How Can Two People From Different Sides Ever Fall in Love? - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: I Wouldn’t Dare, Young Master

After leaving the restroom, Hollis wandered aimlessly through the Federal Conference Building. He couldn’t think of where to go, and when he finally snapped back to his senses, he found himself standing at the entrance of the main hall. He paused for a moment before stepping inside, immediately spotting Raven at the corner of the long table, along with the girl beside him.

The two were chatting animatedly until the moment he entered, at which point they stopped abruptly.

Hollis couldn’t see the girl’s face very clearly. Initially, she and Raven whispered for a bit, and then her volume spiked for some reason. He heard her ask: “Are we going to the bar tonight? Recently, Jamie, Emily, and Simon have been asking me what on earth you’re busy with—busy enough that you don’t even have time for the bar.”

Hollis didn’t know what Raven was busy with either—busy enough that during his entire business trip, there hadn’t been a single phone call.

Currently, there wasn’t a single word he wanted to hear, so Hollis turned and left, though he had confirmed the nature of the relationship between the girl and Raven.

Continuing his aimless walk, a splash of vibrant color suddenly snagged his attention amidst the solemn, grand architecture. It was a vending machine, displaying an array of colorful snacks and drinks.

Realizing Raven hadn’t taken a nap, Hollis pulled out his phone, intending to order two cans of coffee. Glancing at the temperature display on his screen, he walked out of the Conference Building to the convenience store at the entrance. He grabbed two cans of coffee from the heating cabinet, then turned back and grabbed a third.

Returning to the hall, he entered through the back door, delivered the coffee, and left again.

When the afternoon session ended, he saw from a distance that Raven was still talking to the girl. Recalling their “bar date,” he pursed his lips and was the first to drive back to the rented apartment.

To his surprise, upon arriving at the door, he discovered he hadn’t brought his keys. With nowhere to go, he sat on the ground, arms propped on his knees, holding his briefcase.

He thought he’d be sitting there until the streetlights flickered on and the night grew deep, but before long, he heard the familiar sound of leather shoes. Looking over the railing, he saw Raven.

Hollis heard himself let out a soft chuckle: “Weren’t you going to find Jamie, Emily, and Simon? You should have said your car was restricted today; I wouldn’t have minded giving you a lift.”

Who?

Raven showed the same confusion he’d felt the first time he heard those names. The familiar yet strange names flashed through his mind as he looked up at the man blocking the doorway. He said helplessly, “You forgot your keys again. The key I gave you is apparently just a decoration.”

Stepping up the stairs, he reached the side of Hollis’s leather shoes and gave the tip of the man’s shoe a little kick with his own. “Get up already. Once we’re inside, don’t sit down yet—change your trousers first.”

Hollis’s mood brightened instantly. He stood up abruptly, his eyes entirely fixed on the person in front of him. “I was the one who washed the seat cushions.”

“Not bad. The youth are to be feared; keep working hard, and you’ll have a boundless future.” Raven repeated Verdi’s words from the meeting as he fished his keys out of his briefcase. Then again, “If you’re not going to use the key, give it back. I went through the trouble of getting a spare made specifically for you.”

Hollis stood obediently behind him, saying nonchalantly, “I’ve suggested several times that you should switch to a smart lock. It’s so much more convenient.”

“Convenient for you, you mean.” The moment he spoke, the door opened. Raven talked as he walked in: “I’ve also answered you several times—this is a rental. Why should I spend that money to benefit the landlord?”

“You said it yourself, it’s for my convenience,” Hollis followed closely behind, squatting down to take his slippers from the shoe rack, not daring to touch the changing stool nearby. “I’ll pay for it.”

Raven rejected the idea without a second thought: “No.”

Sitting on the changing stool, Raven looked up and noticed a bunching of fabric around Hollis’s waist and abdomen. Feeling curious, he reached out. Where there should have been a button, his hand felt only empty space.

“Where’s your button? When did it fall off? Was it like this during the meeting?”

“It fell off before I got on the plane.” Hollis closed his suit jacket to show Raven. “Don’t worry, you can’t tell once it’s buttoned up.”

Raven had relaxed too early, thinking Hollis had improved and learned to fasten his top button, only to find an even bigger surprise waiting for him.

“Where is the button?”

Hollis fished the button out of his trouser pocket, along with that tiny perfume bottle.

Seeing this, Raven’s brows knit. He reached out to take the small bottle, but Hollis suddenly tightened his fist, his guilt evident.

Raven suddenly understood: “No wonder I couldn’t find it when I needed to use it.”

He had thought it had been thrown away after being used up.

Regarding lifestyle habits, besides his tendency to love the new and loathe the old, Raven had a bit of a cleanliness and obsessive-compulsive streak. He also disliked manual labor—otherwise known as being lazy. He couldn’t stand a cluttered space but was too lazy to organize it himself, so he always followed minimalism—if it wasn’t something you could throw away after use, don’t buy it.

Some perfume bottles were beautifully designed, but he was afraid he wouldn’t finish them, or that he’d be reluctant to throw them away once they were empty, eventually resulting in a pile that would waste time to organize. Thus, he solved the problem at the root: simply don’t own them in the first place.

With the missing perfume brought back to light, Raven teased: “Councilor, if you like it that much, just say so. I’ll send you a new, full-sized bottle.”

Hollis didn’t explain that it wasn’t the perfume he liked. He didn’t respond; instead, he took the small bottle from his palm, put it back in his pocket, and handed the button to Raven.

“Go find the sewing kit and bring it to the living room.” After giving the order, Raven sat down on the sofa first. Seeing Hollis approaching with the sewing kit, he beckoned him to stand in front of him.

Pulling out the needle and thread, Raven extended the end of the thread toward Hollis: “Come, lick it.”

Hollis couldn’t understand this habit of his, but he took the needle and thread anyway. Everything seemed a size smaller once it was in Hollis’s hands. His broad palms, the tiny needle, and the thin thread… yet his fingers were incredibly agile. The thread quickly passed through the eye of the needle, and he handed it back to Raven with the needle pointed toward himself.

Raven began threading the needle skillfully. “How did it fall off?”

“It just came off inexplicably while I was putting it on.” Hollis didn’t understand it either, his tone full of confusion. “It’s new; first time wearing it.”

“New clothes, no wonder.” Raven wasn’t surprised. He stitched the button on with a few quick movements and looked up: “Come, bite it off.”

Hollis remained expressionless as he picked up the U-shaped snips from the sewing kit and, with a snip, cut the thread.

Raven laughed noncommittally. He tugged at the button and touched the shirt fabric, muttering, “The material is actually quite good.” He then stuck the needle into the spool, wound the remaining thread back on, and returned everything to its place.

Inside the box, the multi-colored spools were lined up neatly, like well-trained soldiers.

“Alright, put it back.”

Hollis returned it to its original spot, taking Raven’s suit jacket on his way. As he turned, he noticed the sleeve garters on Raven’s arms.

“Didn’t you complain they were too tight and uncomfortable? Why are you wearing them again?”

Raven first removed the left garter, then awkwardly switched to the other side, his voice sounding as if it were also constricted: “It was a meeting. Wearing them makes me feel prepared.”

Hollis stepped in to help him. “Always so fastidious. You’re the one who has to suffer the marks they leave.”

Once they were successfully removed, a gleam appeared in Hollis’s eyes, and he looped a sleeve garter around Raven’s neck. Hollis chuckled: “When I was on my trip to Beeremilu, they called this a ‘choker’.”

Raven’s brows furrowed. “Don’t you dare try putting that thing around my neck.”

The curve of Hollis’s lips remained unchanged. He didn’t fasten it, nor did he let go; instead, he focused his gaze, quietly admiring the view. The sleeve garter was made of genuine leather, not quite long enough to wrap fully around Raven’s neck. However, Raven’s neck was fair and delicate, while the garter was black, shiny, and resilient. In the interplay of extreme contrast, Hollis’s eyes darkened involuntarily.

But he let go.

He didn’t care about “daring” or not; he just knew Raven was the type of person who felt uncomfortable if even his Adam’s apple was lightly touched, let alone having a garter wrapped around his throat.

“I wouldn’t dare, Young Master.”

Raven felt completely unsettled by being called “Young Master.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

What on earth had he learned during a business trip to the capital of art?

Hollis silently corrected himself: “Understood, old pedant.”

“Old pedant” was even worse than “Young Master.”

Just as Raven was about to snap, the culprit quickly slipped away, Raven’s suit jacket draped over his arm and the two sleeve garters in his hand, heading toward the apartment’s only bedroom with his haul.

The apartment followed a one-bedroom, one-living room layout. The entrance connected the kitchen and the living room—two open spaces separated by a dining table. Walking straight from the door to the end of the hall, the bedroom and bathroom were on the left and right sides respectively.

The size of the place was neither too big nor too small, sufficient for one person to live in, but the overall layout was quite empty. Aside from the main furniture and appliances, there wasn’t a trace of lifestyle flair in the details.

Even the dining table had been added after Hollis started coming over. The only thing that could be called “flair” was a vintage stoneware mini vase on the table. Unquestionably, Hollis was the one who put it there.

Currently, the vase was empty. The flowers Hollis had put in before his trip had withered and been thrown away by Raven. Without the decoration of flowers, the rough texture of the vase was fully exposed—the handmade marks were obvious and not particularly skilled.

Hollis took a quick glance as he passed by, noted it in his heart, and went to the bedroom to hang up the clothes and change his trousers. The clothes he had worn today needed to go to the dry cleaners tomorrow, so he didn’t hang them in the wardrobe. Instead, he removed the cufflinks at the simple garment rack, then opened the bedside table drawer and took out a black suede jewelry box.

The box was filled with Raven’s cufflinks, mostly in black, white, and gray, focusing on design and showcasing low-key sophistication. The pair in Hollis’s hand was the only colorful set in the collection. His eyes were full of smiles as he placed them inside carefully.

When he came out, he was wearing only a black shirt. His tie was gone, the top two buttons were undone to reveal a small portion of bronze chest muscle, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing sturdy, powerful arms.

Raven got up from the sofa, intending to go to the kitchen to see what ingredients were left and if they were enough for the two of them to scrape together a meal.

As he passed Hollis, he suddenly stopped and looked the man up and down. Hollis met his gaze, then turned into the bathroom opposite the bedroom.

Raven watched him, and a sudden sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.

Soon, the kind-hearted Hollis answered his confusion. From the bathroom came Hollis’s loud shout: “Raven Griffiths, how many times have I told you—don’t use the hairdryer in the bathroom!”

Raven cursed his luck. While he was looking around to see if there was anywhere to hide, Hollis stood before him, holding the “instrument of the crime” and looking aggressive.

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