Chapter 428

She'd gotten up at the crack of dawn to wash and style her hair. After all, it’s said that the highest courtesy for a girl meeting someone is to show up with freshly washed hair. She had to admit, there was some truth to that.

Aubree’s makeup was light. She was a classic natural beauty, her delicate features striking even without any help. With just a touch of light makeup, her face looked even more refined.

She tilted her head up to gaze at Bowen, who lowered his head slightly, sunlight filtering through the leaves and scattering little flecks of gold across her face. Her voice was soft and a little coy, with a playful, almost spoiled lilt that made his throat go dry. “I just got here,” he replied.

However, that wasn’t really the case. He’d had to politely turn down quite a few people who came up to ask for his phone number.

The group of girls watching from nearby got even more excited when Aubree showed up. It wasn’t that they recognized either of them, but seeing such a gorgeous guy and a stunning girl together was just pure eye candy.

Someone even snapped a photo of Bowen and Aubree and posted it online, and the shot actually blew up a bit on social media.

“Let’s go then. The exhibition is about to start,” Aubree said.

“Okay,” Bowen replied.

The exhibition was only about a ten-minute walk away. As they walked side by side, Bowen glanced at Aubree, who had braided her hair that day and wore a white dress with sandals, giving off a fresh, youthful vibe that suited her perfectly.

With the way Bowen was dressed, they looked like a couple out on a date.

Bowen’s gaze dropped to Aubree’s hand hanging by her side. After a moment’s hesitation, his fingers brushed lightly against hers, skin touching skin. When she didn’t react, he raised an eyebrow, then, not holding back anymore, tentatively took her hand in his.

On the surface, he looked cool and unbothered, but inside, his heart was pounding like crazy.

Whenever they were together before, any little bit of intimacy just happened naturally. But on this official date today, walking side by side like this… the feeling was hard to put into words. It was almost refreshingly innocent. Every time he wanted to do something, there was a shyness to it that felt almost out of character for someone his age.

He felt like a clueless teenage boy, suddenly all flustered and out of his depth.

However, Aubree, noticing his move, took charge instead. Her fingers twitched, brushed against his warm, dry palm. Then, she flipped her hand to lace their fingers together, locking them tight.

The moment their fingers intertwined, Bowen honestly felt a tingling rush all the way up his scalp.

He thought, “Who knew that just holding hands in the right moment could feel electric?”

It was such a strange sensation. His palm was burning, and it felt like every nerve in his body was focused right where their hands met. It was nothing like any of the other intimate moments they’d shared before.

Even the slightest movement of her fingers, just a gentle brush, sent a tingling itch from where their fingers were intertwined straight to his brain.

It wasn’t until they stepped into the cool, air-conditioned exhibition hall that some of that restless energy finally faded away.

They kept holding hands the whole time, never letting go. Aubree pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. She never expected Bowen to have such an adorably innocent side.

The exhibition wasn’t large, so when they finished walking through it, it was just the perfect time to grab a bite to eat.

“Wanna go see a movie later?” Bowen asked. Their plans for the day were just like any regular couple, checking out an exhibition, hitting the movies, and then wandering around town.

“Yeah. I already got the tickets,” Aubree replied.

“Which movie are we watching?” Bowen asked. Since Aubree had insisted on planning everything, he hadn’t even bothered to ask before.

Aubree honestly had no idea which movies were good to watch. She’d just picked one from a list of date-night recommendations online. She pulled out her phone, found the info, and showed it to him. “This one. It’s a foreign film, and the reviews online are good.”

Bowen glanced at the screen, his expression a bit amused. “Bree, did you notice this movie is age-restricted?”

Some movies were age-restricted because of stuff like violence or scary scenes. Aubree hadn’t noticed when she bought the tickets, and now that Bowen pointed it out, she said, “The reviews looked great though. Want me to pick something else?”

“No, let’s go with this one,” Bowen replied.

He took a sip of water, using the glass to hide the quick, teasing smile tugging at his lips.