I shook my head. “Taste it for me.”
She raised a brow before popping it in her mouth. “It tastes like lemon, sour in the middle.”
“Well, is there anything else bitter or sour? Aside from yourself.”
“Cough candy.” She dug through the basket again and held up a tan piece of hard candy.
“What does it taste like?”
“Clove. You won’t taste anything except the spice and bitterness, but it is supposed to be sweet, as well.” She held it up to my lips.
I hovered over her, locking our lips together. She nearly jumped at the action. It was quick, breaking as soon as it happened. Her eyes were wide, the snow around us making them seem all the brighter. Her face was turning red, her poliosis looking whiter than ever, not even the snow compared. She wanted to look away—I could see it in the way her eyes shifted—but she refused to, anyway. Somewhere in my observation, I forgot what I was going to say.
I pulled away, licking my lips. “I like it.”
“Why didn’t you just eat one?—”
“I don’t know,” I admitted breathlessly. “I suppose it was just an impulse.”
She huffed, her cheeks becoming rosy. It wasn’t from the cold.
We strolled leisurely until we were past the street and at the entrance to the park. The day was perfect for being outside, though I’m sure she was comfortable under the fur.
Experiences as menial as a market and tasting candy may seem a bit childish to take pleasure in, but when you have spent as many years on this earth as I have, there is rarely an original experience. The only thing I could do is relish in the pleasure of reliving them all again with her. Every old experience becomes new through her eyes, and I simply have the pleasure of being present. I have seeneverything from every view, excepthers. It was like experiencing everything for the first time again; she made all the things I took for granted seem new and exciting.
Sometime along our walk, Alina began to stiffen. That could only mean she had disappeared inside that head of hers.
Her brows furrowed, deep in thought. Occasionally, I could see the muscle in her jaw twitch from clenching her teeth together for so long. So much tension for such a cruel thing like her.
“I almost forgot. I have something.” I broke her from her thoughts. I pulled a round object from my pocket, placing it in her hands.
It was an orange.
“We just bought oranges.” She scrutinized it.
“No, peel it.” I smirked.
She picked at the skin, peeling away the orange to expose the blood-red pulp inside. She blinked, and then her eyes trailed back to me.
“It is a blood orange.” I grinned. “I thought maybe you would like it.”
“I do.” She placed the orange in her basket as she stopped walking.
“What is wrong?”
“I see what you are doing.”
Not this again.
“What do you think I am doing?” I raised a brow.
“Parading me around like I’m some prize,” she scoffed. “Buying me things, bringing the girls new fancy clothes—you’re showing off.”
“Well, you are a prize,” I said matter-of-factly. “And it would be a waste not to parade you around.”
“See? There it is. You think this is funny. You mock me.”
“I assure you, this is not a mockery. You would know if it was.”
