夏至 [2] / [17]
"Is that a proposal?" joked Alexander,
"you know that's my job, right?"
"That's why I picked you.”
The way things worked out was sometimes mysterious to them, especially to Alexander. He became a cop after he got to know Cynthia was also a cop, so he calculated that if he would work the same job, he could see her more often than if they worked in a different job. That was the only reason.
Cynthia's existence reminded him of a past he longed for. His immature judgment of what love is. He studied literature and loved it, but that didn't feed him. He knew his talent wasn't enough to live by. But when he became a cop, Cynthia was already at a pretty high rank and he couldn't catch up easily. To see her working as an executive seemed strange to him. He didn't dare to flirt with her. When John and Cynthia were married, he met Violet, and so it was . . .
A series of disasters were the price of serendipity bringing her back to him. Alexander would be willing to bear those moments if he had to earn her, he thought.
Cynthia felt the same was as Alexander. She kept quiet about her true feelings for Alexander at university, at least that was up until they had their initial falling out, but, when they started working together again, all the reasons why she loved to be with Alexander came flooding back to her. At first he was a valued colleague and friend, now a cherished lover. It was funny how events unfold.
Cynthia brought Alexander to a splendid restaurant, where she loved to visit often, but seldom went because of the high price. Alexander opened his eyes with surprise at the prices on the menu. But he couldn't tell her in front of the server. Instead, he cleared his throat wildly and tried to meet Cynthia's eyes. Now she was considering which wine she would have. After ordering, she noticed Alexander's expression, and giggled.
"We deserve this sort of reward. Moreover it's the first time we've dined out since talking about marriage."
He nodded. He realized that he himself almost never came to places like this, even when he was dating Violet. Where he grew up, just visiting this sort of place would have been considered an “event”, and one very unfamiliar to him. He could scarsely pronounce the items on the menu, let alone know what to order, so he was not used to it.
"I’ve forgotten what it feels like these romantic things. It’s been so long,"
Alexander confessed.
"As long as we can afford the price, sometimes being extravagant is not such a bad thing.”