Chapter 164: The Chinese Wave is the Most Badass
Once in the garden, Chester Hale fixed his somber gaze on Nathan Grant and asked in a low voice, "Why are you avoiding me?"
"How have I been avoiding you?" Nathan Grant felt his own heart start to pound under that stare.
"So your plan was to lead me on and then run away?"
Nathan Grant’s mouth fell open, then he gave a self-mocking smirk. He leaned against a nearby wall and lit a cigarette. "Chester Hale, haven’t you always disliked me? I’m keeping my distance now, isn’t that just what you wanted? I’m Nathan Grant, a child of the Grant family. I have my pride, you know."
"I... never said I didn’t like you."
After saying this, Chester Hale felt the tips of his ears burn, and he unnaturally looked away.
"Then what are you saying? That Dr. Hale likes me?"
Nathan Grant walked right up to him, his beautiful eyes fixed on Chester Hale. He had been giving him the cold shoulder on purpose these past few days.
’Chester Hale was just so traditional and contrary. Every time I tried to get a little closer, he’d instinctively retreat. This time, I’m not giving him the chance to back away.’
"Yes! I like you!"
Chester Hale finally stopped suppressing his own feelings. Perhaps Asher Keating’s earlier words had been a wake-up call. He knew he really did like Nathan Grant. He... didn’t want the two of them to end up like Tobias Sterling and Mabel Grant.
"Not running away anymore?" Nathan Grant’s eyes curved into crescents. His smile was full of a dashing, roguish charm.
"Yeah. No more running."
Chester Hale’s lips curved into a smile as well. Looking at Nathan Grant before him, his eyes crinkled with mirth, he suddenly felt that after so many years of evasion, he could never escape his grasp.
Even knowing that Nathan avoiding him these past few days was just a ploy—playing hard to get—he was resigned to it.
"Kiss me."
Nathan Grant wrapped his arms around Chester Hale’s neck, his glossy red lips curving into a slight smile.
"..."
Out of the corner of his eye, Chester Hale saw a cluster of heads crowded behind the glass door. He felt a little embarrassed, but he still wrapped an arm around Nathan’s waist, pulled him into his embrace, and began to kiss him tenderly.
A breeze swept through, carrying with it blossoms from a nearby crabapple tree. A few petals twirled down to scatter at their feet as a faint floral fragrance filled the air.
Yes, spring had arrived.
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"Leah, you’re here! Quick, come in! Congratulate me on reopening!"
"William, didn’t you... say you were selling the place?"
Leah Sinclair pushed open the door to the Nightfall bar and paused, taken aback to see the place, which had been closed for days.
William was the owner of the Nightfall bar, which was located just two blocks from where Leah Sinclair lived. One night, she’d been unable to sleep and had run out of alcohol at home. She’d been on her way to a convenience store to buy more when she happened to pass by and see it.
At the time, William had been mixing a drink. Hearing Leah Sinclair’s accent, he’d raised an eyebrow and asked, "Celestian?"
"Yes! Are you Celestian too?"
Leah Sinclair was thrilled. It was always a wonderful feeling to meet someone from your own country in a foreign land.
William had laughed and introduced himself. He was a Northeasterner who had come here to study a few years back. As Celestia’s development had boomed over the years, foreigners had grown increasingly interested in its culture. So, after graduating, he opened this bar and named it Nightfall.
Being near the university and always playing music from Celestia, the bar attracted a good number of locals. On top of that, Celestian students came by often, so business was quite good.
Leah Sinclair had hesitantly asked if he needed a waitress. She’d only recently arrived and needed to practice her speaking skills, adding that she didn’t even need to be paid.
William had roared with laughter. "C’mon, kiddo, who works for free? Not happening. I have to pay you."
Leah Sinclair repeatedly refused, insisting she really just needed the speaking practice. In the end, they made a deal: Leah would work part-time, and in return, William would treat her to a drink every day.
And so, Leah Sinclair began her routine: classes during the day, and part-time shifts at Nightfall on evenings and weekends. A whole year had passed like that.
But a month ago, William had suddenly announced that his family’s business was in trouble. He had to sell Nightfall and return home.
Leah Sinclair had been heartbroken for days. But today, while passing by with a classmate, she saw that Nightfall had reopened. Assuming it had already been sold to someone new, she’d come in to check it out.
"It is sold! And for more than I was originally asking. I sent all the money home, which got them through the crisis. And now... well, now I’m just a working stiff," he said with a grin. "The new boss rarely shows up, so I’m still running the place for them. And the salary is very generous, I might add."
William smiled and handed her a bottle. "It’s on me tonight! Drink whatever you want. You know the place, go get your classmate settled. I’ve just got to go sign a contract."
"Okay, okay, you go on. Don’t worry about us."
Leah Sinclair was happy too. She took the drink and led her classmate to a nearby table. Her classmate, who also frequented the bar, was thrilled after Leah explained the situation.
Taking a slow sip of her drink, Leah Sinclair gazed out at the streetscape. ’When William said he was selling the bar, I even considered buying it myself. Mabel Grant gave me a lot of money, and I haven’t touched most of it besides necessary expenses... But then I remembered there’s no way she would ever agree.’
A year ago, when Leah Sinclair arrived in Eldoria, she had cut her hair short. She hadn’t managed to hide it from Mabel Grant, who immediately flew to Eldoria with Brandon Jacobs. The two of them had simply stared at her, dumbfounded.
For the first time, Leah Sinclair saw a distinct emotion in Mabel Grant’s eyes. It was a look that screamed, ’How did I give birth to... this thing?’
If Brandon Jacobs and Mason Grant hadn’t held her back, Mabel Grant looked ready to start swinging.
Brandon Jacobs, on the other hand, was more composed. After the initial shock, he looked at her with a doting expression. "Leah, you’re beautiful no matter what."
"Beautiful, my ass! Is there any difference between looking at her and looking at Mason now? Huh? Did I give birth to two sons?" Mabel Grant’s face was a mask of pure disdain.
Mason Grant, standing beside them, was thoroughly confused. ’Wait, am I not good-looking? Plenty of girls are after me.’
Mabel Grant ordered her to grow her hair back immediately, declaring she didn’t want to see her again until it was long. By the time her hair had finally grown out a bit, Mabel and Brandon Jacobs visited again, only to find her working part-time. That time, Mabel looked like she was about to burn Nightfall to the ground.
It was only after Leah repeatedly promised it would just be for one year—that she would quit as soon as her speaking skills improved—that Brandon Jacobs finally managed to persuade Mabel Grant to go back home.
"What are you looking at?" William, contract signed, sat down next to Leah Sinclair with a drink in hand, his face alight with excitement.
"Nothing. Just thinking... it’s been a year."
Leah Sinclair snapped out of her reverie and raised her glass to him with a smile. "Congratulations. I guess you got your wish after all."
"Hahaha, right back at you! I’m staying right here to keep spreading the Celestian spirit! I’ll show them all that our culture—our Celest-wave—is the absolute shit!" William roared with laughter, clinked his glass against hers, and downed it in one gulp.
"Yeah! Our Celest-wave is the absolute shit!"
Leah Sinclair happily drank as well. She was overjoyed that Nightfall wasn’t closing. Although she wouldn’t be working part-time here anymore, she had grown accustomed to the place.
Her insomnia hadn’t completely gone away. While not as severe as it once was, she still occasionally needed a drink to get tipsy enough to sleep. The world outside felt so chaotic; having a place run by someone from her own country always made her feel a little safer.