Tell Me That You Like It

But that is her own illusion. It was tempting, but it was nonsense. He was simply saying courtesy words to comfort her.

 

“Thank you.”

 

She tried to speak calmly, as if nothing had happened. Fortunately, Anna’s voice did not tremble and came out normally.

 

“How old is Anna?”

 

“Yes?”

 

Anna was a little taken aback by Lucino’s question.

 

“Why? Was that an inappropriate question for Lady?”

 

Lucino laughed, winking with one eye. The playful winking Lucino was cute.

 

“Well, isn’t it rude to ask someone’ age? I think it’s a very personal question.”

 

She remembered hearing somewhere that foreigners didn’t like to ask questions about their age. Anna had believed that asking overly personal questions about someone’s privacy was something to be avoided.

 

“It’s true but among friends, you can ask about anything. And even if we’re not exactly friends, it’s still possible to ask. We’re not complete strangers, after all, as we’ve just met not long ago, and it’s not like you’re asking me out of the blue.”

 

“Aha, I see. Then how old is Lucino?”

 

“How old do you think you are?”

 

“I do not know.”

 

No matter how much she looked, she couldn’t guess the ages of Western people.

 

“I’m twenty-seven.”

 

“Omg! Really?”

 

Startled, Anna’s eyes widened and  her jaw dropped.

 

“Yes. Why are you so surprised?”

 

“No, just…”

 

She didn’t know he was younger than her. She expected him to be over 30.

 

“Do I look that old?”

 

“No! Not at all.”

 

She just guessed that he must be over 30 due to his relaxed attitude, mature atmosphere, and manners.

 

Because of his beautiful appearance, trivial things like his age did not even come to mind and were difficult to guess.

 

“So, what about Anna?”

 

“How old do you think I am, Lucino?”

 

“Oh, this is a foul. You’re repeating my questions the same way.”

 

He shook his head with an expression of admiration.

 

“So?”

 

Anna shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

 

Lucino, who was tapping his cleft chin with his long index finger and looking at Anna with eyes that appraised her as if she were a work of art, finally opened his lips.

 

“Well. You look very young, maybe twenty-two or twenty-three?”

 

Anna gasped in surprise at the unexpected answer.

 

“I’m not that young.”

 

“How old are you? I can’t guess the age of an Asian person.”

 

“Well, it’s a lot more than Lucino said…”

 

“A lot? How much? Forty? Fifty?”

 

Lucino joked and winked again at Anna, who was hesitant to speak. Anna’s heart pounded as she watched the large eyes close and open in an instant.

 

Is he aware that a person’s heart flutters every time he winks? 

 

Anna made a

hmm

sound and cleared her throat. She didn’t want to sound nervous or unnatural like an idiot.

 

“Twenty-nine.”

 

“I beg your pardon? Mamma mia!”

 

Lucino, who had always used English, was so surprised, he used Italian as well.

 

“It doesn’t look like that at all. Are you really twenty-nine?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really.”

 

Anna nodded.

 

Lucino shook his head left and right several times and shouted ‘Mamma Mia’.

 

“But what exactly does Mamma Mia mean? I knew it was a famous movie title, but I didn’t know it was Italian.”

 

Mamma Mia was a phrase she had heard many times, but Anna wondered exactly what it meant.

 

“Mamma means mother and Mia means mine. If I had to explain the meaning, it would be ‘my mother’, but it is a type of exclamation that can be used when you are surprised, afraid, or happy. For example, even if the food is delicious, ‘Mamma Mia!’ And even if you are surprised to hear Anna’s age, you can say ‘Mamma Mia!’ You can say that.”

 

His voice was low but pleasant to listen to as he explained step by step. Anna nodded, looking straight into the deep blue gaze.

 

It seemed like the equivalent of saying, “Oh, come on!” in her own way of expressing it.

 

“Aha, I see.”

 

“And when you see a beautiful woman like Anna, you can say, ‘Mamma Mia!’”

 

Anna listened intently to the explanation and then paused. Lucino’s mouth was drawn into an arc and he was smiling coolly. The sudden compliment seemed to heat her up.

 

Anna, who was speechless for a moment, separated her pursed lips half a beat later.

 

“But when you first saw me, you didn’t say, ‘Mamma Mia!'”

 

After racking her brain over and over again, she finally came up with something to say and retorted with a normal voice to the smiling Lucino.

 

Contrary to her seemingly calm and vulnerable expression, her heart was pounding.

 

Even though she knew it was a joke, every time he said she was pretty or beautiful, her heart felt like it was popping in all directions like popcorn.

 

“There are times when I can’t say anything when I’m surprised because you’re so beautiful.”

 

“Lucino speaks really well.”

 

“When you’re around a beautiful woman, admiration comes naturally.”

 

“Stop playing around.”

 

“I’m not kidding. I’m serious.”

 

The corner of Anna’s mouth twitched and tried to go up. She raised her glass and took a sip of her lemon Fanta, trying to cover up the look on her face that seemed to make her look very happy. The refreshing carbonated beverage exploded and danced in her mouth.

 

While she tried to dismiss it as a typical compliment that Italian men often throw around when they see women, just empty words, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter of excitement.

 

“You keep saying that, you sound like a womanizer.”

 

“Uh huh. You can’t treat people like a Casanova. Even though it’s like this, I only meet one person at a time. Of course, I don’t know that there is that image of Italian men, but I am not that kind of person.”

 

He raised his eyebrows and made an expression of resentment.

 

“Because you say things like that so easily…”

 

“That’s strange.”

 

Tilting his head, Lucino made a humming sound.

 

“What?”

 

“Don’t you often hear that you’re pretty? I think it’s normal for Anna.”

 

“No.”

 

If it had been said by another man, she might have reacted with a defensive response, questioning where he had the audacity to pass judgment. However, coming from Lucino, despite feeling slightly embarrassed, it only made her feel good inside.

 

It didn’t sound bad because it wasn’t an attempt to compare or criticize, and it didn’t have any unpleasant intentions.

 

“Mamma mia!”

 

“… why?”

 

Anna blinked as Lucino let out an exclamation, and then belatedly asked a question.

 

“Do Korean men have no eyes?”

 

Even though she was embarrassed, Anna couldn’t hide her laughter at Lucino’s words. At her reaction, unable to hide her feelings, her pure emerald eyes sparkled with transparent blue light.

 

“Then, can I interpret this to mean that Anna is not seeing anyone right now?”

 

“Why does the story end up like that, about not being able to be called pretty?”

 

“If I were Anna’s lover, then I couldn’t help but whisper to you every day that you are beautiful.”

 

It meant that because she didn’t have a lover, she couldn’t hear words of beauty every day.

 

“Ah…”

 

She was speechless. Anna couldn’t say anything, as if someone had stuffed a ball of cotton into her mouth.

 

The fog that had obscured her vision cleared all at once.

Although she was dull, Anna was not an idiot.

 

It was only then that she realized the warmth contained in Lucino’s gaze, directed towards her.

 

He looked at her as if he were beholding the most precious and beautiful gem in the world.

 

Upon reflection, it seemed that during their time together, his blue eyes had never once averted their gaze from her. Even while driving, he constantly stole glances at her, never taking his eyes off her.

 

Her previous belief that his eyes sparkled because his eyes were pretty turned out to be her own misconception.

 

He had been expressing interest in Anna from the beginning. His eyes, which seemed to be encrusted with blue sapphires, seemed to shine with emotion.

 

Anna didn’t notice because it was her first time seeing something like this and she believed there was no way a handsome man like Lucino would be interested in her.

 

It was all dismissed as a delusion.

 

It’s just the imagination of a woman who wants attention from him.

 

Anna’s lips opened of their own accord, as if she had her own will.

 

“And what about Lucino?”

 

It wasn’t a question she thought about first. But once she said it out loud, it became very important. Whether he has a lover or not.

 

“If I had a lover, I wouldn’t have come to Spain alone.”

 

Anna guessed that much, but she still wanted to hear an accurate answer.

 

Her heart was pounding wildly. Her own heartbeat felt much louder than the music playing in the store.

 

As if realizing it for the first time, her heart, which she had been carrying in the left side of her chest, started racing rapidly at this very moment.

 

But since when?

 

Since when did he become interested in her?

 

Since he asked her to go to the club together? Or from when they first met?

 

And why her?

 

She wanted to ask, but she was so nervous that she didn’t have the courage to ask. Maybe if she drinks alcohol tonight, she’ll feel braver.

 

Regardless of whether this was a playful flirtation or a passing romance that occurred while traveling, Anna was happy.

 

Of course, Lucino did not seem like the promiscuous type who only pursues pleasure.

 

Maybe it doesn’t matter if he is promiscuous. That’s how much Lucino was an attractive and seductive man.

 

She wanted to have a good time as it was a difficult trip and she had to cut ties with her family.

 

It was more enjoyable to be with Lucino in happy moments. Even if this relationship ended in a breakup in two weeks, Anna decided to enjoy this moment.

 

“Lucino says I’m pretty, but I actually think it’s Lucino who is beautiful.”

 

At those words, Lucino’s expression, which had been smiling leisurely the whole time, changed. He looked surprised at the bold statement that he did not hide his true feelings.

 

But soon his eyes curved in amusement.

 

Lucino had a lot of expressions and was a pleasure to watch.

 

“I prefer to be called handsome rather than beautiful. Am I handsome?”

 

“I think you’ve heard that a lot.”

 

“It’s beautiful, it’s different.”

 

“You don’t feel bad, do you?”

 

“Not at all.”

 

After Anna began to realize Lucino’s interest, invisible tension began to flow between the two throughout lunch.

 

They joked and ate the whole time, but an invisible air current floated around them.

 

After eating all the desserts, the last thing Lucino ordered was an espresso. Anna also wanted to drink coffee. Both of them forgot their coffee because they were busy departing from Madrid.

 

“I would like an iced Americano, please.”

 

“Iced Americano? Are you ordering ice and espresso, or are you ordering ice and Americano?”

 

Anna was a little taken aback by the waiter’s reaction as she didn’t understand the order right away.

 

“Do you have any iced Americano?”

 

“There is no such thing. Instead, I’ll bring you some ice for your Americano.”

 

“Yes. Thank you.”

 

After the employee left, Lucino was shocked.

 

“Iced Americano?”

 

He was so surprised that his voice cracked slightly. It was her first time seeing his reaction like that, so it was both surprising and fun.

 

“Yes. Why?”