leonardwarren Chapter 476 Secret Folders
Chapter 476 Secret Folders
as we sat there together, the world outside seemed to blur into a gentle haze, leaving just the two of us wrapped in our little bubble of comfort. nina's fingers intertwined with mine, her touch light and playful. she traced the lines of my palm with her fingertips, her gaze drifting downwards, a soft smile playing on her lips.
"your hands are so big." she murmured, turning my hand this way and that as if inspecting a rare artifact. "mine look so delicate compared to yours." she wrinkled her nose, giving my fingers a tiny squeeze. "it's like holding a bear paw."
i chuckled, letting her play with my hand while my other one idly scrolled through our chat conversation on my phone.
the screen flickered with messages, a chaotic mixture of emojis, half-written words, and, of course, her utterly baffling encrypted messages. as i scrolled further, a grin tugged at the corners of my mouth, and a soft laugh escaped before i could stop it.
"what are you laughing at, kafka?...it better not be about me." nina's eyes flicked up, suspicious.
i tilted the screen towards her, the light reflecting off my amused expression.
"i'm looking at our chat log, nina. and, honestly, how do you expect anyone to understand this?" i tapped one message. " 'whr u? bsy w wrk. il cl u ltr?'...that's not a text—that's a riddle."
"i'm not that bad!...i-i was typing with one hand at that time, so it ended up that way." she gasped, cheeks puffing out in an indignant pout.
"oh, you most definitely are that bad, nina." i teased, scrolling down. "here's another classic: 'yup ????????????♀️????.' i'm still trying to figure out if that meant 'yes' or if you were just having an emoji breakdown."
experience new stories on empire
she let out a dramatic groan, burying her face in her free hand. "stop bullying me!" she whined, her voice muffled. "you're such a jerk, even though you know i'm an amateur at this stuff and that i'm doing my best!"
"but you make it so easy, and your reactions are just the cherry on the top." i grinned and leaned in, my voice dropping to a gentle murmur.
"hmph! if i didn't like you so much, i'd seriously reconsider this whole thing." she said as she gave my hand a light pinch, her lips forming a sulky pout.
i laughed softly, squeezing her hand in return.
"okay, okay, i'll stop." i said and then continued to ask something on my mind, "but nina...it seems like even though you aren't the most fond of texting, you really like to send me pictures, seeing as you don't just send one or two in a day but dozens."
her eyes widened in shock when she heard me calling her out.
"what? i do not!" she leaned forward, trying to peek at my screen, her face scrunched in disbelief.
"you totally do, nina." i said, still scrolling. i held the phone out for her to see. "look at this...here's one of a cup of coffee. and here's one of your desk. oh, and look—your lunch, your shoes, the sky, some random cat on the street..." i kept flicking through. "you even sent me a picture of a half-eaten sandwich once."
"i don't even remember sending half of these!" her jaw dropped, her eyes darting between the screen and me.
"well, you did." i chuckled, scrolling through the endless parade of pictures. "it's like you have this compulsion to share every little thing with me."
she bit her lip, her cheeks flushed a soft pink. her gaze dropped to her lap, fingers twisting a loose thread on her sleeve.
"it's not like i plan to send you so many pictures, kafka." she finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "it's just that whenever i see something amusing or funny, or even something i did, i want you to see it, too." she peeked up at me through her lashes, the vulnerability in her eyes tugging at my heart. "but that's probably annoying for you, huh?" her lips quivered into a small pout. "i should probably stop sending you photos on a whim, shouldn't i?"
her question, filled with such quiet hesitation, punched me straight in the chest. i grabbed her hand immediately, shaking my head with a vehement grin as i said in a hurry,
"stop? are you kidding me?...those silly pictures make my whole day, and i literally cannot live without them anymore!"
her eyes widened, the pink in her cheeks deepening.
"i mean it." i insisted. "no matter what mood i'm in—whether i'm exhausted, annoyed, or just having one of those days, when i hear your notification sound, i get this stupid smile on my face." i laughed softly, my thumb brushing over her knuckles. "because i know it's going to be something hilarious, ridiculous, or just so you...and that makes everything better."
she let out a gasp, her flustered protests muffled against my chest. my other hand held the phone firmly, scrolling through the screen.
"kafka, seriously! you can't!" she whined, her face burning as she squirmed in my grip. her small hands pawed helplessly at my arm, but with my strength, she had no hope of breaking free. "let me go! you're cheating!"
i grinned, tightening my hold slightly, keeping her pinned to my side. "you think i'm the cheater? then what are you hiding, hmm?" i teased, my voice low and mischievous.
"you're gonna regret this!" she let out a tiny whimper, her face buried against my shoulder now, making her voice muffled.
ignoring her half-hearted threats, i finally found the album and squinted at the name. and there it was, glowing on the screen:
'my sweet and handsome dummy.'
i blinked, and then my grin stretched impossibly wide.
"my sweet and handsome dummy?" i repeated, my voice laced with delight.
nina let out a pitiful groan, her hands covering her face.
"don't say it out loud!" she pleaded, her voice tiny.
i couldn't help but laugh, a deep, warm sound that made her squirm even more.
"you're really calling me a dummy?" i teased, nuzzling the top of her head. "when you're the one who spent years resisting a smartphone just to end up making an entire secret shrine to me?"
her shoulders trembled, and she peeked up at me, eyes shimmering with embarrassment and reluctant affection. "it's not a shrine, kafka." she mumbled, her voice barely audible. "it's just...just a bunch of pictures that made me really, really happy, okay?"
she took a shaky breath, her cheeks now a deep crimson as she decided to go all out with her thoughts now that she was exposed.
"but seriously...can you blame me?" she added, her voice flustered. "you send so many photos where you look so freaking handsome all the time, so what else am i supposed to do but save it all!"
"...how is anyone supposed to resist making a folder dedicated to that?" her hands flew up to cover her face, and she groaned as if the weight of her confession was too much to bear.
i blinked, completely caught off guard.
"handsome? wait, when did i send anything like that?" i scratched my head, genuinely puzzled. "i'm pretty sure i just send pictures of whatever i'm doing. like the one where i was fixing the car...or the time i was stuck in that boring neighbourhood meeting with my mother...or when i was waiting for my coffee."
she peeked out from behind her hands, nodding quickly.
"you did! but that's exactly it!" she exclaimed like she was trying to prove her point. "even in those random pictures, you're in them. unlike me, who just sends photos of random things like a cute dog or some weird sign, you're always in your own shots!"
"is that a problem?" i frowned, still not getting it.
"should i stop including myself in the pictures?...is my face that annoying to look at?" i teased, though a hint of genuine curiosity lingered in my voice.
her eyes went wide in panic, and she shook her head so violently it looked like it might fly off.
"no, no, no, kafka! it's the exact opposite!" she practically shouted, clutching my shirt in her fists. she then continued saying, while her face was blazing but her eyes were filled with sincerity, "every time you send a picture with you in it, i can't help but blush! you always look so good, like stupidly good!"
"...even when it's just you sitting in a chair, you look like you're in the middle of some professional photoshoot! how do you even do that?"
she covered her face again, peeking through her fingers with a flustered look in her eyes for admitting so many embarrassing secrets...