor Road, a swarm of drones was hanging out in the sky, flipping between all sorts of shapes like it was no big deal.
It was a drone show, and even though it only went on for like ten minutes, it probably cost a fortune.
A bunch of folks were there, eyes glued to the sky. Marcus found a sweet spot to park, so he pulled over and watched the 4D models morph through the windshield, totally into it.
Camilla followed his gaze, and bam, she was hooked on the flashy drones.
Marcus asked, "Can you guess why these drones are doing their thing here?"
"No clue."
"I bet..." Marcus paused, "someone's popping the question."
"Why?"
Next thing, Camilla saw the drones spell out "Marry me" in the night sky.
"How'd you know it was a proposal?"
Marcus pointed to the viewing platform ahead, where a dude in a suit was holding a bouquet of roses behind his back.
"Nice," Camilla said, impressed.
She used to think Marcus was just some spoiled rich kid, but today he seemed way different.
He was professional, sharp, and super observant.
Earlier at dinner, when they were chatting about her field, Marcus casually mentioned the stock swings of BioFusion Technologies. Even though he just touched on it, she realized he was a whiz at financial trading.
But then she thought, 'Among Leopold's crew, including Leopold himself, none of them are slackers when it comes to making bank. The world of these geniuses is way more complicated than I have imagined. So, bailing on them is my best move.'
"My place is just up ahead. Thanks for the ride."
Marcus's car could only go as far as the alley entrance, so Camilla hopped out there.
Marcus knew they weren't tight enough for him to walk her upstairs, so he didn't stick around. After watching her leave, he drove off.
Not long after, Oliver called. "Where'd you guys go? I turned around and you were gone."
Earlier, when Oliver was heading back after paying the bill, he ran into his ex-girlfriend, who he hadn't seen in almost a year. Out of nowhere, she latched onto him, inviting him to dinner and flirting.
It took him forever to shake her off.
"Oh, you were MIA for so long, and Camilla had something urgent, so I took her back first," Marcus said casually.
"What about Leopold? Weren't we supposed to bring him along and pretend to bump into each other? Why'd you come alone?"
Oliver had been dying to ask this but held back until now.
Marcus replied coolly, "Couldn't find Leopold. He's probably with his girl."
Leopold was dating Amara, so Oliver didn't question it.
"Such a good chance, what a bummer."
After ending the call, Marcus pulled over, found an account number, and sent some cash.
The recipient called back. "Generous. Let's team up again next time."
If Oliver were there, he'd be floored.
Because on the other end of the line was his ex-girlfriend!
Marcus replied, "Sure thing."
"But I'm curious, why'd you want me to cling to Oliver and stall him for ten minutes? Was it really necessary?"
What could he do in ten minutes?
Marcus kept a straight face. "Curiosity killed the cat, you know?"
"Got it."
"Take the cash and zip it."
Back home, Camilla took a shower and planned to read a couple of papers before hitting the sack.
Just as she sat down, she got a message from Marcus: [You left your gloves in my car]
Then there was a pic of the gloves.
Yep, they were hers.
Camilla remembered that when she got into the car, the heater was cranked up, so she took off her gloves, and Marcus had put them aside.
She totally forgot about them when she left.
Marcus: [Can we find a time for me to return the gloves to you?]
Camilla thought for a sec and replied: [Could you give me your address? I'll have a courier pick them up.]
Marcus: [My community doesn't allow delivery guys in.]
[How about this, let's grab a coffee sometime, and I'll give you the gloves. I'm taking an MBA course at Harmony College, and since you did your undergrad there, maybe you could show me around if it's not too much trouble.]
If Marcus had just wanted to return her gloves or grab a bite, Camilla would've said no.
She felt like they weren't that close yet.
But since Marcus mentioned needing her help, and it was her fault for forgetting the gloves, she felt it would be rude to refuse. She agreed: [Alright]
Marcus: [I'm free next Friday at 11 AM. Does that work for you?]
Camilla had no objections and replied with an OK emoji.
On the agreed day, Marcus parked his car and walked to the coffee shop.
The shop was on a small street not far from Harmony College. The owner had a good sense of style, and the decor was a hit with Moore people, so even on a Friday, there were quite a few students.
He snagged a seat by the window.
Camilla showed up a few minutes later. As soon as she sat down, the waiter brought the menu.
A vintage record player was spinning some soothing, romantic tunes, with a gentle female voice.
Marcus ordered an iced Americano, while Camilla got a latte.
"Here are your gloves."
The gloves were packed in a brown paper bag.
Camilla reached out to take them. "Thanks."
Marcus looked around. The air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee, and the temperature was just right, making it super comfy. He asked, "Do you come here often?"
"Sometimes."
The floor-to-ceiling window faced a river, which had frozen over in the cold winter. The bare willow branches hung by the river, covered in snow from the previous night.
When feeling down, sitting on a bench by the river for a while could be pretty soothing.
Marcus noticed her expression and smiled faintly, "Nice spot, and the music's even better."
Camilla stirred her coffee and listened to him say, "Miles' jazz, from the '90s. Not many folks know this classic tune nowadays."
Camilla was curious. "You seem to know a bit of everything?"
"A jack of all trades, master of none," he shrugged, half-joking.
Camilla remembered that Oliver had mentioned Marcus's mom was a famous musician.
But she didn't push further.
After finishing their coffee, Marcus stood up. "Shall we get going?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
