The sound of rain continued to beat against the windows of Victor's car as he drove through the nearly empty streets. The windshield wipers moved back and forth with a rhythmic swishing sound, clearing the heavy downpour. Inside the warm cabin, the atmosphere was soft and quiet.
Florence sat quietly in the passenger seat, holding her broken sandals in her lap. Her damp hair hung over her shoulders in soft, slightly tangled waves, and her cheeks remained warm with embarrassment from everything that had happened that evening—the torrential rain, the intense kiss, and the unexpected moment when he had carried her across the muddy street in his arms.
For the first few minutes, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but it was filled with unspoken thoughts.
Florence kept stealing tiny, subtle glances at Victor out of the corner of her eye.
This was the very first time she was seeing him properly. He was no longer a mysterious silhouette standing in the darkness, a shadow appearing behind her out of nowhere, or the nameless stranger who had secretly left gifts and handwritten notes at her bakery door.
Tonight, under the soft glow of the dashboard lights, she could finally see his face clearly. His sharp facial features, slightly messy dark hair, serious driving expression, and the faint scar near his eyebrow made him look completely different from the mysterious image she had created in her imagination. He was far more handsome than she had ever envisioned.
Victor noticed her staring. A small, knowing smile appeared on his lips. Without taking his eyes off the road, he asked softly, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Florence immediately turned her head toward the side window, looking out at the blurry streetlights. "I wasn't looking at you," she insisted quickly.
Victor chuckled, the deep sound vibrating softly in the quiet car. "Really?"
"Yes."
"You were staring at me for almost a minute," Victor said teasingly, glancing over at her.
Florence's cheeks turned bright pink. Knowing she was caught, she turned back slightly and confessed in a quiet voice, "I was just... trying to remember your face."
Victor smiled warmly. "Then remember it properly."
He brought the car to a gentle stop at a red light and turned to look straight at her. For a long moment, their eyes met. Neither of them looked away.
Florence took a soft breath and said, "You are very different from what I imagined. You're actually really handsome, and my intuition tells me that you are good on the inside as well. But... may I know your name? You haven't told me your name yet."
Victor blinked, then let out a light laugh. "Oh, I completely forgot. My name is Victor."
Florence smiled and lifted her hand toward him across the center console to shake his hand. "Florence this side."
Victor looked at her hand, then wrapped his fingers gently around hers. "I know your name, madam. I've known it from the very first day."
Florence stared at him in complete shock, her eyes widening. "You know my name? But I never told you! How did you know my name?"
"Because I was following you from the very first day I saw you," Victor said, his tone turning gentle and honest. "Do you remember the inauguration day of your bakery? Remember how beautiful you were looking that day?"
Florence listened intently, her heart skipping a beat.
"I reached there accidentally," Victor explained. "I was in the nearby mall that day with my friends, and I thought I'd visit your bakery shop. But I never thought that it would turn out like this—that I would fall for a girl so madly. While I was standing there, another girl called you by your name, and I heard her say 'Florence.' From that moment on, I couldn't get you out of my head."
He looked back at the road as the light turned green. "I started following your routine because I was so impressed by your beauty. But as I kept watching you, I came to know that you are a very soft-hearted and kind person who is deeply passionate about her work."
Florence gasped softly. "But how do you know this much about me?"
Victor gave a small, sheepish smile. "Because I was following you from day one in my car. I used to park my car at a distance so that you couldn't see me. I even watched your expressions while you noticed those gifts and notes outside your bakery door. And..." His voice softened slightly. "I also noticed the sudden change in your expression when I stopped sending those gifts."
Florence looked at him curiously. "Then why did you finally reveal your identity tonight?"
"I was just waiting for the perfect time," Victor replied. "When I saw you alone in the bakery tonight, I thought today would be the perfect time to tell you the truth. Although..." He glanced at her with a mischievous smirk. "I didn't know that I would have to carry you in my arms when I came over."
Making a funny face, he added, "And by the way, you are heavy too!"
Florence's jaw dropped. She looked at him with playful anger, crossing her arms defensively. "You are so rude!" She paused, then asked cautiously, "Am I really so heavy?"
Victor laughed out loud. "Why do you girls always overthink everything so much? I was just kidding!"
Florence pouted and turned away. "I am not talking to you."
Victor kept laughing softly, then said in a gentle voice, "Okay, okay, I am sorry. I will not make jokes about you again."
Florence couldn't hold back her smile any longer. "It's okay," she said smoothly. "Tomorrow, let's discuss more about ourselves—our likes and dislikes. You already know many things about me, but I don't know anything about you apart from your name."
Victor nodded in agreement. "I also want to tell you everything about myself. But not in a rush. I want to tell you everything when we have enough time to listen to each other."
Florence hummed thoughtfully. "Hmm... so are we meeting tomorrow to know more about each other?"
"I am eagerly waiting to meet you tomorrow," Victor replied, looking over at her. "Are you willing to meet me?"
Florence lifted her head, putting on a funny, fake attitude of indifference. "Okay, let me check... fine, let me meet you tomorrow."
Victor smiled at her playful tone and nodded politely. "Thank you so much, ma'am, for giving me that opportunity."
Both of them shared a light laugh as the remaining tension faded away.
Soon, Victor pulled the car up to the front of her apartment building. He turned off the engine and said, "Here is your apartment building, ma'am, as requested by you."
"Okay, thank you, Victor, for dropping me home," Florence said, reaching for the door handle.
Before opening the door, she paused and looked back at him. "We should exchange our contact numbers so that we can plan about tomorrow's meeting properly... or who knows if you will disappear again!"
Victor laughed out loud. "Oh, so now you are making fun of me?"
Florence smirked playfully. "No, I am only saying the truth!" She giggled slightly before adding, "Okay, then I am leaving now. It's already late."
"Wait," Victor said, pulling a thin card out of his jacket pocket. He handed it to her. "This is my number. And this number is exclusive—it will always be picked up by me whenever it's you calling."
Florence took the card, inspecting the sleek print. "Okay, let's see."
She opened the door, stepped out into the rain, and headed toward her apartment through the basement entrance. Victor stayed parked by the curb, watching her carefully through the wet glass until she safely disappeared inside the building.
When Florence finally opened the door to her family's flat, her parents looked up with immense relief.
"Oh, Florence! We were really worried about how you would come home today!" her father said, walking over to her. "The weather is very bad, and your number was not reachable at all! We were not even able to contact you."
"Actually... I was about to call you, but my phone's battery was dead," Florence explained quickly.
Her father sighed. "Oh, that's okay, but you should take care of this next time and charge your phone properly. But how did you reach here? Scarlett told us that you were left all alone at the bakery today."
Florence fumbled nervously over her words. "I... I came here... oh yes! One of my friends was crossing through that road, and her parents were also with her, so they dropped me here!"
Her mother placed a hand over her heart and smiled warmly. "It's okay, sweetie. I was just scared for you as it was getting so late, but now I can take a breath of relief since you're okay. Go and change your clothes, sweetie, as you are wet, and I am preparing some hot soup for you."
"Okay, Mom," Florence replied softly.
She walked straight to her room and immediately closed the door behind her. The moment the door latched shut, she leaned her back against it and closed her eyes. Her heart was beating fast. She blushed deeply as she remembered the intense kissing scene between her and Victor outside the shop. A surge of excitement filled her chest at the thought of meeting him tomorrow.
She quickly changed into dry, comfortable clothes, dried her wet hair with a towel, and then walked over to her almirah. She opened the doors, revealing the hidden spot where she had carefully stored all of Victor's anonymous notes and gifts over the past weeks.
A short while later, after her mother brought in her soup, Florence lay down on her bed flat on her stomach, her legs crossed and kicking lightly in the air. As she slowly drank her hot soup, she picked up the handwritten notes one by one, reading through them and feeling the tender, romantic emotions from her encounter with Victor earlier that evening.
Once she finished, she reached over to her handbag, which was resting on the chair right next to her bed. She pulled it closer, unzipped it, and pulled out the small card Victor had given her.
She picked up her phone, which was now charging. With trembling fingers, she dialed his number. But just as her finger hovered over the green call button, she got extremely nervous and quickly canceled the call, turning off her phone screen.
She took a deep breath, turned the screen back on, and dialed the number again. Once more, her heart fluttered wildly, and she panicked, shutting off the screen. She repeated this hesitant process two or three times.
Finally, Florence gathered her courage, entered the number one last time, and pressed the green call button.
She held the phone up to her ear, listening as the line began to ring... tring... tring... tring...
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Thanks for reading!!