Michelle wasn't used to using perfume. But she liked the perfume Leon was wearing. One whiff of it was enough to make her feel relaxed.
"Yes, yes, I want it." Michelle lowered her hand from her forehead and nodded. "Is this perfume expensive, Leon?"
"What? I'm giving it to you. You don't need to spend any money." Leon was wondering if he should tell her that he was not poor. Otherwise, she would always fret about money. Yet, seeing her worry about him flattered him a little bit.
He felt really conflicted.
"I mean, if you're giving me this one, then you have to buy a new one for yourself. That's why I'm asking if it's expensive." 'I just want to know how much this perfume is, so I can buy it myself. But that will feel different. This isn't just any perfume. It's Leon's perfume, '
Michelle thought to herself.
"It's not expensive," Leon smiled. The perfume was worth more than a hundred thousand dollars. What made it that expensive was the bottle.
"How much?"
"Uhh...eighty-eight dollars." Leon made up a random number.
"Eighty-eight dollars?" Michelle stammered in disbelief.
Leon tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. 'Is that too cheap or...?' "Is that too expensive?" he asked.
Michelle grew even more surprised. "No, no, no. I just think it's a little cheap." She leaned forward slightly to take in the scent. The light fragrance felt very charming.
"You know what they say: you get what you pay for. Although I don't know much about perfume, I also know that the more elegant something, the more expensive it is. Just like your favorite orchid, Leon."
"Maybe..."
Before he could finish, Michelle interrupted him. "Maybe you read it wrong. Maybe it's actually eight hundred dollars?"
Michelle's eyes widened but this time, Leon already knew what she was thinking. She thought something that cost more than eight hundred dollars was already too expensive.
"No, maybe it's just cheap. After all, it's just the smell of plum blossoms and snow. Eighty-eight dollars sounds about right. Also, my friend made this perfume. It's not yet available in the market." Leon made it up as he spoke. He felt proficient at lying.
"Oh, I see. It smells really good, though." Michelle had always believed whatever Leon said without a second guess. However, another worry entered her mind. "But is this perfume safe?
Leon, you should be careful even though the perfume is made by your friend." She realized that she sounded like she was speaking ill against Leon's friend. With a flustered face, she shook her head and waved her hands. "No, I'm not trying to say that your friend isn't good. It's just that..."
"I understand. I know you're just worried about me. It's fine. I'm sure this passed the quality check. I wouldn't give it to you if it didn't, right?" Her worried look made Leon's heart melt.
"Okay." Michelle nodded obediently. "Thank you, Leon."
"I'll give it to you after two days." After Leon said that, Michelle nodded.
The incandescent lamp hanging on the corridor's ceiling shone one Leon, casting a large shadow, which made him look taller than usual. Michelle had been raising her head to talk to him.
Her neck felt a little stiff from always looking up.
She sidestepped to the left and stood behind Leon. Then, she placed her hands on his back and pushed him forward. "Leon, let's make the bed. Or else you won't be able to sleep tonight."
"Okay." She let her push him into the guest room as a small smile appeared on his face.
When they entered, the room was bathed in soft orange light. Michelle opened the closet and took out clean sheets. Then she was about to grab the quilt.
To avoid it from being wet, the quilt was placed on the top-most compartment of the cabinet. Since Michelle was too short, she couldn't reach that height and tried to tiptoe her feet. When that didn't work, she began jumping to reach it.
Leon leaned against the door and laughed as he watched Michelle jump up and down like a rabbit. 'Watching her like this is much better than watching the moon, ' he thought.
Michelle kept jumping repeatedly and could only brush the edge of the quilt. When she did, she gasped in excitement. "Almost!"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Only you in my love