Tiana soon got a bit used to riding pillion, but for some reason, she didn't feel like letting go of her arms around Dorian's waist. She felt an absolute sense of comfort and safety by holding his waist though she couldn't understand why she was feeling so.
On the way, Viktor also explained to her the reason for his abnormal CS:UW skills, and Tiana considered him to be some kind of prodigy, just like how there were kids who could come solve Ph.D. level maths at a young age.
??
So, she couldn't help but nudge him to become a professional gamer just like her since she felt that it could literally break records and become world-famous. Viktor evasively said to her that he would think about it and that he had to find his own team first as well.
"Now that we got that taken care of, we don't have to worry about mom finding out about your new bike, hehe. I wonder how mad she would be if she finds out we extorted this bike from those idiots," Tiana couldn't help but giggle, remembering John's indignant and helpless expression when he gave away his bike.
She then looked at Dorian as she began to walk towards the parking lot gate with Dorian, "Still, Goodboi, you are too kind. We could have humiliated the hell out of them and seen how they would have reacted. I bet it would be the funniest sight of the year."
Viktor coughed and said, "Well, we did actually make John apologize to us before everyone else, and I doubt he would try to cause trouble with us again. And if we push them too much, it could reflect badly on us. I wanted the Wildcats team to gain more recognition, especially since you are aiming to become an international player. If you and your team have a good reputation, it could really help."
Tiana glanced at him, feeling glad that he did it to look out for her and her team. She then asked doubtfully, "Why are you so nice to me? The only times people are nice to me are only when they need something from me or some other ulterior motive."
Viktor raised his brows, not expecting someone of her age to be perceptive about things like these, and thought that she must have had some experience before that made her think about these things.
Viktor looked at her light blue eyes and said in a straightforward tone, "It's because after losing my family, I really didn't have anyone to talk to nor any friends of my age since they would just avoid me. And after coming here, I was happy to know that I had a cousin of my age. Most of all, you never avoided me but were kind enough to bring me out and help me buy clothes and teach me to book a cab and play games. I have never felt so happy and had fun like this in a long time."
Tiana felt flustered hearing his words and glanced away as she stammered, "Y-You misunderstand. I was not being...kind. I only took you out because mom forced me to and taught you things so that you wouldn't bug me later about it."
For the first time, she wondered why the word 'kind' was making her feel so self-conscious.
And to get rid of this feeling, she wanted to convince Dorian that she was not kind at all.
Viktor softly smiled and said in an unaffected tone, "It doesn't matter. In the end, what matters is what you did and not why you did it, at least for me. You helped me out, and I couldn't thank you enough for it. I am glad I have you as my cousin."
Tiana felt flutters in her belly hearing his words, and for a moment, her eyes became glazed as she walked on the footpath, not knowing how to respond to his words.
*VROOM!*
"Look out!" Viktor cried out as he quickly pulled Tiana towards him just as a bike whizzed past her.
"Ah!" Tiana was shocked and startled upon feeling as if she just had a close shave with death when that bike whizzed past her at an insane speed.
She couldn't help but gulp and take a couple of deep breaths to calm down her thudding heart.
"Are you okay?"
Hearing his concerned voice, she regained some clarity and found herself hugging Dorian, much to her surprise.
Viktor couldn't help but sniff the strong yet pleasant fragrance from her body as her soft body pressed against his.
Because of her fragrance, he felt as if he was standing in the middle of jasmine beds, making him feel refreshed.
Tiana remained dazed for a few moments, unknowingly finding the sound of his strong heartbeat pleasant to hear as her face rested against his warm and firm chest.
But feeling his arm around her hips, she became flustered as she jerked out of his embrace and said in a low voice as her cheeks became covered with a red hue, "I...I am fine. T-Thanks…" For the first time in a long time, she uttered the one word she felt she would never have to say to anybody because of how much she was used to people serving her.
"Don't mention it. As your cousin, I am happy to look out for you," He then said with an angry expression as he looked in the direction where the bike rode off, "It's because of that reckless rider's fault. He could have really injured you."
Tiana still felt her heart thumping loud, not knowing whether it was because she just had a close call or because she unknowingly hugged Dorian again, making her feel strange.
She had never been in close proximity with a man before, and even though Dorian was her cousin, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. However, she was thankful that he saved her in the nick of time and couldn't imagine how she would have ended up if that speeding bike hit her.
"Here, walk on this side," Viktor grabbed her shoulder, much to her surprise, and found herself being pushed towards his right side while the road was on his left side.
She wanted to say something but remained silent as she let him move her over.
"Now you are safe," Viktor said with a bright smile.
Tiana dipped her chin as she softly nodded while sneakily looking at him, wondering why her cousin was making her feel new things she never felt before and act differently around him.
She couldn't help but wonder whether all village boys were this cool and manly but had a innocent charm at the same time.
"Let's uh....take a cab. We should get back to Regent and go home," Tiana said in a hurried tone, trying to get rid of the awkwardness in the air while wondering why she is even being awkward around her cousin.
However, as she secretly glanced at him from the side, she felt that maybe his sudden arrival as her cousin was not bad after all.
