'What the hell did I do wrong that he had to look at me in that way?' Lina's brows were furrowed as she walked into the hallway that Reuben had just entered.

She looked around but found no one there so she strode further ahead because she was sure that he had taken off in this direction.

'Right or left?' She looked at the path that got divided into two and chose the right side.

Turning around the corner, she found him leaning against the wall, next to an open window.

The place he was at was a designated smoking area that still reeked with the after smell of cigarettes.

Lina visibly grimaced when she caught a whiff of the smell in the air.

Hearing some noise, Reuben turned in its direction and frowned when he noticed the person who had interrupted his thoughts was none other than his kitten.

"Why are you here?" His eyes narrowed when he saw that she had followed him all the way here.

Looking at his surroundings and then back at Lina, he strode forward and grabbing her elbow he led her away from that place.

'Is he going to kick me out just because I followed him here?' Lina's eyes widened when she thought of his intentions for dragging her away.

"Hey! Let go! I can be anywhere I want!" She scowled at him and struggled to free her arm which was secured in his grasp.

Wordlessly, Reuben ushered her to the opposite side of the passage which had a small balcony attached to it.

Letting go of her hand after reaching this new place, he took a few steps away from her and leaned against the wall once again.

"It smells bad there. You can stay here… if you want to." He suggested and then gazed at the stars.

The anger in Lina's heart when he was hauling her away from there vanished when she heard his reason for doing so.

"You did that because you thought the stench of cigarettes would harm me?" She blinked while tilting her head to the side, an old habit of hers that resurfaced whenever something confused her.

Reuben did not look back at her but only made a 'hmm' sound in response.

'Why is he so sweet today?' She recalled all the strange yet sweet things he had done tonight.

Especially the kiss on her head which had come as a surprise to her but she couldn't express it thanks to the spectator for whom they had put up that entire act.

'But that's not important right now!' She shook off the tingly sensation in her heart and gazed at Reuben's face.

Reuben could feel her intense stare but he decided not to turn towards her.

"Ruby…" She called out to him but was ignored once again.

Noticing his stubborn actions, Lina rolled her eyes and then took a step forward to stand right in front of him.

Her move blocked the view which he had been looking at and this successfully brought his attention towards her.

Reuben looked down at her face and silently waited for her to speak first.

"Can you tell me why you left in such a hurry?" She asked while staring right into his eyes without blinking.

Reuben's eyes focussed on the golden flecks in her eyes and this seemed to have calmed him down a little.

"To be honest, I don't know why I had to leave." He shrugged in a nonchalant way.

Looking back at the night's sky, Reuben spoke what was in his mind without any hesitation.

"At that time, I felt as though you had betrayed me somehow." He chuckled when those words left his mouth and then glanced at Lina through the corner of his eyes.

"I know, it's stupid to think that way since we've just become friends and we aren't even that close." He frowned when he remembered how Louis had reacted when she had revealed her sickness.

'I am not Kitten's only friend. Louis Huo knows more about her than I do.' He grimaced at this thought because technically he knew her from when he was 17 while she had just met Louis a few years ago.

Yet Louis was closer to her and even knew about her serious medical condition.

"Ruby, you are my closest friend in this country." Her sweet voice made him turn towards her.

Lina smiled at him and she too leaned on the wall right next to him.

"I did not want to tell you about my illness because I already have a mountain load of people treating me as though I was some fragile vase that would shatter any second." She scoffed at her own self and looked at the clear dark sky.

Reuben was watching her every move and he noticed the sullen expression on her face.

"It's fun to be pampered but not coddled and this trip to the hospital has done just that!" Her voice raised just a decibel which was proof of the annoyance she felt with her family members.

"And that is the reason I did not mention anything about it to you. It was fun when you treated me as just another girl and not like Lina Yang." She chuckled thinking of their earlier bickering interactions before they actually became friends.

"But it looks like I messed that up, huh?" She muttered in a low voice and smiled bitterly.

Reuben immediately turned his head away when he saw her looking up at him.

'He's still not willing to look at me.' Lina bit her lower lip and sighed before turning away.

Reuben glanced her way and his eyes widened when he saw that she really was about to leave.

Taking a step forward, he raised his hand and turned her to face him.

Lina's body swirled around and she once again ended up in his arms.

Reuben's one palm rested on her hip while the other caressed her cheek.

She looked into his eyes and for a second she forgot to breathe because of the lack of space between them.

"Kitten, I too have hidden things from you so I have no right to blame you for doing the same." His face was dangerously close to hers as he whispered those words.

"I just hope that someday we can be comfortable enough to share our secrets with each other." He smiled as he looked down at her.

This sentence was also to give himself the courage in case he ever decided to speak to her about their forgotten past.

The words he spoke nor the meaning hidden in them reached Lina's ears because her mind had blanked from the moment he had pulled her close.

Lina gulped when her eyes darted towards his lips, just a few inches away from hers.

The improper thoughts from earlier that she had made sure to bury deep inside were starting to crawl their way back into her mind.

'What am I thinking about again!?' She chided herself but couldn't stop herself from looking.

'Where is she looking at?' He noticed her dazed look and his attention also shifted to her soft lips.

Both Reuben's and Lina's eyes constantly shifted between their eyes and their lips.

'I want to kiss her!'

'I want to kiss him!'

They both had the exact same thought in their minds but none of them was willing to make that first move in fear of ruining what little friendship they had.

Stuck in that position for a few moments now, Reuben's body moved on its own as he leaned a little further.

An inch closer and another to go.

Lina closed her eyes in anticipation as she waited for her very first kiss in 22 years of her boring loveless life.

"Baby, you're so naughty!"

Reuben's lips which were a hair's breadth away from Lina's stopped when he heard this voice.

Lina's eyes opened wide when she felt Reuben step away from her and she instantly put her head down.

Her face felt hot and she knew how embarrassingly red her cheeks must be right now.

'What was I expecting for him to do!?' She mocked herself and bit her lips.

"You just had to pull me here, didn't you? We couldn't wait until we reached the hotel room?" A man's lustful voice was heard behind them.

Lina was about to turn her head in the direction of the voice to see who it was when Reuben held her head in place and turned them around.

With her face buried in his chest, she could see nothing and all she could feel was the rapid beating of his heart.

'Was Ruby just as nervous as me?' This thought made her heart race faster.

But her attention was once again diverted by the couple who seemed to be in a hurry to do something in a place where they weren't supposed to do it.

They could hear the giggles of the woman and then sounds of wet sloppy kisses coming from a few feet away from them.

Lina's eyes widened when she heard the sound of a zip being lowered and she knew what was about to happen next.

'I want to see!' Her eyes sparkled when her curiosity was piqued.

She tried to move her head to peep at the couple who did not seem to fear being discovered in a compromising situation.

'I want to kill this bastard who spoiled our moment and is enjoying himself!' Reuben's eyes narrowed and he held the curious kitten tighter in his arms when he felt her squirming around.

"Ruby!" Lina whined in a soft voice when she was constantly stopped from watching the live show.

"Who's there!?" The woman's surprised voice made both Reuben and Lina freeze in their positions.

Reuben glared down at her for exposing their presence but his eyes fixed on the alluring face that she had right now.

Her cheeks flushed red and her eyes slightly teary from their earlier interruption.

Reuben raised his hand and rubbed his thumb over the bite mark on her lower lip.

Instinctively, Lina's lips parted slightly and this made his thumb press down on it as he dragged it down just a little before letting it go.

Determined at finishing what they started earlier, Reuben once again bowed his head to shorten the distance between their lips.