"I did not lie to you."
The voice came from behind, low and close enough to make Eline startle.
He turned too quickly.
Lucian's hand, which had been resting against the door beside him, slipped as Eline moved. The sudden motion made Eline lose his balance for a second, his back brushing lightly against the door—not harsh, just enough to make him freeze in place.
For a brief moment, they were too close.
Eline looked up.
Lucian was already looking down at him.
There was no expression on his face, but his eyes held something steady, something that made Eline's chest tighten for no reason he could name.
Lucian slowly withdrew his hand from the door.
"I was waiting for you downstairs," he said, as if nothing had happened. "But you came all the way here instead."
He paused, then extended his hand toward him.
"Shall we?"
Eline hesitated—just for a fraction of a second.
He wanted to curse him for appearing like a ghost out of nowhere. But instead, he quietly placed his hand in Lucian's.
They went downstairs together.
The car was already waiting.
They both sat in the backseat, the door shutting softly behind them.
For a moment, there was silence
calm, almost unfamiliar.
Lucian turned his head slightly toward him.
"Where do you want to go?"
Eline had been excited until that very moment.
Now, his mind went blank.
Where should he go?
Where should he go?
He repeated the question in his head, over and over, but no clear answer came.
Lucian watched him for a moment before speaking again.
"If you don't know the area, I can suggest places. There are a few malls nearby."
Eline heard the word mall… and immediately knew
He didn't want that.
Normally, he would have liked it. Bright lights, clothes, things to look at—it was something he enjoyed. But right now, it felt… wrong.
Too loud.
Too empty.
He didn't want distraction.
He wanted something else.
Something quieter.
Something that felt real.
He thought harder.
And then, suddenly
"I want to go to a strawberry farm."
Lucian's brows shifted slightly.
"A strawberry farm?"
"I just… like strawberries," Eline said, almost casually.
But in his mind, something else had already surfaced.
A memory.
He used to go there sometimes, back when he worked at the restaurant. Not for leisure, but for work -to pick strawberries for orders.
Still… those moments stayed with him.
People laughing.
Families moving freely between rows of plants.
The sound of water nearby.
A river running quietly at the edge of the land.
Everyone looked… light.
Free.
And for a moment, he wanted to feel that again.
"Which one?" Lucian asked.
Eline paused.
"I… don't remember the exact place," he admitted. "But it had a riverside."
Lucian looked at him, clearly unconvinced.
"There are multiple farms with rivers nearby. Do you have an address?"
Eline shook his head.
"No. But it had a river. I remember that."
Lucian exhaled lightly, then glanced at the driver.
Before he could say anything, the driver spoke first.
"I know the one, sir. I can take you there."
Lucian gave a short nod.
"Go."
The car started moving.
For the first time in a while, Eline didn't feel suffocated.
He leaned slightly toward the window, watching the outside world pass by. The streets, the people, the normalcy of everything
it felt distant, yet familiar enough to ease something inside him.
The tension in his shoulders slowly faded.
On the other side, Lucian sat in silence.
His gaze drifted toward Eline, then away.
Then back again.
He didn't understand why he had suggested this in the first place.
Taking him out.
Letting him choose.
Adjusting things around him.
It wasn't something he did.
Not for anyone.
Yet here he was.
Sitting beside him.
Watching him look outside like it was the first breath he had taken in a long time.
Lucian frowned slightly, his thoughts tightening.
Why am I doing this?
He didn't have an answer.
And for the first time, that bothered him.
The drive didn't take long.
In barely fifteen minutes, the car slowed to a stop in front of the entrance.
The moment Eline saw the gate ,Something shifted.
A memory surfaced so suddenly it almost felt physical.
He used to come here.
Not for leisure, but for work. Back when he worked at the restaurant, they would visit farms like this to pick strawberries for orders. But even then… it never felt like work.
They would come here lighthearted, already joking about what they would eat for lunch, already planning how many strawberries they would sneak for themselves. Conversations flowed easily -random gossip, small complaints, pointless stories about people they both knew.
Eline was always the one talking the most.
Spilling everything.
Laughing without thinking.
Back then, life wasn't perfect ,but it was free.
Simple work. Simple days. Someone to talk to without hesitation.
Nothing like this.
Nothing like being watched, controlled, measured.
To put it simply
He missed it.
He missed being free.
The car door opened.
Lucian stepped out first.
Today, he looked… different.
No heavy coat. No rigid, suffocating formality.
It was the most casual Eline had ever seen him.
For a moment, Eline just stared.
Then, almost unconsciously, he glanced down at himself.
A white silk shirt. Tailored trousers that fit him perfectly.
Simple.
But still… curated.
Nothing about either of them felt accidental.
They took the boxes from the counter and stepped inside.
Rows of strawberry plants stretched endlessly ahead, bright red scattered among green leaves. The air felt lighter here. Softer.
Eline walked ahead without realizing it.
For the first time, Lucian followed.
It was subtle, but unusual.
Lucian had never walked behind someone before.
"You said you'd come out with me," he said, almost casually. "That means you have to participate too."
The words slipped out before he could think.
Bold.
But he didn't take them back.
Maybe it was the place.
Maybe it was the memories.
Something in him felt… less restrained.
Lucian looked at him for a second.
Then, without argument, took a box.
They walked deeper into the farm.
Lucian held the box in his hand, unfamiliar with the weight of something so ordinary. It wasn't difficult,but it felt out of place.
He had never done anything like this before.
Still, he didn't say anything.
Ahead of him, Eline moved easily, naturally.
There was something different about him now.
A quiet brightness.
Not loud, not obvious,but there.
Like he was trying not to smile… and failing just a little.
Eline crouched down and began picking strawberries.
One after another, quick and practiced.
Lucian stood there for a moment, just watching.
Then, almost uncertainly, he reached out and picked one.
Then another.
It felt strange.
Unfamiliar.
Almost… beneath him.
But when he glanced at Eline again
he didn't stop.
A few minutes passed.
Eline's box was already nearly full.
Lucian's had barely anything.
Eline turned, noticing.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
"I see you don't know how to pick strawberries, do you?" he said.
Before Lucian could respond, Eline stepped closer and dropped down beside him, kneeling in the dirt without hesitation.
"Here," he said, reaching toward a plant. "Look at this one."
He held up a strawberry.
"See how it's fully red? No white patches. That means it's sweet."
He picked another.
"And this one bigger size, but still even in color. It'll taste better."
His voice was light.
Easy.
Unfiltered.
"Size matters," he added without thinking. "It fills your mouth with more flavor."
Lucian didn't respond.
He was looking at him.
Not the strawberries.
Not the field.
Him.
Eline, kneeling there, talking freely—like nothing else existed. Like there were no walls, no rules, no weight on his shoulders.
Just this moment.
Just strawberries.
For a brief second
He looked like someone else entirely.
Someone… untouchable by everything that defined him inside that house.