A few minutes before Lia and Dion met again.
Dion was just about to head toward the abandoned temple when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small figure crouched by a tree. He squinted in the dim light, trying to make out who it was. As he moved closer, he saw Lia sitting there, knees tucked against her chest, her arms hugging herself tightly for warmth. She looked like a small, shivering squirrel, her long hair falling over her shoulders in soft waves, partially covering her face.
Then, right at that moment, she let out a tiny sneeze.
"Achoo!"
The sound was so soft and innocent that Dion couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself.
Cute.
He thought.
He waited for a moment, debating whether to approach, then finally stepped closer and called out to her softly.
"…Lia?"
Lilian looked up in surprise, her eyes wide as they met his. For a second, it was as if time froze between them. Then, she uttered his name in a small, breathy voice.
"Rin…"
Dion stepped out from the shadows of the trees, a faint, amused smile playing on his lips.
"You're here,"
she murmured, standing up slowly and brushing the leaves and grass off her skirt.
"I did say I was going to wait here until you showed up,"
Dion replied, his voice calm and warm.
Lia hesitated for a moment, her mouth opening like she wanted to say something, but then she sneezed again.
"Achoo! Achoo!"
Her face turned bright red from embarrassment. She quickly hid behind her long hair, wishing she could disappear on the spot.
"I-I'm so sorry… That was embarrassing,"
she mumbled, covering her face with her hands.
"You must have felt cold, staying outside in the middle of the night like this,"
Dion said with a gentle tone. He removed his cloak and stepped closer to drape it over her shoulders.
"You… you don't have to give me this,"
she protested weakly, clutching the cloak around her.
"It's alright. I'm the reason you stayed up tonight in this cold,"
he answered, his smile never fading.
Lilian didn't know how to respond to that. She felt her heart thudding loudly in her chest and simply stayed silent, quietly admitting defeat.
For a while, the two stood there under the tree, surrounded by the quiet night air. The wind blew gently through the leaves, and the distant sound of an owl hooting echoed somewhere far off.
"By the way,"
Dion said, breaking the silence and shifting the mood a little,
"the reason I asked you to come here tonight was to give you this."
He reached into the bag he'd brought with him and carefully took out a small bundle wrapped in cloth. He unwrapped it and held it out to her.
It was three bars of chocolate.
Lilian's eyes lit up instantly, and she gasped.
"Goodness… Is this what I think it is?"
she said, almost breathless with excitement.
Chocolate had been her favorite since she was a child. Unfortunately, the church didn't encourage its consumption among members. The sensual reputation of chocolate and its dark, rich appearance were frowned upon in the holy walls of the church. There was also the problem of it melting quickly and staining the pure white robes they always wore. Because of these reasons, no one ever gave it to her, and she had no way of buying it herself. She wasn't allowed to leave the church grounds freely, and even when she tried asking, people would avoid the topic.
It had been so long since Lilian tasted chocolate, and she thought, in that moment, that waiting out in the cold was worth it after all.
She took the chocolate with both hands, looking at it as though it were a precious treasure, and without hesitation, she unwrapped one and began to eat. She munched happily, completely forgetting that Dion was still standing right in front of her. She nibbled and chewed like a little squirrel, chocolate crumbs falling onto her lap.
Dion watched her quietly, a soft laugh escaping him as he took in the sight.
"You're seriously like a baby squirrel,"
he said, unable to stop himself.
Lilian froze mid-bite. She realized how she must have looked, cheeks puffed, hands clutching chocolate, and crumbs everywhere.
Oh no… Arrck, I wanna die,
she groaned in her head.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, she quickly stopped eating and hid the remaining chocolate behind her back.
"Ahem, ahem… Thank you for the chocolate,"
she said, trying to compose herself.
"It's my pleasure. I know the church doesn't serve it, but I heard that some priests secretly like it, so I figured you might too. thank goodness I was right."
Lilian smiled shyly, her heart feeling light for the first time in days.
"So… is there anything more you wanted to say to me tonight?"
she asked softly.
"There is,"
Dion said, his eyes meeting hers.
"I'd like to know more about you."
Lilian's face turned crimson at his words.
How shameless!
she thought, her heart doing flips in her chest.
"You don't think a simple necklace and chocolate are enough to repay you for saving my life. So I was thinking… I should find out what you truly want, so I can repay you properly."
Lilian immediately misunderstood his words, and her mind went straight to dangerous, embarrassing places. She wanted to punch herself again.
But Dion noticed her expression and raised an eyebrow.
"That look on your face… wait, no way. Did you just misunderstand my words?"
He grinned mischievously.
Lilian, now at her limit of embarrassment, turned as red as a tomato.
"I… I… I did not!"
she stuttered, trying to defend herself.
Dion burst out laughing, unable to hold it in anymore.
His laugh was warm and rich, not mocking at all, and it somehow made Lilian's heart beat even faster. The way his face lit up when he laughed made her forget about the cold for a moment.
Why does this keep happening to me?
she thought, burying her face in her hands once more.
But deep down, despite the embarrassment, she didn't regret coming here tonight.