Day 22

Alan kept his word and finally got around to make up for that shift he abandoned to Ronald with the help of a box of cupcakes. "Any plans tonight? It's a Saturday."

Ronald shook his head in dismay as he hung up his apron, "Nah, date got called off."

"I'm sorry…" Alan turned around, "Do you need a hug?"

Ronald chuckled, "Not when it smells like Eric's deodorant. No offence to you guys, but I can't stand that smell."

Alan giggled before scratching his nose, "Why, I think it smells rather nice."

"I'm sure it does, but not for me." Ronald grabbed the cup of ice tea he made for himself and went for the door, "See you on Monday."

It was the height of summer and the past few days have seen unusually glorious weather. With the heat sustaining well into the night, Ronald almost felt lucky he didn't have a date so he could just go crash in bed.

Since that eventful coffee delivery, William and Grell did return to the shop as usual, but never together. Ronald wondered why but didn't ask. They seemed awfully busy throughout the week and barely stayed in the shop for any meaningful conversation to take place.

But they didn't seem to be in a bad mood, as far as I can tell. The blond thought to himself as he walked down the block where people were pouring out from a theater. Damn, just when you thought there were already too many people on the street. He felt an intrinsic need to stay away from the crowd before spotting two familiar faces.

Yes, familiar faces, even though Ronald could barely recognize them.

"I wish we had box seats." Grell complained, but with a content smile on her face.

"Why? We already had a great view from the center." asked William, holding her hand in his.

"No, I don't mean a view of the stage." She smirked and reached for the red feather pinned to William's breast pocket, "I just hate to share the view of my man with so many pairs of eyes."

William audibly inhaled at Grell's words, "Honestly…"

"Thank you for coming with me, Will." she held more tightly to his hand.

"Don't worry, it was quite…" he turned to look at Grell, "Lovely."

Basking in the adoring stares of her date, the red maiden teased, "Hm...do you mean the play or me?"

William almost rolled his eyes at the question, "Of course I meant the-" but a sudden urge got the better of him when he looked directly into Grell's emerald eyes, and before he knew it, he had leaned forward to quickly peck Grell's lips, "Both."

Grell grasped the opportunity to pull him into a much longer kiss, and it felt even more exciting knowing that they were out in the open, with strangers laying eyes on their unapologetic display of affection.

When their lips eventually broke away, Grell joked as she clung onto William's shoulders, "I think we need to find a dark alleyway."

"Don't say it outloud...honestly."

"I'm serious, William." Grell lightly pinched the back of his neck, "I think someone is watching us."

Ronald threw himself behind the street corner as soon as Grell looked his way. He had already ruined their intimate moment once and paid his price, there was no way he'd let the same thing happen again.

He nervously took a sip of tea, inwardly gasping at how good they both looked after being liberated from the office dress code. It wasn't a surprise that he always thought they'd both make great models if given the chance, but anyway…

"God, I hope they didn't see me." he peeked from behind the wall to see if they had gone away when a hand suddenly laid on his shoulder. Ronald bolted from the touch and almost fell out of his hiding, "What the-" he paused to find another familiar face under the dim streetlight, "Mr Anderson?"

"Am I too old-fashioned to appreciate the joy of stalking?"

"O no no no, I was not stalking." Ronald frantically explained, "It was pure coincidence. I was on my way home from work and…"

"I was joking, son. Be not afraid." The old man let out a soft laugh, "I, too, was just coming out from a restaurant nearby. I saw you first but it wasn't difficult to see where your eyes were looking."

The two later sat down at a bench across the street, farther away from the lights of the theater, but can still get a glimpse of the lovebirds as they continued to make their way out of the crowd.

"So I guess they're...that now?" Ronald muttered with a raised eyebrow.

"Precision of language, son."

"I mean they are dating now." Ronald answered, unconsciously straightening his spine, "I suspected that they were, but since they stopped coming by together, there was no way to confirm."

Mr Anderson nodded and asked, "So how does it feel to have the confirmation now?"

"It feels as if…" Ronald squeezed into his empty plastic cup, "As if I can write an entire fanfiction for them now."

Mr Anderson frowned at the comparison, "I'm afraid I cannot quite grasp the reference you are making."

"I just mean I'm glad they finally got together."

"How long have you known them, Ron?"

"3 weeks, why?"

"And you already feel so strongly about their relationship?"

Ronald quickly nodded before facing his elderly friend, "You must be too, given how long you've known them."

Mr Anderson only smiled.

By that time, the pair have gone out of their sight. They might have gone onto a taxi, or wandered into a nearby giftshop, or sneaked into a dark alleyway. There was no way of knowing.

"Precious people, aren't they?" Mr Anderson murmured in the end.

Letting out a happy sigh, Ronald responded, "Yeah."

T.B.C.