I found everyone when I arrived at the end of the stairs. Neya, Lucia, Tyler, and Gabriel stood in a row with various gazes.
"I didn't know someone would go on a date."
Tyler smiled casually at me as I gave him a deadpan look.
"You look gorgeous, Brissia!" Neya clasped her hands in front of her chest while looking at me with twinkling eyes. "I knew the dress would suit you!"
"Thank you Neya. Actually, I can wear any color," I said while giggling softly, excited to see Neya's bright reaction.
"Except dark blue."
Neya and Tyler's smiles vanished. They stared tensely at Gabriel, even though his icy gaze was aimed at me.
Even though the atmosphere in the room had changed, there was one of them who didn't seem as tense as the others. It was Lucia. With a slight smile, she took my hand and led me to the door.
"Brissia, you know how pleased we are to have you in this office, right?"
I turned to Lucia, who spoke as soon as we arrived at the main door. She faced me, smiled again, and said, "Therefore, come back safe and sound. Our boss over there, as you can see, is likely to tear this office down if anything happens to you."
Seeing where Lucia's index finger was pointing, I laughed silently. Gabriel was like a father who was letting his daughter go on her first date. His piercing gaze was not devoid of worry.
"Oh, take this scarf too. This can bring you good luck," Lucia said again, giggled softly. I nodded with a small grin, putting on the purple scarf she gave me.
As I exited the editorial office, I found Harris stood right next to the door. In his light blue shirt tucked into his brown trousers, he look more dapper.
"Good evening, Harris," I greeted him lightly.
Harris blinked, looking surprised, which confused me. But a second later, he chuckled softly and invited me to walk beside him. "Evening, Brissie."
I looked down briefly to hide my smile. He must never know that the compliment was flattering me because it really wasn't. His clear voice might be pleasant to hear, but the face of someone I preferred not to see flashed in my memory.
He took me to an open-air restaurant with warm lights hanging in the air, connected from one side of the building to the other. Even though the restaurant was filled with visitors who didn't seem to be from high society, the atmosphere was lively. Starting from adults, children, teenagers, to the elderly, they enjoyed the vibe.
"Do you like this place?"
I turned to Harris, realized that I'd been busy admiring the restaurant from the time I arrived. He was propping his chin up with one elbow on his thigh and looking at me as if he's appraising me in his mind.
"Why wouldn't I like it? A place full of warmth always comforts me," I told him.
Harris gave a small smile, spoke in a low voice, "That's a relief."
I averted my eyes from Harris because after a while, I could hear my heartbeat. How could he have been looking at me like that all along? Oh, right, he's a secret agent, who must have gotten used to controlling his expressions.
"While we can talk casually here, may I know about where you come from?" asked Harris, making me who had just put food in my mouth almost choke.
I instantly remembered when I told him I was from the future because he found my smartphone. It had been a long time since that day, but turned out he was genuinely curious.
"Where I come from…," I paused, touching his wrist, making him raise his eyebrows slightly, "...no man looks at a woman like that," I continued, pulling his hand away quickly, making his chin barely hit the table.
I smiled a little, trying to hold back my laughter desperately. But then, he suddenly took my grip off his wrist. I heard a soft chuckle from him.
"Hey, it's not like there isn't one," he said with an amused smile. "You're just being pessimistic."
His words kept ringing in my head as I looked at him, speechless.
"By the way, Brissie..."
He said again while rubbing his wrist. "...I've been thinking about it ever since you dared to fight that bandit. Does your physical strength arise from stress?"
His question dropped my jaw for a few seconds before I burst out laughing.
"Hey, I'm serious!" Harris railed. "I thought you're being forced to put all your energy into taking him down, but the way you grip your wrist... are you also some kind of police officer?"
I shook my head while raising my teacup. "No."
He banged the table, making me lower the cup quickly and almost spilling my tea on Neya's shirt. "What on..."
"You're a fugitive?" he asked seriously.
"No! I'm not!"
Harris laughed softly, making me look at him indifferently. I should have known he was just kidding. Why did I have to scream, anyway?
"Alright then," he said, taking a glass of his drink, making me wince.
"You don't drink coffee? Many men in my area of origin are addicted to coffee. I thought it was a must," I asked.
Harris put down his drink, laughing softly. "I don't need coffee to protect you, Brissie."
I blinked.
"Pardon?"
"Yes, you heard me right. It's my duty as a policeman and your new pal."
That tickled me a little. But then, I remembered something.
"Ahem! Listen here, Harris," I said as I leaned over the table. "I learned to be strong so I could protect myself. So do people in where I come from."
"Ah, is your place an apocalypse city?"
Well, it's similar. But that's not what I wanted to tell him.
"Imagine a city with the common security units, but with random people appearing every day. And you never know when your turn will come."
Harris looked at me but seemed lost for words. Was his imagination different from what I expected?
"Is that why you left and ended up getting lost in Archtier?"
I fell silent. My heart was pounding, but not because of love. My eyes kept looking at him, but not because he was charming.
His calm gaze that no longer fell on me still instilled a strange sensation in me. Something in his words made me wonder if he was my way out.
His question may have been a rhetorical one, but the man in front of me seemed capable of helping me as Gabriel had said. It's just, how involved should he and I be?
When I was buying something at a shop near the Flower Bridge, I saw Harris crouching in front of a little girl who was crying next to the river guardrail. He said something with a concerned expression to the little girl who nodded her head.
"Miss, your order."
I took the ice cream from the seller, paid for it with the money Gabriel gave me, then walked toward Harris and the little girl.
"Brissie, this kid lost her mom," Harris said.
I flinched. "Ah, I'm sor..."
"I mean, she got separated from her parents in the crowd."
"O-oh… so, any idea?" I asked, furrowing my brows.
Harris gave me a small smirk. He pointed at the ice cream in my hand, making me hand it over to him. Then he looked at the little girl again and said, "Wanna go to the police station together? I know some friends who can help us find your mom."
The little girl looked doubtful, especially when she saw Harris handing the ice cream to her.
"Brissie, do you have any tissues?"
I handed it to him while looking in another direction.
"Come on, don't be so cold. Children should not go around in the dark of night," said Harris, making me just nod resignedly.
I didn't mean to be cold at all. The thing was, when I turned around from the ice cream shop earlier, I saw someone hastily hide behind the alley as soon as I turned there.
"Harris, hurry up," I spoke in a low voice.
"Good grief. I can't believe you're sulking just because I gave your ice cream to an innocent child."
I saw Harris wipe his finger, poked the ice cream, then sucked his finger for a moment. The little girl seemed to wonder what he was doing.
"See? No poison," said Harris, beaming at the little girl.
I pulled up the corners of my lips. Gosh, Harris had so many surprises that I could only shake my head. Astonished, amazed, and amused, those are the feelings that surround my mind.
Eventually, we parted ways with the little girl at the nearest police station. As Harris said, people wearing the same uniform as him greeted the little girl kindly and helped her. However, their attitude changed when they faced Harris.
"Friend? What friend tried to bring you down when you were at the lowest point in your career?" I grumbled.
He broke my expectations by laughing softly.
"I don't feel that way. Instead, I feel like I'm at the happiest point in my life to the point that they envy me."
He stopped walking, turned his body to face me, then said, "Because they can never walk with you or have casual conversation with you like I can."
When Harris smiled knowingly at me, he looked so glistening in the reflection of the street lights along the sidewalk by the river. The way he answered my astonishment and the way he put the words together as if he did it on purpose. Don't ask me what because you know better.
Crisp applause turned his head. I noticed how his gaze turned cold and his smile faded. Turning around, I saw Benjamin standing there with a satisfied smile.
"That's right, Harris. I admit I envy you getting to hang out with a lady in the middle of your sentence. I couldn't even take a step out of the library if I'm getting a punishment," Benjamin said as he stood in front of us with his charismatic smile, just like the other day.
Harris snorted, displeased. "What matter brought such a dignified young lord before us, the lower class people? I thought your father had warned you how disadvantageous it would be to associate with us."
Benjamin shrugged. "As long as there is day and night, there's no reason for me to give up. On the other hand, I would like to see you give up using formal language because it doesn't suit you well, Harris."
I smiled worriedly when I saw Harris's gaze sharpen on Benjamin. But then, Benjamin's gaze fell on me.
"Ah... good evening, Miss Brissia. What a beautiful dress you are wearing tonight."
Suddenly, Harris stepped in front of me, making me wince. Benjamin grimaced, but Harris didn't seem the least bit willing to soften his attitude toward him.
Sigh, what a troublesome situation.