CHAPTER 94: CHAPTER 93: GIVE ME A SMILE

The phone in the bag rang at an inopportune time, Florence Fuller saw it was Christopher Somerset.

"I’ll take a call," she said to Christopher Fuller and walked a bit further away.

"Sis," Christopher Somerset’s voice was full of helplessness: "You should come over."

Come over?

"Where?"

"We’ve also come to Cloudsea," said Christopher Somerset, "Luke is in a mess right now. I have a flight at 11:30 back to SJ."

Florence frowned: "What’s his trouble this time?"

"No idea," Christopher Somerset said: "He insists on seeing you and made us call you. If he keeps up like this, I won’t be able to leave."

He added, "Evelyn is still waiting for me."

Florence closed her eyes: "You’re being reckless, aren’t you."

Christopher Somerset: "The day of our debut is near; she feels uneasy. Since you can’t be in SJ with her, I’m here to fill in for you."

He knows how close the two of them are.

"Send me the location."

She hung up and went over, Christopher Fuller was still waiting for her.

"Is something up? Are we going?" he asked.

"You’ll have to get a driver; I can’t take you." Earlier, at the dinner party, she hadn’t drunk a sip of alcohol. Coming out, Christopher Fuller was too lazy to find a driver or call someone for a ride, wanting her to drop him off since it was on the way.

Christopher Fuller: "...Where are you going? Might be on the way to my place."

Christopher Somerset’s location came in.

Florence looked at it: "A bit on the way, alright, I’ll drop you off."

If it weren’t for those words earlier, she wouldn’t have.

Maybe they could become allies.

After dropping off Christopher Fuller, she’d reached the club an hour later.

She dawdled on the road, not in a hurry. Christopher Somerset saw her come in, grabbed his coat to leave: "If you didn’t come, I would’ve rescheduled."

The box was quiet, Luke lay on the bar counter, Daniel Knight sat on the sofa, seeing her come in he greeted with a smile: "Hi, sis."

He pointed at Luke at the bar.

"You two came here specifically from SJ?" Florence asked.

Daniel Knight stood up: "Yeah, this buddy’s here drinking bitterly over heartbreak."

Florence sighed: "What’s with the heartbreak, didn’t you guys call him the heartbreaker of SJ?"

Daniel Knight couldn’t help but laugh: "You know it too."

"If I don’t leave now, I’ll miss the flight." Christopher Somerset said: "I really need to go."

Daniel Knight hurriedly: "I’ll head back with you then."

"He’s got business, you too?" Florence glanced at Luke, then at Daniel Knight: "You want me to single-handedly take a drunk Luke back?"

Daniel Knight helplessly: "Alright, I’ll wait outside."

"Wait for what, just take him back," Florence said.

She really didn’t want to come here.

"You two should talk," Daniel Knight looked at Luke: "He’s been drinking like this, calling for you, in all these years I’ve never seen him like this."

Florence gave Daniel Knight an ’are you kidding me’ look.

Christopher Somerset was in no mood to waste time, he had a flight to catch, waved and left.

"Don’t doubt it, sis," Daniel Knight said, cleared his throat, and called towards Luke: "Luke, sis is here."

The person lying on the bar moved.

With drunken eyes, he turned around: "Fooled me so many times and still fooling..."

Though complaining of being fooled, Luke couldn’t help turning around to look.

And this look...she really came.

He hurriedly got down from the high stool, almost tripping over it in his haste.

Quickly steadying himself, he looked at Florence nervously, with some cautious anticipation: "You...you really came?"

Usually brazen and uninhibited, the drunk Luke was completely different.

Florence regarded Daniel Knight skeptically: "Is he always this restrained when drunk?"

Daniel Knight almost lost it with laughter, he quickly maintained his expression: "Could there be a possibility it’s because of you."

Florence clicked her tongue, looked at Luke: "What do you want from me?"

Luke looked at Daniel Knight.

Daniel Knight waved his hand: "I’ll be waiting outside."

He even waved off the bartender.

The two were left alone in the box.

Florence went to the sofa and sat down. Luke, initially hazy with drunkenness, blinked his eyes seeming clearer, followed her to sit down on the sofa.

He sat next to her, separated by one person’s distance.

On the coffee table was a fruit platter, Florence saw a fork conveniently, picked it up to bite a piece: "Speak, what’s the matter calling me here."

Luke watched her bite into the fruit: "Just wanted... to see you."

Florence paused, turned to him: "You think I’m very idle? Just your wish to see me will make Christopher Somerset call and have me rush over, I must appear before you."

"That’s not what I meant." He turned his face away, lowered his stance: "I didn’t expect to actually call you over, just couldn’t believe it...after all...you wouldn’t even answer my calls."

Florence looked at him, silent for a moment: "What’s really going on with you."

"Nothing much," Luke thought of the photos, his voice low and bitter: "Just feeling a bit sad."

"Sad about what?"

Florence felt idle herself, asking him what he was sad about.

Luke looked at her.

He stared at her, not speaking, Florence said: "What’s the matter, if you’ve got something, just say it."

Her agitated impatience deeply cut Luke’s heart, Luke looked at her: "Smile."

Florence felt like slapping his face, picked up another piece of fruit to eat.

Seeing her ignore him, Luke stubbornly insisted: "Give me a smile."

Florence guessed he was drunkenly saying, "make me smile."

"Is it so hard to smile?" he looked at her, sorrowful.

Why, in those photos, did she seem so happy smiling, or was it because it was him, she couldn’t smile.

"Ha." Luke thought, then laughed.

Florence stared at him, thinking Luke might be going crazy.

His laughter had a self-deprecating tone.

"I’m asking you..." she looked at Luke: "Did something hit you hard?"

He looked a bit like it.

"It’s more than a hit," Luke mumbled as he collapsed on the sofa, "Feeling terrible."

Florence stood up, glanced at his despondent expression.

"I’ll call a doctor for you, go to the hospital." she said.

Luke shook his head: "Won’t help."

His lost demeanor didn’t seem fake, Florence saw him like this for the first time, thought for a moment and spoke gentler: "Then are you leaving or not?"

"Leave where?" he spoke.