"I get it," she replied coldly and pulled her hand away from him.
Taken aback by his own utterance, Xavier muttered softly, "I'm sorry."
He continued with his drawing while Lara looked away, staring into space.
"I'm done," he announced, standing up.
Lara also stood, and they walked toward the exit together.
Xavier got on the bike, with Lara sitting behind him. He ignited the engine and sped off.
Lara was surprised when he began heading in the direction of her house.
"Do you know my house?" she asked in disbelief.
He nodded in reply.
"How?"
"There was a day I passed by and saw you coming out of your house."
"When was that? I rarely come outside."
"I can't remember," he said, stopping in front of her house.
She got down and walked toward the gate, then turned back.
"Your camera," she said, stretching it out to him.
"Keep it. We'll be using it tomorrow," he replied. "Can I have your contact so I can remind you not to come late again?"
He handed her his phone. She collected it, typed in her number, and gave it back.
"See you tomorrow," she said and turned around.
She paused when she didn't hear the sound of his bike leaving. She turned back, and their gazes locked for a moment before he finally started the engine and drove off.
Lara entered the house and saw Moses lying on the couch.
Before she left earlier, her mother had said Moses would be discharged today.
"Moses, when did you come back?" Lara asked.
"Not quite long ago. I missed home, Lara."
"How are you feeling now?"
"Stronger."
Lara sat beside him. "Take a look at this."
"What's that? A camera? Who owns it?" he asked.
She handed it to him, and he began scrolling through the pictures.
"It's a friend of mine," Lara replied.
"Where is this place? Don't tell me you went here."
"It's a project about exploring nature and documenting what we find. Today was the first day."
"That means you'll still be going tomorrow, right?"
"Yes, but to a different location."
"I love the camera, Lara."
"Don't bother. I can't give it to you — it's not mine."
"Did I ask you to give it to me?" Moses said, eyeing her.
"As if that's not what you meant," she replied. "Well, who's inside?"
"Just Vicky. Mom went to the supermarket. Dante isn't back from school yet, and Jayden has returned."
"I'm tired. I want to rest in my room."
Lara collapsed onto her bed and lay there for a while. When her stomach growled, she sighed.
"I need to eat," she muttered, getting up and heading to the kitchen.
She served herself food and began eating in large bites, as if it might disappear.
Later in the evening, Lara was lying on her bed, scrolling through the pictures on the camera and admiring them. She moved to the next one and froze—it was a picture of Xavier she had taken without his notice. She stared at it, lost in her thoughts.
She heard a notification on her phone and quickly sat up to check it expectantly, but her expression fell when it wasn't what she had hoped for. She dropped the phone beside her.
She kept the camera aside and lay back down, trying to catch some sleep, but sleep refused to claim her. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Xavier. She had been thinking about him all day, wondering why he hadn't called her yet.