Enjoying the city scenery by walking felt delightful to Justin, who just realized it now. Maybe because he hadn't done it in a long time or because he was doing it with Bella.
The last time Justin walked around the city was when he was ten years old. At that time, he went shopping with his mother. Along the way, his mother told him many stories, about the people they met on the street, as well as about the buildings in the city.
His mother loved everything classic, unlike him, who preferred modernization. Despite their quite significant differences, they never argued about their taste.
Often, Justin would give in and follow his mother's wishes. One of them was to eat at her favorite restaurant, the beef soup place they passed by earlier. A classic menu that still tasted the same until now. Even the interior layout was still the same. Only the person who ate with her was different.
"If only you were with us earlier, Mom," Justin thought to himself.
"Hey, what are you thinking? Why are you smiling alone?" Bella asked, blocking Justin's way.
"It's nothing," Justin replied.
"Are you trying to deceive a prosecutor?"
"No. I just remembered my mother."
"Do you miss her?"
Justin nodded.
"Then, just call her!"
Justin continued walking while saying, "If only I could."
Bella's smile faded. She followed Justin's steps. "What's stopping you from calling her? Did you guys have a fight?"
"She passed away twelve years ago," Justin replied.
"Sorry. I didn't know that," Bella said apologetically.
"Forget it! What's your next plan?" Justin asked.
"Can we not talk about work now? I just want to rest for a bit."
Bella sat on a bench in the park. A perfect place to enjoy the moon's reflection on the river and the city panorama on the other side.
Bella tapped the empty space next to her, smiling as she invited Justin, "Sit down!"
Justin smiled and complied with Bella's request. "What are we going to do here?"
"Relax. Ah, it's been such a long time since I've enjoyed the night like this." Bella took out a cold beer from her bag. "Not cold, but it's refreshing enough."
"Do you always bring it with you?" Justin asked as he received a can of beer from Bella.
"Not always. I'm not an alcoholic. This is just for emergencies when I need a pick-me-up while working. Alcohol is like a brain cleanser for me," Bella explained.
Bella opened her can of beer and took a sip. Her thirst seemed to disappear instantly. Justin liked a certain brand of beer. He watched the drink given by Bella with doubt. He was unsure if it would be as enjoyable as his usual beer. As a result, Justin placed the can beside him.
"You know, when I first landed in this city, I felt like it was familiar. I thought it was just my feeling. However, when I was searching for CCTV footage yesterday, I felt like there were some places that I had previously passed through. Could it be that you have brought me here before? I have to ask Grace," Bella said.
Justin was worried. Could Bella's memories be returning?
"Grace?"
"Ah, she's my foster mother. When I was seventeen years old, I had an accident and lost my memory. Grace found me and took care of me. She is a very good woman. To me, Grace is like my own mother."
The answer was somewhat relieving. Justin asked again to make sure his worries were unfounded. "May I know where your parents are?"
Bella lowered her head. "They died in the accident."
"I'm sorry." It was the right word to sympathize. Although in reality, the answer was quite comforting to Justin.
"No need to apologize. Aren't we even?" Bella smiled. She looked ahead again, taking a sip of her beer. "Ah, this is enjoyable."
Justin was transfixed looking at Bella's face. She looked more beautiful than usual. Maybe it was because of the atmosphere or... Justin felt something strange in his chest.
As the strange feeling continued to haunt her, Bella suddenly leaned in and asked, "By the way, have rich people like you ever eaten at a roadside stall?"
"Goodness!" Justin exclaimed. His heart raced and felt almost uncontrollable. Justin turned away and took a deep breath. "Why do you always startle me with unexpected ways?"
"Really?" Bella withdrew and looked up at the sky. "What's wrong with asking?"
Justin returned to his original position.
"Hey, answer my question. I've been curious about it for so long. Have you ever bought food on the street? Have you ever taken a city bus or train when travelling?"
"No. I have a chef who prepares delicious meals for me every day. I have my car and driver. Why would I bother taking a bus or train? It's too inconvenient."
Bella leaned back and exhaled. "Ah, I knew it. You've wasted the most enjoyable experiences on earth."
"Come on, what's so enjoyable about it? I've never wasted my time standing in line for train tickets or waiting for a bus. Let alone enjoying street food that may or may not be tasty or nutritious," Justin retorted.
"Wanna try it now?" Bella challenged.
Justin hesitated. He wasn't used to social life, let alone being in a crowd. However, Justin did not want to be underestimated. He had to protect his dignity.
"No. It's just that...."
"Come on!" Bella pulled Justin's arm until his body stood upright. "Accompany me around the city! Show me the nice places. Oh, yes. I haven't had Catwell's street food yet. Will we find delicious food tonight? Wow, I can't wait."
Bella took Justin to the station. She looked excited, while Justin was weak. Justin wasn't sure he could pass through the station's corridor, which was always crowded during busy hours.
Justin suddenly stopped in front of the station. Spontaneously, Bella couldn't continue her steps because their arms were linked. Bella stared at him seriously.
"What else?" Bella asked.
"Can't we just take my car? I will call Eric and have him pick us up here," Justin pleaded.
Bella shook her head. "No. We've walked far enough. I won't waste my effort to get here. Come on, let's go!"
"Bella." Justin sulked.
Bella grinned and said, "When else can I stroll with my busy boyfriend like this? Let's have fun, dear!"
Bella dragged Justin into the station. Bella immediately bought a train ticket that would arrive soon, without thinking about the destination. After all, she didn't really know the route her train would take.
While Bella was buying the ticket, Justin went to a coffee shop. He ordered two glasses of iced Americano. On the way to the waiting area, Justin saw two boys sitting in the aisle. Their appearance was shabby, like street beggars.
Justin felt sorry for them. He took out several dollar bills from his pocket and went back to the coffee shop to buy sandwiches. Then he gave the sandwiches to the boys. They loved it so much. Justin was also happy.
Bella returned and saw Justin's act of kindness. She frowned, thinking that Justin was only pretending. Considering how bad his father's nature was, Bella couldn't believe that the good deeds came from Justin's heart.
"What is going on? Does he want to impress me?" muttered Bella.
"Oh, did you get your ticket?" Justin asked, then handed her a cup of coffee.
Bella took the drink and said, "Yes, I got it. I chose the train that will arrive in a moment."
"Can I know where you're going?"
Bella showed her train ticket to Justin. "I have no idea about the route this train will take. So, I just randomly chose a destination."
"Wishdom?" Justin's eyebrows raised.
Whether it was a coincidence or fate that wanted to bring Bella back home, Justin was quite surprised after reading about their destination. Wishdom was where Bella used to live.
She can't go to that area, Justin thought.
"Why does your face look like you just saw a ghost?" Bella asked.
"Wishdom is not a good place to visit. It's just a small village. Nothing is interesting to see. The food is also just ordinary," Justin tried to divert her attention.
"Really? But Google says it's a good place to visit. The ticket officer also said so."
"They're not wrong. Wishdom is a good place, only in the morning or during the day. At night, we will only find darkness and the sound of insects in the middle of silence," Justin explained.
"Oh, that sounds bad. I don't want to go. Let's change it! Let's go to the place you recommended?" Bella said.
Justin smiled. "Smart girl," he said while patting Bella's head.
The tenderness felt at the top of her head sent a signal that was able to shake Bella's heart. She was like a child longing for such a caress.
***
In a narrow alley, Clea met a man who was ordered to follow Justin and Bella. He had done his job well over the past few days. The reason for Clea's meeting with him tonight was to see the results of the photos that he had taken.
Clea was furious after seeing the photos she received. In some photos, Justin and Bella looked close, while in other photos, they looked romantic. Clea was upset because the evidence in her hands had successfully disproved her suspicions all this time.
"Impossible!" Clea squeezed the photos. She leaned against the car with both hands propped up on the hood. "Did you hear their conversation?"
"Yes, Miss. I heard that they will be touring the city," The man in the black jacket replied, lowering his head. He dared not look Clea in the eye.
"Going around the city?" Clea gave a sardonic smile. "What about your daughter? Has she received treatment yet?"
"Yes, miss. Thank you for your help," He replied, blushing.
"I heard the operation cost a lot. If you want, I can give you more money. Ten times more than before. That should cover the cost of the operation and further treatment, right?" Clea offered.
He was surprised and happy. "Really? I'll do anything you say, miss."
"Good." Clea smiled slyly. "Come here!"
He approached. Clea whispered a command to him. Clea stepped back, while he froze in place.
"It's an easy job. Do it right and don't leave any traces!"
"Y-yes, miss!"
Clea left their meeting place. She would wait for news from home. Clea was sure that her henchman wouldn't break his promise. Of course, he had to carry out this task to save his daughter who was dying from a brain tumor in the hospital.
***
As it turned out, enjoying the night in CatWell City in a simple way was also interesting. Before, Justin imagined how tired it would be to wait for the train, crowded on the city bus, or how boring it would be to queue for just one scoop of vanilla ice cream on the roadside. But, it all paid off just by seeing the beautiful smile on Bella's face.
The happiness radiating from Bella's face erased his fatigue. Justin even stood for more than half an hour for one scoop of ice cream with her. Even though, he had never been willing to waste time on useless things before.
Finally, they got their ice cream. They spent the rest of the night walking and enjoying the cold treat.
"Wow, this is really good. No wonder the queue was so long. Have you ever tried this ice cream before?" Bella asked.
"I bought it with my mother once," Justin replied.
"Wow, it seems like you were very close. I envy you. I can't even remember my memories with both of my parents. What they were like and what memories we left behind. If only I could remember," Bella said, sadly.
"It's okay if you don't remember. Maybe God intentionally erased it because he doesn't want to see you drown in sadness. Sometimes, having bad memories from the past can be very terrifying."
"Yes, you're right. Maybe, if I still had it, I wouldn't be able to be who I am now." Bella smiled faintly, then scooped a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. "Hey, there's grilled squid. Wait here! I'll buy some for our dessert tonight."
Bella left her ice cream cone with Justin and ran across the street to queue. While she was away, Justin sat on the bench and checked his phone. He had five missed calls from Eric. Kheil also left a few messages for him.
[Where are you, bro?]
[Are you with Bella?]
[Bring her to the club!]
Justin ignored the messages that he considered unimportant. Then, he called Eric. There was something important that his personal assistant needed to tell him.
In the middle of his conversation with Eric, Justin heard the sound of screeching tires, a crash, and people screaming behind him. Justin turned around. He saw a car stopped in the middle of the road and a woman lying not far from the car.
The accident was like deja vu for Justin. He knew exactly who the victim was in that accident. However, the same incident left him frozen in place. Justin couldn't move his feet, even though he wanted to.
"Bella!"
"What's wrong, sir? It looks like there is an accident."
"Call an ambulance for me!" Justin forced himself to approach Bella. He placed her head on his lap. "Oh, God! Hold on, Bella! I beg you."
***