70: Chapter 62 Lovers' If-Behind-the-Scenes

Kaiwen understood Kiana's thoughts.

Starting from the second day when Kiana leaned on her shoulder, from the third day when Kiana hugged her from behind, to this morning when Kiana grabbed her wrist and gazed at her with that bitter and unwilling look.

She knew it all.

Kallen was right.

That was not familial love.

But Kaiwen had no way to respond.

She was not Kiana's family.

Kiana regarded her as family, as a clone with the exact same experiences.

That girl who had wandered the streets for over a decade and never trusted anyone had staked all her trust and reliance on those six words: "Kaiwen is my family."

But Kaiwen knew very well that she was not a clone who had escaped from Otto's laboratory.

If one day Kiana found out about this, knowing that the "family" she was risking her life to protect actually had nothing to do with her.

How would she react?

Would she feel deceived?

Would she be angry?

Would she leave?

Kaiwen did not dare to think about it.

So every time Kiana leaned closer, she neither pushed her away nor leaned in response.

Every time Kiana looked at her with that bitter gaze, she pretended not to see it.

Every time Kallen said "That is love" in her mind, she chose not to respond.

It was not because she didn't care.

It was because she cared too much.

Not only was Kiana afraid of losing her, but she was also afraid of losing Kiana.

...

After applying simple disguises, the two of them went out.

Kiana walked in front, taking slow steps, occasionally turning back to check if Kaiwen was keeping up.

Kaiwen followed behind, looking at Kiana's back, feeling very calm inside, but underneath that calmness lay an indescribable heaviness.

After walking for about twenty minutes, Kiana turned into an unpaved dirt path.

This path was narrow and remote, with overgrown, unattended bushes on both sides.

"How did you know about this place?"

"I passed by it when I went out shopping a couple of days ago."

How would shopping lead one to pass by a place like this?

At the end of the road was a lake.

The surface of the lake wasn't large, but it felt expansive.

The afternoon sunlight shone obliquely across, and a layer of shattered golden light floated on the water's surface.

The surroundings were covered with weeds and unknown little flowers, and a few crooked old trees cast long, stretched shadows.

There was no one else around.

The wind blew across the lake, carrying the scent of aquatic plants.

Kiana sat down on the grassy slope, looked up at the sky for a moment, and then patted the grass beside her.

Kaiwen sat down next to her.

After a long while, Kiana suddenly leaned back, lying flat on the grass.

She looked up at the sky with her hands resting behind her head.

Then she turned her head and glanced at Kaiwen.

"Lie down too."

It was a statement.

Kaiwen glanced at her, slightly puzzled by what she was trying to do, but still lay down.

The grass was a bit prickly, but it felt very warm after being baked by the sun.

The two of them lay side by side, with a distance of about a fist between them.

Kiana's hand came down from the back of her head.

It rested on the grass between them.

Kaiwen could feel Kiana's fingers inching closer to her own hand through the grass bit by bit.

Kiana didn't hook her fingers, but simply pressed her palm against the ground.

Palm facing upward, opened wide, resting right beside the back of Kaiwen's hand.

It looked like she was waiting for something.

Kaiwen turned her head to look at Kiana.

But Kiana wasn't looking at her.

Her eyes were fixed on the sky, but Kaiwen noticed that the line of her jaw was taut, as if she were nervous about something.

Kaiwen looked at that open palm.

If she held it, it could no longer be explained away as an "accidental touch."

She wanted to hold it.

But deep in her mind, a voice was saying —— You have no qualification; your contact with her has been fake from the very beginning. What qualification do you have to hold her hand again?

"Kaiwen."

Kallen's voice was very soft.

"You are afraid."

Kaiwen did not answer.

She looked at Kiana's open palm for a long time.

Then she gently placed her own hand onto it.

Kiana's fingers instantly tightened, gripping Kaiwen's hand firmly.

Her palms were full of sweat, which honestly felt quite uncomfortable.

But she still didn't turn her head to look at Kaiwen.

The two of them lay hand in hand like that on the grass by the lake, looking up at the sky above.

Neither of them spoke...

The light slowly dimmed, and the surface of the lake gradually turned from shattered gold into dark red.

Kiana finally spoke.

"Kaiwen."

"Hmm?"

"...Can we be... friends for a lifetime?"

When she said the word 'friends', she gripped Kaiwen's hand even tighter.

Hearing this question, an indescribable bitterness suddenly welled up in Kaiwen's heart.

She could hear it.

What Kiana wanted to ask wasn't about being friends, but she only dared to ask for friendship.

If they were just friends...

"No problem."

Kaiwen said it as if it were only natural.

Kiana withdrew her hand.

Then she turned over, facing away from Kaiwen, and buried her face in her arms.

Her shoulders were trembling.

Very slightly.

If Kaiwen hadn't been watching her the whole time, she wouldn't have noticed at all.

Kaiwen turned to her side and gently stroked Kiana's back.

She didn't know what else to say either.

Kallen stood quietly inside the Stigma Space, watching the scene reflected in the water mirror.

One white-haired girl trembling with her face buried in her arms, and another white-haired girl gently stroking her back from behind.

...

When they returned to the small apartment, it was already completely dark outside.

Kiana came out after taking a shower, her hair still wet.

Kaiwen grabbed a blanket and handed it to Kiana, then sat down on the sofa to continue watching TV.

The TV was playing an old romance movie.

Kiana sat at the other end of the sofa for a moment.

Then she scooted over.

Scooting closer and closer.

Finally, she collapsed sideways, resting her head on Kaiwen's lap.

Kaiwen looked down at her.

"Aren't you going to sleep in bed?"

Kiana did not answer.

With her eyes closed, she curled up in the blanket, pressing her face against Kaiwen's leg.

Kaiwen looked at the damp white head on her knees and softly sighed.

She picked up the remote and turned down the TV volume by another two notches.

Then she lowered her hand and gently stroked Kiana's hair.

Kiana's breathing grew more and more steady.

Then her lips moved slightly.

Very softly. It was as if she were talking to someone in a dream.

"Kaiwen..."

Kaiwen lowered her head.

"...I love you."

Kaiwen's hand, which was stroking her hair, stopped mid-air.

She looked at Kiana's face.

Kiana's breathing was even, the corners of her mouth slightly curved upwards, as if she were having a very sweet dream.

She had fallen asleep.

The living room remained quiet for a long time.

The light from the TV shone on Kaiwen's face.

She lowered her head, her lips almost touching Kiana's forehead.

Her voice was so soft that only she could hear it.

"I like you too."

After saying that, she froze herself.

Even she herself couldn't explain what this sentence really meant.

Was it the fondness of family?

Or something else entirely?

The light from the TV continued to flicker in the room.

And Kiana slept deeply, as if she hadn't heard anything at all.