True Fated Marriage (Grace and Heinz)
Chapter 1471

Liam and Maria took the cable cars down the mountain together. The cable car could fit six to eight people. Liam, however, was liberal with his money and paid for an entire cable car just for the two of them.

When the cable car started moving, Liam reached out to hold her, but Maria stopped him. "Don't move."

Confused, he raised his eyebrows.

Maria lowered her voice and whispered, "There are cameras."

Liam spared a glance. A crease appeared between his eyebrows, but he could only withdraw his hand unwillingly.

Maria smiled cutely.

Just like that, the two of them sat facing each other. Liam had an air of gentleness to him that made him appear amicable, and near impossible to ignore.

He looked at the blushing woman in front of him and thought of getting her home. If they were out and about for the whole day, her body would be aching all over.

"Should we wait for them after we get off?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. There was a cunning foxy light in his eyes.

"Didn't you say you were going home?" Maria was puzzled and looked at him with suspicion.

Hearing Maria's question, the corners of Liam's lips deepened as his smile widened. "What can we do once we get home?"

Maria realized she fell for his trap and blushed.

He did that on purpose.

"I'm going home," Maria said in retaliation, "I'll go home and rest. I'm indeed a little tired."

Hearing that, Liam knew that the little lady in front of him was miffed, but she wasn't mad. He said, "That would mean once I'm home I'll be all alone." Maria's heart squeezed.

"I'll have no one to have meals with, no one to watch a movie with, or even someone to chat with. I'll be so lonely," he said with feigned pity.

Maria couldn't bear hearing him say that. She raised her eyes and looked at him. She didn't expect him to put his soft side on full display, deliberately showing her his vulnerability to make her pity him. She once thought of him as an aloof and intimidating person, but as he had become her boyfriend then, her perception of him was changed completely.

"It doesn't even feel like you're my girlfriend," he said as he pouted at her.

"If you wanted me to go home with you, why didn't you just tell me straight?" She asked directly in response.

Liam raised his eyebrows and said, "I wanted to, but I was afraid you would suspect me of coveting your body, so I held myself back and didn't say it."

She blushed even deeper and turned to look out the windows, but the tall mountains and deep valleys was making her feeling a little dizzy.

Liam narrowed his eyes and held her hand. He whispered softly, "Are you scared?"

Naturally, she felt scared when she looked at the view below whilst the cable car glided along the wires.

She took a deep breath and nodded awkwardly. "I'm fine."

Liam held Maria's hand. "Don't be afraid. We'll be down the mountain soon."

"Okay." She closed her eyes, but as she looked at the view outside from such a height, she could still feel her heart pulsing. Her hand unconsciously reached out to Liam's on its own. Seeing Maria clutching his hands, Liam reacted with a collected smile and said, "So, will you come home with me later?"

"You!" Maria didn't expect him to bring it up again.

"What about me?" Liam asked with a smile.

"Nothing." Maria shook her head, a little annoyed. "You're teasing me on purpose knowing that I can't refuse you. Do you enjoy seeing me blush?"

"I do enjoy it." He admitted with a smile.

Perhaps it was because there was only the two of them in the cable car, they felt like they could be a little reckless. At the very least, even if they got their picture taken, the cameras wouldn't be able to record their conversation.

Hearing what he said, Maria could only look at him, her gaze looked like she was loved, and her demeanor completely transparent.

Liam said lightly, "It's nice to look at. Your cheeks turn as red as a peach, it's satisfying."

Maria's heart pounded after hearing his words. She could only grasp his hand tighter as her palms began to sweat.

Liam's smile deepened as he witnessed her helplessness.

Maria felt that she just couldn't resist Liam's charms at all. Just a simple look from him could make her heart flutter.

His gaze captured her like a net, effortlessly reeling her in, and she was unable to escape.

She suddenly felt like her decision she made earlier to pursue a postgraduate degree in England was a terrible idea. She shouldn't have agreed to stay there for three more years.

There could be such big changes in the span of three years.

She had no way of knowing how the future would unfold.

The uncertainties of love were really unpredictable.

All in all, she was just like any other ordinary girl, someone who would feel unsure and insecure because of love.

When you didn't have it, you were eager to have it, and when you finally go it, you were terrified of letting it slip through your fingers. How contradictory!

The cable car soon arrived at the foot of the mountain. Liam said softly, "We've reached the end of the rail. We're about to get off."

"Was the ride that fast?" Maria instinctively looked outside.

As if on cue, they arrived at the terminal.

She immediately loosened her grip on Liam's hand. Her palms were still sweaty, and she didn't even dare look at him.

As she stood on the steps of the mountain trail, Maria took a deep breath and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Liam happened to turn his head to look at her as she did that. There was only one way he could describe the charm in her actions. She was just breathtakingly captivating.

All it took was for her to tuck a strand of hair for him to be completely mesmerized.

He stared at her for a while as his gaze deepened, then said in a hoarse voice, "Let's find somewhere to eat before heading home."

"Let's go home and eat," she said. "There are still quite a lot of food leftover from what my mom prepared. If you're hungry, you can have some first. It might not do you any good if we're caught dining together out in the public."

Stunned, he grinned and said, "Eager to go back, aren't you?"

Maria's heart jolted. She glared at him and said, "Why are you like this?"

Liam smiled without saying a word. He stood beside her and plastered a charming smile in a laid-back manner, but Maria sensed the hidden dangers behind it.

Sure enough, right when Maria stepped foot into his apartment, she was grabbed by Liam, his hat and glasses discarded, before she even had time to change her shoes. In that moment, she was caught off guard. He pressed lips onto hers and took Maria's breath away in an instant.

"Don't," Maria whispered in a panic. "I'm drenched in sweat."

Hiking the mountain made her sweat buckets, and all she wanted to do was to take a shower.

Liam stared blankly at her. He lowered his head to look at Maria, and his breath became heavier. He whispered, "Should we shower together?"

"No." Maria felt embarrassed just by the thought of it.

"Then, I am not waiting any longer." He pressed his forehead against Maria's, and he pleaded with a beg, "Can we shower together, please? Aren't you tired? I'll help with washing you."

"No." Maria's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, not daring to look at Liam in the eyes.

It was all because of his deep gaze. It drew her in with ease.

"Are you sure you don't want to?" He coaxed in a low voice. "Didn't you say that you can't refuse me? Why are you refusing me now?"

He used her own words against her, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She looked up at him with a blushing face and said, "Let me take off my shoes first."

He looked down at her. "So, are you saying yes?"

She didn't respond, but her bashfulness was so obvious it struck him straight in the heart.

He squatted down and helped her to change her shoes.

Maria's heart tightened in her chest. She lowered her head to look at the crown of his hair and she was left stunned.

The way a man showed affection was through their small gestures. Liam took off her shoes without fuss, and helped her change into indoor slippers.

He took Maria's foot into his big hands and slipped the the indoor slipper on. All she could feel was the warm sensation on her foot as he held it.

After changing her shoes, he lifted her up and went straight for the bathroom before she could even calm her frantic heart.

Maria was frenzied, and she didn't know where to place her hands.

He started running the water, and after testing the temperature of the shower, he pulled her into an embrace and they showered together

Maria didn't dare to face him.

Liam whispered, "Be a good girl and look at me."

Maria was compelled to look into his eyes, and in an instant, she saw a blaze in his eyes which was as dark as ink. She was addicted to its glistening shine.

She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered into his ear, "Could you not rush it? I'm a little scared."

"I don't think I'll be able to wait, Maria," He whispered back. "I just want it, faster."

Facing his girl, he reverted to being a simple-minded boy with all rationality thrown out the window. In his own territory especially, he tended to be a little more reckless. Not holding himself back, Maria stayed in the shower with him for more than an hour. When they came out of the shower, she couldn't even open her eyes.

She was carried out of the bathroom. When she heard the rumbling of a hairdryer, only then did she make out that Liam was blow drying her hair for her. She didn't feel like moving at all and could only mutter, "I want to sleep." "It's all right, go to sleep." Liam smiled and continued to blow her hair. By the time he put away the hairdryer, Maria had already fallen asleep.

He lay down as well, cuddled her, and took a nap with her.

Maria was asleep in his arms, perfectly still, and as quiet as a kitten. In that moment, Liam's heart was filled to the brim with contentment.

He took out his cell phone and sent a text message to Ernest. "I brought Maria back home first. I'll leave the rest to you."

When Ernest received the text message, he stared at it for quite a while. Then, he finally replied. "Sure, you don't have to worry about us."

Leah peeked at Ernest's text messages and asked, "I wonder where Maria and Liam are right now. Did they head back?"

"They went home already," Ernest looked at her and said. "Let's go. Since it's just the three of us, let's find a place to eat once we get off the mountain."

"Did they actually leave?" Leah was very shocked. Then, she sighed and said, "Expectedly, all couples in love always cling on to each other, and never want to be disturbed. Unlike us three singletons, we don't even know how to pass time."

Ernest looked at Leah's envious expression and said, "You can be in a relationship too."

"Me?" Leah shook her head. "I don't like ordinary men, and the men that I like might not like me. So, I'm just stuck in between. Anyway, I'm not in a hurry."

"Who have you liked before?" Adrian interrupted with a question.

Leah cocked her head and thought for a moment. "I'm not a gullible girl, you're not getting a word from me."

"Ernest, don't you want to know who she has in her heart?" Adrian looked at Ernest.

Ernest's smile was as gentle as ever, but he remained quiet.

"Your silence would mean that you would like to know too," Adrian said with a smile.

Leah glanced at Ernest and looked away. "I told you, you're not getting anything out of me."