"Thank you for your hard work! Tonight, you'll get to try my cooking."
Nathaniel instinctively grabbed Kristen's wrist, staring at her intently.
Kristen felt a bit uneasy, and her cheeks turned pink.
She pulled her hand away, shyly turning her head and lifting the hem of her dress before running off.
Watching her retreating figure, Nathaniel smiled as he followed her.
Under the guise of gratitude for saving his life, Kristen's every approach seemed reasonable.
At dinner, Kristen prepared a table full of delicious dishes.
Being in a fishing village, most of the dishes were different preparations of fish.
Looking at the feast, Nathaniel remembered Kristen mentioning that she lived with her grandmother.
However, he had not seen any elderly woman around in the past few days, and his curiosity got the better of him.
"Kristen, doesn't your grandma live here?"
Kristen was preparing Nathaniel's plate and was caught off guard by his question.
Nonetheless, she quickly composed herself and replied, "The villagers often fall ill. If my grandma can't cure them, she stays with them until they recover. Why? Do you want to meet her?"
Kristen smiled sweetly, letting her hair brush against his cheek as she served him.
"I was just curious since I haven't seen her."
Kristen changed the subject, "How do you find my cooking? What kind of girl do you think I am?"
Nathaniel answered with a smile, "You're innocent, straight out of a fairytale."
Kristen giggled, pleased with the compliment.
"You're such a sweet-talker. But you've been here for a while now. Won't your family be worried? What do you do for a living?"
Nathaniel patiently replied to Kristen's casual probing.
However, those unaware that it was the village's traditional attire might mistake them for wearing matching outfits, like most lovebirds would.
They played and splashed water at each other, running along the shore like a love-struck couple.
After exhausting themselves from all the fun, they immediately collapsed onto the sand, panting heavily.
Despite the tiredness, they were happy.
Nathaniel glanced at the girl beside him.
She was breathing heavily, and her wet hair clung to her face.
The sight of her in that state sparked an inexplicable feeling within him.
Out of the blue, he asked, "Kristen, have you ever thought about being in a relationship?"
Kristen bit her lip, pondering. "A relationship? I do envy Patty from our village. She and her boyfriend are very happy together. But I haven't really thought about it for myself."
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