I've Been There Before (Grace and Caden) novel Chapter 74

Grace was forcefully pulled out of the Royal Club by Franklin.

They went to a busy night fair. Franklin led her through the crowd holding her hand and the vendor's hawking could be heard from time to time. Grace was not accustomed to walk hand in hand with someone. But Franklin seemed to have a tenacious nature. Even if, for several times, she found some excuses to take back her hand, he would smile and hold up her hand again.

They shuttled in the night fair and the tantalizing aroma from the stalls around drifted into their noses.

Grace walked in a slow pace, but Franklin didn’t urge her.

She raised her head glanced at the back of the muscular and tall man who was holding her hand… Franklin didn’t urge her to walk quicker; plus, Grace even noticed that he was slowing down his pace secretly.

Usually, a night fair would attract a large number of people every night. Since today was weekend, there were even more people, and among them, there were many couples.

In the milling crowd, a handsome man was walking slowly and hand in hand with a plain woman.

This was naturally a combination that would attract people’s attention.

Grace subconsciously wanted to dodge the gazes from the people who were studying her… She hated such kind of gaze very much.

Could you please don’t look at me?

Could you please don’t look at me with that kind of gaze?

Those gazes seemed to penetrate through her fresh and bones.

Could you please…

“Let go of my hand! Let me go!” Grace desperately struggled to cast off his hand, “Mr. Cordon, let go of me! Please!”

“Please!”

She roared desperately and huskily with all her might.

Her wrist was red because of the fierce struggle, “Please…” Her voice was finally tinged with a trace of plead after the hysterical roar.

Grace looked at Franklin, and Franklin also turned around to look at her. Suddenly, Franklin let go of her hand. But before Grace could heave a sigh of relief, Franklin held up her hand again. But this time, he held her hand more tightly. His warmth and comfort transferred from his palm to Grace’s palm.

“Don’t be afraid of it. Don’t care about them.” As Franklin was speaking, he suddenly pulled Grace closer to himself and then hugged Grace tightly. He then raised his head and glanced around, “Damn! What’s the point of looking at us? Haven’t you seen a loving couple hanging out together?”

With Franklin’s loud reproach, most of the passers-by shifted their gazes.

“Let’s go. Let’s enjoy our meal.” Franklin held Grace by her shoulders in an overbearing manner and led her into an alley. There was a beef noodles restaurant in the alley. The decoration of the beef noodles restaurant was not as exquisite as that of restaurants outside the alley, and even appeared to be obsolete and aged. Franklin then led Grace into the restaurant.

“Noah, two bowls of beef noodles, please.”

“Little Frank, you rarely come recently, and you’re free today?” The owner of the restaurant was a middle-aged man in his fifties. There was some grey hair among his black hair. He was always smiling and appeared to be kind and friendly. When he saw Franklin, he immediately put down the plates, wiped his hands on his apron, and then poured two glasses of warm water for Franklin and Grace.

“Who’s this?”

“I’m his friend.” said Grace.

Franklin smiled and added, “Girlfriend.” He looked up at Noah, “Noah, how does my girlfriend look like? She’s great, right?”

Grace was petrified… G… Girlfriend?

She blankly watched Franklin talk to Noah, who looked so kind, from time to time.

“Noah, Franklin was talking nonsense.”

“Hmmm… This girl looks so beautiful. She has good facial features. But she looks too thin.”

Grace was stunned again… She glanced at Noah with doubts. How did Noah judge that she had good features?

To be honest, Grace was beautiful three years ago. But now, her beauty had faded because of the vicissitudes of life.

“Little Frank, I will go and make beef noodles for you.”

“Bosh, I’m not your…”

Grace wanted to explain it, but Noah had walked towards the kitchen. She was then in a daze for a long while…

“Grace, Grace, Grace… Seems like you’re always absent of mind, right?”

The pleasant and joking voice sounded in Grace’s ears and Grace finally came to her own sense. When she looked at his handsome face, a strange feeling suddenly surged in her heart. She then softly and weirdly called, “Little Frank?”

Franklin was originally playing her hands. When hearing the words, his hand paused in the air and his ears became red. He hurriedly explained, “Don’t follow Noah’s suit. When I was young, my parents didn’t allow me to have snacks and they were very strict in controlling my diet. So I liked to come to Noah’s restaurant and had a bowl of beef noodles behind my parents’ back.”

“Noah’s techniques of making beef noodles was passed down from his ancestors. It’s said that the receipt was originated from the Ming and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). And you can’t have such flavor except in Noah’s restaurant.”

“Little Frank.” A trace of smile flashed across Grace’s eyes. Right at this moment, there was a trace of childishness on her, just as she preserved three years ago. Franklin was red from ears to his necks. He anxiously said, “Noah is my senior, but you are not. Don’t call me ‘Little Frank’ like Noah does. You can just call me Frank.”

Grace didn’t reply.

Noah put two bowls of steaming beef noodles on the table, “Enjoy it when it’s hot. If it’s not enough, I’ll add more beef and noodles in it.” He then specially instructed Franklin, “Persuade your girlfriend to have more. She’s so thin. Little Frank, you’re not a qualified boyfriend.”

“I’m not…” Before Grace could utter the remaining words ‘his girlfriend’, she was interrupted by Franklin.

“Okay, okay, okay.” Franklin smiled and urged Noah, “Noah, go ahead with your own stuff. I and my girlfriend are dating, are you so cheeky to peep at us?”