Ch.65Thump-Thump! (2)

#065

As the ending credits rolled and the lights came up in the theater, Himena had been wiping tears until her handkerchief was damp.

“Oh my goodness!”

When she instinctively turned her head toward the warmth she felt in her left hand, she realized she was firmly holding Dexter’s hand.

Of course, while she was startled, she didn’t let go of his hand.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“No, since when have we been holding hands?”

“You grabbed mine first. Don’t you remember?”

When Dexter spoke as if it were nothing unusual, Himena hesitated for a moment before squeezing his hand.

“You’re bolder than I expected.”

“…Adults can hold hands if they want to.”

“I didn’t think you’d have the courage.”

When Dexter looked at Himena’s bold face, he saw her eyes were swollen and red from crying.

“Well, your actions are bold, but we might need to do something about those eyes.”

When Himena looked confused by Dexter’s cryptic comment, he pointed to his own eyes and said:

“Take a look for yourself.”

Himena took out a compact mirror from her bag to check her face, and exclaimed in surprise:

“W-what is this?”

“What do you think? Your eyes are swollen from all that crying.”

“What am I going to do?”

As Himena continued examining her eyes in the mirror, Dexter stood up and said:

“Let’s buy a cold drink from the concession stand. That should solve the problem.”

“How will a drink solve anything?”

“You know, the best way to reduce swelling is to apply something cold to your eyes.”

Embarrassed by her puffy eyes, Himena covered them with one hand as she followed Dexter’s lead out of the theater.

“Sit here.”

After seating Himena outside the theater, Dexter went somewhere and returned with a frozen water bottle wrapped in a thin sports towel.

“Hold this against your eyes. It should help.”

“Where did you learn this trick?”

“Space?”

Dexter said with a grin.

As the cool sensation from the frozen bottle reached her swollen eyelids, Himena let out a silent sigh and asked:

“Is it okay to spend time like this?”

“It’s fine. I was just planning to take a light walk after this anyway.”

“That’s quite a casual plan.”

“Well, it takes two or three hours after lunch for the stomach to settle, so I thought we could leisurely stroll around a nearby park and chat until dinner. Or if there’s somewhere you’ve been wanting to go, we could do that instead.”

Since it was a well-planned schedule, Himena smiled softly at Dexter.

“You’re really not playing any pranks today.”

“If you don’t like it, should we go hiking at Red Rock Canyon instead?”

“See, you’re joking again right away.”

Himena said with a pout.

Once her swollen eyes had subsided somewhat, Himena headed straight for the restroom.

When Dexter asked where she was going, she simply said she needed to fix her makeup.

‘Is she that self-conscious about letting me see her fix her makeup?’

Dexter, who thought a bare face had its own charm, waited patiently for Himena to finish.

When she emerged from the restroom, her eyes were still slightly red, but much better than before.

“Let’s go.”

As Dexter took the lead, Himena followed and asked:

“Where are we walking to?”

“The Springs Preserve. I heard it’s near the Strip.”

“Ah, I know that place.”

“Have you been there?”

“I just know roughly what’s there.”

Relieved that she hadn’t been there before, Dexter asked Himena as they left the theater:

“Since you mentioned you’re new here, I’m guessing you don’t go out much. What do you usually do on your days off?”

“On my days off… I stay home.”

Dexter waited for her to elaborate, expecting more, but she didn’t continue.

“That’s it?”

“Yes. I move around so much for work that staying home is the best on my days off. Besides, OSA doesn’t give many holidays.”

“So you’re determined to rest at home because your days off are precious?”

“Ding dong dang.”

While Dexter understood her reasoning, he found it a bit sad to think that someone in their twenties was just going back and forth between work and home.

“Call me if you get bored on your days off.”

“Why? Will you entertain me?”

“Yes, I will. Your twenties pass by quickly, it’s a shame to waste them.”

Dexter shrugged.

“Right, you’re in your ‘thirties,’ aren’t you?”

“Why do I feel like you’re emphasizing ‘thirties’?”

When Dexter gave her a sidelong glare, Himena apologetically looked away.

Having spent half of his teens and all of his twenties in space, Dexter’s advice was meant to encourage her not to waste that time, but somehow it just came across as preachy.

He considered saying more on the subject but decided against it, and drove his pickup truck toward the Springs Preserve.

But unlike Dexter’s usual driving experience, Himena’s reaction seemed a bit strange.

“……”

Though he couldn’t stare directly at her while driving, even his occasional glances were enough to notice something was off.

Unlike earlier, she kept darting her eyes around and fidgeting with her hands.

‘Why is she acting like that?’

While Dexter was wondering about her, Himena was lost in her own thoughts.

‘Oh, I must be going crazy…’

Dexter’s red pickup truck was starting to overlap in her mind with the ruby-colored pickup truck that belonged to the male protagonist in the movie.

Of course, Dexter, who had simply received a casual recommendation for a good movie to watch with a woman, hadn’t considered this element at all, but for Himena, it was having a profound impact.

“…Is something wrong?”

“No-huh! Nothing at all.”

When Himena’s voice cracked oddly, Dexter chuckled and said:

“I’m not scolding you. I was just asking.”

At Dexter’s playful remark, Himena blushed with embarrassment.

Seeing him like this, Himena’s imagination began to take flight.

The first date scene from the movie, and the passionate, physically intimate kiss scene that took place in the man’s house.

Of course, the movie only showed the half-naked protagonists kissing intensely in various places around the house, but Himena, who had been completely immersed in the film, could clearly imagine what happened next.

‘They must have done it, right?’

As that thought rushed to her head, she suddenly began imagining herself and Dexter doing something steamy in a pastoral-feeling house.

A dreamy room with several scented candles lit.

For some reason, she was completely undressed, and Dexter was approaching slowly with a serious expression she had never seen before.

‘…May I come closer?’

As the imaginary Dexter’s deep voice penetrated her mind, Himena unconsciously let out an exclamation.

“Oh my goodness.”

“Excuse me? What did you say?”

Focused on driving, Dexter turned his head to find Himena with a bright red face, covering her mouth with both hands.

“…Are you feeling sick?”

“No, no, no. I’m, I’m not sick at all.”

Himena waved her hands emphatically, but her thoughts were quite different.

‘I really must be going crazy! Dexter probably just wanted to have a meal together and give me a day to relax, but here I am having these inappropriate thoughts…!’

Dexter had no way of knowing that Himena thought of him as a completely wholesome man.

He was simply puzzled by her constantly changing expressions.

By the time they reached the Springs Preserve, Himena still hadn’t composed herself. Dexter got out of the driver’s seat, walked around to the passenger side, opened the door for her, and asked:

“Can you walk? You’re not feeling ill, are you?”

“What? Yes! I’m not sick, not at all!”

With an awkward expression, Himena looked at Dexter and got out of the passenger seat.

Dexter watched as she walked forward with an awkward gait, her hands and feet moving in an uncoordinated manner.

‘What’s wrong with her?’

Dexter followed behind Himena, carrying two cool water bottles he had prepared earlier.

As the sun gradually set in the west, the Springs Preserve, with its abundant vegetation and trees compared to other areas, was relatively cool.

The entire block filled with plants offered not only walking paths but also botanical gardens and various events to enjoy.

Himena, who had been walking awkwardly, gradually became captivated by her surroundings. Her steps became more natural, and her flushed face returned to normal.

As Himena’s expression became more lively in the gentle breeze, Dexter, watching her closely, smiled contentedly.

‘It was heartbreaking to always see her working all night and struggling.’

Seeing Himena’s vibrant face made Dexter happy as well.

The two walked for a while in silence, enjoying the plant-scented breeze.

When Himena sat down on a bench first, Dexter followed and asked:

“Is there anything specific you’d like for dinner?”

“Hmm, meat?”

“Meat…”

Dexter mentally went through the list of restaurants Dan had recommended.

“…There’s a place nearby called ‘Herbs and Rye.’ How about that?”

“What kind of food do they serve?”

“Steak?”

“Oh, that sounds good!”

Himena smiled brightly at Dexter’s suggestion.

Seeing her like this, Dexter turned his head to look elsewhere and said:

“You’re less picky about food than I expected.”

“Why? What kind of impression did you have of me?”

“No, it’s not about my impression exactly. How should I put this? You mentioned your family is well-off. So I thought you might not like, you know, more common food or culture.”

“What do you mean by ‘common food’? I like hot dogs from street vendors and snacking too, you know?”

“The rich kids I know don’t show any signs of that.”

The wealthy person Dexter was familiar with was Eliya.

Recalling how Eliya would kick away anything that wasn’t top-tier, Dexter shuddered slightly and said:

“There’s this bastard—I mean, this guy who wouldn’t eat unless it was the highest quality ingredients, even if it meant starving for three days straight.”

“Ah, that person.”

Remembering someone Dexter had mentioned occasionally, Himena nodded and said:

“My grandfather raised me very strictly. He would quote Napoleon, saying that seeking happiness in luxury is like drawing the sun in a picture and waiting for it to shine.”

“That’s not wrong. Though the guy I’m thinking of would mix radioactive material into paint to cause a Cherenkov effect if that’s what it took to make light shine.”

“…He’s your friend, right?”

“An evil friend.”

Himena chuckled as she watched Dexter badmouth his friend.

“What does that even mean?”

“I’m telling you, that’s exactly what he’s like.”

Himena laughed at Dexter’s words.

The two continued chatting until the sun was setting low in the sky.

As it grew dark, Dexter checked his wristwatch and said:

“Let’s hurry and eat dinner, then move on to the final destination.”

“Final destination?”

“There’s something I’ve always wanted to try.”

Hearing that Dexter had something he wanted to do, Himena was initially suspicious it might be one of his pranks, but his behavior throughout the day had erased such doubts.

In fact, Himena was looking forward to it.

* * *

In the dark night after a satisfying dinner.

Dexter and Himena were at Red Rock Canyon.

“……”

“What do you think? Nice, isn’t it?”

The two were lying in the bed of the pickup truck on a thick blanket, gazing at the night sky.

Dexter had brought her here simply to enjoy the stars that seemed to pour down before their eyes, but Himena was thinking something slightly different.

Of course, Himena also found the countless stars beautiful, but she was distracted by the fact that she was lying next to Dexter.

“A few weeks ago, I wanted to stargaze, so I looked for a high place without much light, and found this spot. It’s better than I expected.”

“…Yes.”

“It feels good to take a sip of a drink while looking at the stars, then take another sip while listening to the insects chirping.”

“I’m sure it does…”

In the dim moonlight, Dexter couldn’t see Himena’s face clearly as he pointed to the night sky and said:

“That’s the Morning Star, Venus. On Earth, they say it’s just an uninhabited planet, but I heard some mineral-based aliens actually live there. Though I’m not an expert, so I don’t know the details.”

While Dexter was pointing out and explaining various stars in the night sky, Himena wasn’t listening.

She was completely absorbed in the situation—that there was no one around, only Dexter and herself.

Then a gust of wind hit Himena directly, making her shiver from the sudden cold.

Though he couldn’t see her face clearly, Dexter could feel her trembling and stopped his explanation to ask:

“Are you cold?”

“What? Oh, yes. A little…?”

“I don’t have any more blankets…”

After pondering for a moment, Dexter put one arm behind Himena’s shoulders and pulled her into his embrace.

It was as if Himena was voluntarily hugging Dexter.

“Isn’t that warmer now?”

“……”

When Himena didn’t respond, Dexter lowered his head to look at her.

‘Ah.’

Even with minimal light, he could clearly feel Himena’s hot breath and the warmth from her heated body seeping through his shirt.

He had known from her previous behavior that she had feelings for him, but he had hesitated to make a move.

While Dexter was hesitating, Himena, nestled in his arms, was slowly inching her face toward his.

Her face moved from his chest to his collarbone, from his collarbone to the tip of his chin, and from his chin toward his lips.

Their eyes met.

Himena’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight, and so did Dexter’s.

“……”

“……”

Though they weren’t speaking, both knew this was the moment for the action they had been contemplating.

Dexter carefully placed his hand on the nape of Himena’s neck, while Himena rested her hands on Dexter’s shoulders.

They quietly kissed.