Chapter 262
“Yannis.” Zinnia looked up and noticed a flicker of sadness in his eyes. Sensing his sorrow, she tugged gently at the hem of his shirt, gjving it a little shake
“What is it?” Yannis’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He swallowed the bitterness in his chest, acting like nothing had happened.
“Yannis, how about taking a picture together?” Zinnia didn’t know what had crossed his mind, but she could feel the trace of sadness he hadn’t meant to show. Not knowing how to comfort others, she decided to change the subject instead.
“Sure.” Yannis lowered his gaze and met her eyes–eyes that she thought were hiding her concern well, though they clearly gave her away. He smiled
“Let’s take one by the Christmas tree.” Zinnia had taken a liking to the glittering tree.
“Okay.” Yannis noticed a guy walking past and stepped forward to ask if he could take their photo.
The guy agreed readily. He glanced at the delicate–looking Zinnia standing under the big tree, then at the handsome Yannis, and couldn’t help feeling a little envious.
He mistook them for a couple and suddenly felt sorry for himself being single.
“Do you two want to stand a little closer?” the guy asked as he raised the phone, noticing there was still a small gap between them–about two fists apart.
Judging by how well they seemed to get along, he didn’t understand why they were standing so far apart.
Zinnia looked down at the space between them. It didn’t seem that far. Before she could say anything, Yannis stepped closer. Her hand, resting at her side, brushed against the warmth of his.
“Perfect,” the guy said. “And hey, the girl–give us a smile. Your boyfriend’s really handsome. Shouldn’t you be smiling more, walking around with such a good–looking guy?”
He was quite the chatterbox, trying to lighten the mood as he pointed toward Yannis. He thought they made such a striking pair–he’d never seen a couple that looked this good together.
And Yannis hadn’t taken his eyes off Zinnia the entire time. His gaze was impossibly tender, like she was his entire world.
It was noisy all around, and with the distance between them, Zinnia could only vaguely hear the photographer asking her to smile. Then she saw him pointing toward Yannis and nodded to show she understood.
She tilted her head up and gave Yannis a bright smile. Yannis had just opened his mouth to say something when he was caught off guard by her radiant grin. He couldn’t help but smile, too.
The photographer was quick and caught that moment perfectly.
He was a photography student, and the shot came out beautifully. There were plenty of people walking by in the background, but Zinnia and Yannis–so striking in appearance–became the clear focus of the frame.
Snow fell gently over them. In the middle of a bustling world, they only had eyes for each other.
“All done,” the guy said after taking a whole series of rapid shots, finally stopping with some reluctance. Yannis and Zinnia were just too photogenic– there was no need for editing at all.
As he spoke, he walked back toward them. Yannis stepped forward and took the phone, his eyes pausing on the screen. A genuine smile lit up his face.
The guy had pretty decent photography skills. And with two subjects who already looked great, it was impossible for the photos to cor but good.
nything
“Man, you’re lucky to have such a beautiful girlfriend.” the guy smiled as he handed the phone to Yannis. “Girls like that aren’t easy to find these days
Chapter 262
You’d better treat her right–don’t let her slip away. Wishing you two all the best.”
Vannis’s brows lifted a little in amusement, clearly pleased by the comment. But he felt the need to clear up the misunderstanding it wollen a Zinnia otherwise. “She’s not my girlfriend. She’s my friend’s little sister.”
“Oh–got it. Sorry, my bad,” the guy said, face flushing red with embarrassment. “It’s just… the way you two were looking at each other, I totally thought you were-”
Yannis looked young, like someone who’d just graduated from college. And Zinnia, after getting her makeup done that afternoon by Maisie and the others, looked mature and stunning. They seemed like they were the same age–it wasn’t surprising the guy had made that mistake.
“It’s fine. Actually, you’re not totally wrong,” Yannis said with a glance toward Zinnia, who was waiting patiently behind him. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes. “I just haven’t started chasing her yet.”
They weren’t a couple now–but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be in the future.
“Then best of luck, man. She’s really gorgeous–you’re probably gonna have a lot of competition,” the guy said, catching the affection in Yannis’s expression and grinning.
“Thanks,” Yannis replied. The whole exchange took only a few seconds.
Zinnia saw Yannis walking back with a happy smile and couldn’t help but ask, “What were you two talking about?”
“He took great photos. Look.” Yannis showed her the phone.
“Wow, his photo skills are amazing. I look so good in these,” Zinnia said excitedly. “Send them all to me. And the ones you took earlier too. I want all of
them.”
She was so thrilled by how good she looked in the pictures that she took Yannis’s phone and started sending them to herself.
Yannis stood beside her, watching her operate his phone. When he realized she was only complimenting herself and not him, he asked with mock sadness, “Aren’t I good–looking too?”
Busy picking her favorite pictures, Zinnia replied offhandedly, “You are. You’re the best–looking.”
Yannis let out a laugh. They always said girls couldn’t focus on anything else when choosing photos–now he believed it.
Once Zinnia was done, Yannis stayed by her side.
“I’m done picking. Let’s go,” Zinnia said.
She shoved the phone into Yannis’s pocket. Every photo looked great, so she kept them all. They had gone shopping, eaten chili con carne, and taken tons of pictures. It was already past nine.
Zinnia was starting to get sleepy. Finals were just over a month away, and she’d been studying hard with barely any rest. Today was a rare break–her teacher had let them off early, so she got to enjoy a relaxed afternoon.
“Let’s go home,” Yannis said, noticing how tired she looked.
“Okay.” Zinnia yawned.
But suddenly, she stopped and looked in a certain direction.
Yannis followed her gaze and saw a bunch of colorful balloons floating in the air not far away, “Do you want one?”
“I like that sunflower balloon. But it’s too far, Never mind, I don’t need it.” Zinnia sighed as she stared at the bright su want it, but the stand was about 500 yards away.
r–shaped balloon. She did
“Let’s go get it before we head home,” Yannis said, pulling her along toward the balloon vendor. She never liked walking when she was sleepy–someone
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Chapter 262
had to guide her.
“Thank you,” Zinnia said softly, letting him lead her. With someone holding her hand, she could just relax and follow.
AD
