(Michelle Lui's POV)
Steven didn't tell me where we were going.
He just drove a little farther from the city center, the road curving toward an open-air commercial district — the kind filled with cafés, vintage shops, indie bookstores, and families with toddlers holding balloons. The kind of place that smelled like caramel popcorn, roasted chestnuts, and autumn leaves all at once. The kind painted in warm hues and soft chatter, sunlight glinting off cafe windows like tiny fireflies.
Color everywhere.
Smells everywhere.
Noise and laughter in every direction.
So different from his quiet lake spot.
He parked the car, turned off the engine, then looked at me like he was bracing for my reaction.
"This… is the place?" I said, voice catching with surprise.
"You don't like it?" he asked immediately — just a faint hint of worry in his tone.
"No," I said quickly. "I do like it. It's just… unexpected."
He nodded once.
Almost relieved.
"I thought you might find it fun."
Fun.
