Chapter 62

The biting wind howled as Evelyn Langley tightened her scarf and stepped out of the exam hall.

"How was it?" Adrian Klein took the folder from her hands.

"Better than expected." She exhaled a white puff of breath, rubbing her reddened fingertips together.

Dusk settled around them as streetlights flickered on one by one, casting warm halos on the snow-covered ground.

The sweet aroma of roasted sweet potatoes wafted through the commercial street. Evelyn's eyes lit up. "Wait here."

Adrian watched her dart toward the food stall, her black coat fluttering in the wind.

"Try this." She returned with two golden-brown sweet potatoes, steam rising in the cold air.

The scalding heat made her gasp, but she couldn't resist taking a small bite. The sugary sweetness melted on her tongue, and she closed her eyes in contentment.

"Sweet?"

Adrian nodded. The warmth radiating from his palms carried a comforting sweetness he'd never experienced before.

"I'm an expert at picking sweet potatoes." She waved her treat triumphantly, a sticky smear of syrup at the corner of her mouth.

His gaze lingered on her wind-chapped nose. The sudden urge to wipe away that sugary spot made his throat tighten. He looked away instead.

The motion-sensor light flickered on as they entered the foyer. A wave of warmth greeted them, and Evelyn sighed in relief.

While organizing her books, she spotted the German original edition still buried in the stack. A handmade bookmark peeked between the pages.

Adrian was drying his hair when the knock came. Water droplets trailed down his neck and disappeared beneath his collar, the crisp scent of mint shampoo lingering in the air.

"Your book." Evelyn's gaze caught on his damp hair before quickly darting away. "My notes might be messy..."

He flipped through the pages and found a tiny doodle of a cheering stick figure in the corner. A smile touched his eyes.

"That's just—" She reached for the bookmark, her fingertips accidentally brushing against his cool palm. She recoiled as if shocked.

"I'd like to treat you to dinner." Her ears burned. "As... thanks."

Adrian studied her flushed cheeks. "Home-cooked is fine."

"Tomorrow then?" Her eyes brightened. "I'll get your favorite perch."

As he nodded, a water droplet fell from his hair and landed on the back of her hand. The sudden chill sent a tremor through her.

The next afternoon, Evelyn returned with two grocery bags brimming with ingredients. Sunlight broke through the clouds, casting diamond-shaped patterns on the kitchen tiles.

The doorbell rang as she was filleting the fish. Adrian effortlessly tied an apron around his waist, rolling up his sleeves to reveal well-defined forearms.

"Your turn." She handed him a basket of vegetables, her hair grazing his chin as she turned away.

Amid the sound of running water, he caught her humming off-key. The rhythmic chopping, the steaming pot fogging up the window—it reminded him of an ongoing experiment in the lab.

When two reagents meet, they too create this same inexplicable warmth.