Later that afternoon, Vincent noticed Cristofer acting a bit strangely. He was unusually cheerful and only asked the staff to revise the project plan, even though it was quite subpar. ‘Cristofer, are you still our strict boss who never tolerates mistakes?’ Vincent couldn’t help but wonder.
After gathering his thoughts, Vincent cautiously asked, “Mr. Hans, do you have any plans for today?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a date tonight,” Cristofer said, checking his watch with a smile. “Let’s reschedule the meeting for tomorrow.”
Vincent was surprised and asked, “A date? You mean with Mrs. Hans?”
Cristofer rolled his eyes and replied impatiently, “Who else would it be? You? Here’s what I need you to do: make sure you go with Mrs. Moorsum to pick up the children. Keep an eye out for Estelle’s mom. She might find it tiring taking care of three kids. Help her when needed. And tell Mrs. Moorsum to cook some of Estelle’s mom’s favorite dishes. She might be too shy to ask herself.”
Vincent chuckled and said, “Mr. Hans, you’re quite talkative today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, just a bit.”
Cristofer didn’t mind and said in a lower voice, “Estelle often tells me I talk too much. Maybe she’s right.”
Vincent wanted to tease Cristofer further, but thinking how he doubled his workload today, he gave him a thumbs up instead, finding it a bit more polite.
****
Estelle felt a bit nervous after agreeing to go out with Cristofer, and as she made her way downstairs with her bag, she tried to calm herself. When she exited the elevator, she unexpectedly ran into Eva.
“Estelle, I saw Mr. Hans’ car just now. He’s in the same spot as he was earlier today. He’s been waiting for you!” Eva appeared quite excited, but when she noticed Estelle blushing and looking embarrassed, she quickly clarified, “I mean, he’s waiting for you under that old tree. Nothing happened earlier today. Well, I didn’t see anything!”
Eva hurriedly departed, leaving Estelle to sigh in resignation, thinking, ‘It’s not that I’m too weak, but my enemy is too strong. Even my assistant is on Cristofer’s side.’
Shortly afterward, Cristofer saw Estelle slowly approaching the building’s exit, and he took a few steps towards her, naturally grabbing the bag from her shoulder. He then softly said, “Let’s go, Estelle. It’ll be dark soon.”
“Ummm….”
“What’s wrong?”
“You…” Estelle bit her lip and hesitated, saying, “The bag isn’t heavy. I can carry it myself. Give it to me.”
Cristofer smiled as he held the bag and courteously opened the car door for Estelle. Instead of handing her the purse, he insisted, “Please, get inside.”
‘Are you worried that I might change my mind and leave suddenly? Is that why you held my bag for me, Cristofer?’ Estelle pondered the thought, licked her lips, and appreciated his gesture. She climbed into the car and took the passenger’s seat.
Cristofer started the car and, gripping the steering wheel, outlined his plan to Estelle, saying, “We’ll have to wait for a while until the best time for watching the meteor shower arrives. So, we can start with dinner and then head to the rooftop. If the kids want to join us for stargazing, we can stay there with them until they get tired and then take them to bed. If they’re not interested…”
‘We can have some private time tonight,’ Estelle thought, sensing Cristofer’s unspoken desire. With years of being together, they had developed an almost telepathic understanding of each other. Cristofer, the planner, had faced unexpected turns in his life since meeting Estelle, which made him extra cautious about ensuring everything went smoothly this time. A nagging doubt crept into his mind as he remembered what Vincent had said to him before he left the company.
“Estelle,” Cristofer uttered her name gently.
“Yes?”
“Do you think I’m too naggy?”
Estelle chuckled, “You often remind me about exams so many times back in school. It’s like you’re reliving that now.”
Her words, though casual, carried an air of intimacy that made her a bit self-conscious. She quickly glanced at Cristofer to gauge his reaction but found him focused on driving. Estelle decided to steer the conversation away, asking, “Does it bother you?”
Cristofer replied, “Not too much.”
“I’ll try to be more concise in the future,” she offered.
“Okay.”
About forty minutes after arriving at the Hans’ residence, they were greeted with a delicious dinner prepared by Mrs. Moorsum. Estelle couldn’t resist indulging herself, and the children were thrilled to see their father after just seeing him the previous day. If it hadn’t been for Yohan, who tried to keep his younger sisters calm, they would have bombarded their parents with endless questions.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Moorsum and Luke both smartly noticed that Estelle and Cristofer looked more harmonious than before and understood what might have happened between them. After dinner, Mrs. Moorsum went to wash the dishes, and Luke took the children to their room so that they could do the homework. As for Aurora, she went to watch TV in the living room.
Cristofer went to the bedroom to put on a thicker coat and took out one of his trench coats for Estelle. “It’s cold on the rooftop, and your clothes are too thin. Put on mine,” He talked in a soft tone and didn’t seem to force Estelle to do anything, hiding his controlling instinct.
Touched by his move, Estelle put on the trench coat and immediately felt warm. Then, she followed Cristofer to the rooftop. At that time, Cristofer could walk much faster than before, though he still needed the walking stick. Then Estelle immediately slowed down so she wouldn’t walk faster than him.
Cristofer noticed her considerate move and felt his heart soften, though he was initially restless. After they reached the rooftop, he said, “I told Uncle Luke to move the telescope here. If the sky is as clear as now, we can see the stars more clearly.”
Before they arrived at the residence for dinner, Cristofer had already carefully put the telescope in front of the guardrail and a wooden bench with soft cushions. This complete preparation made Estelle feel not only romantic but also deeply moved. She smiled slightly and accepted Cristofer’s kind gesture, saying, “I’ve seen the weather forecast. It said the weather would be fine today.”
Cristofer moved closer to her when he felt she was in a good mood. She was only half a fist away from her at the moment, and he could easily touch her if either of them slightly tilted their body.
“It’s been years since the last time when we sat on the rooftop and watched the stars,” Cristofer said nostalgically in a low voice.
Estelle subconsciously wanted to say that he was still sitting in the wheelchair at the time, but then she realized that she happened to take the children to look at the stars during the period of his father’s funeral, so she swallowed her words in order not to make him sad. The moment aroused their thoughts and feelings, and they both kept silent under the sky.