To add more drama to the mix, I looked at her limpid eyes, which were regretting playing around with me before, and said with a lonely smile,

"...Or is it that you thought that I wouldn't accept it if you rejected my request to go out with you since I'm young and stubborn and thought I would pester you again and again if you simply said no?"

"If it's like that, then I guess there's no helping it since it's hard to take anyone who suddenly comes up to your house and says it was love at first sight seriously, and it will most likely make you think that it's a simple joke...I only have myself to blame for being so hasty with my decisions and proposing to you when I don't even know your name."

"...I honestly just got a little too excited when I saw you for the first time and said something stupid." I said with a reluctant smile on my face, as if I were apologising for making a fool of myself. "So, I hope you can forget everything that happened at this moment and just think of it as a dumb kid who tried to reach for the stars, but ultimately failed."

I then turned around like I wanted to get away from this place so that the girl who rejected me didn't see me crying, while Camila looked at me with teary eyes and an anguished look on her face, like she was watching an emotional scene from a soppy drama.

Grab~ Pull~

And just as I was about to turn around and walk away without returning her container, I saw Camila quickly grab a hold of my hand and pull me in so that I didn't go anywhere. She then looked up at me in a reluctant manner, like she wouldn't let me leave with a broken heart no matter what, and said,

"No, wait!~ Please don't go!~I really meant it when I said that I was an old lady, since I actually am one...I really am not lying to deceive you when I say that!~"

"It's fine, it's fine. You don't have to lie to me anymore since I already understand your intentions, and I promise I won't bother you again if that makes you feel any better."

Seeing that I was caring about her feelings more than mine when I was the pityful one here made her feel even more choked up than before, and she was trying her best to pull me back in and stop me from leaving.

"No, I really am not lying!~ I actually am old enough to be your mother and not as young as you think!~" She exclaimed and hugged my hand tightly so that she could prevent me from taking another step, while I was currently enjoying the sensation of her soft but warm breasts pressing against my arm, which were the initial fruits of all that dramatic acting I was doing that was finally paying off.

I mean, not only was she smothering my arm in her breasts, she was also desperately pulling me into her house with the little feeble strength she possessed, as if she didn't want me to leave her side, which would definitely make the neighbours throw some questionable gazes at us if they saw what was happening right now.

For only having met her a few minutes ago, you could say that the results were quite commendable, with just a little acting and a few cheesy compliments. And it also never would've worked out if I wasn't charming enough to say such tacky lines; that would've normally made girls cringe out of their skin if an average-looking dude said such things about them.

"Just give me some time! Just give me a few minutes, and I'll prove to you that I'm just an old woman past her youthful days and not the girl of your dreams like you think I am!" Camila desperately shouted while sweating a little from pulling on me so hard.

"Fine, just like you said, I'll give you some time to show me that you aren't lying." I stopped trying to move away and said in an authoritative manner, when I was the one who was supposed to be grateful, that she was going to great lengths so that someone she had just met wouldn't feel sad.

I then pulled out a handkerchief from my pocket and smoothly dabbed it on her forehead, where she was sweating from, which made her blush like a little girl and look away. She looked surprised that I was acting so intimately with someone I just met and someone who was my elder, but she didn't look to mind it since she seemed to enjoy being taken care of in such a thoughtful and gentle way.

"So, Miss..." I asked for her name while bending down and wiping her cheek, which she graciously accepted, while she stared at my face in a daze like she was seeing it for the first time.

"...C-Camila, Camila Alvarez." She quickly said after realising that I was asking what her name was and was embarrassed that she was so worked up when she was the adult in the picture. "But you can just call me Camila without the miss, since I really don't like being called so formally."

"Camila...What a beautiful name that is; that perfectly suits your gorgeous visage."

Her eyes twinkled, like she really liked the way I said her name and looked like she wanted me to whisper it into her ear. But she shook her head when she remembered that I was someone way younger than her and that she shouldn't have such thoughts about anyone else other than her husband.

"As for myself, my name is Kafka Vanitas, your neighbour next door who just moved in recently and am currently in my second year of high school." I also introduced myself and put my handkerchief back into my pocket after wiping her face.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Camila, and I look forward to having a great relationship with you as your next-door neighbour." I said in a formal manner, which made Camila wonder if I really was a high schooler when I was acting in such a mature way that she had never seen any other high schooler do.

"Now, if you could please show me that you really are the lady my mother was talking about, and not her daughter...Or else I'll just have to go back home and feast on a tub of ice cream and drown myself in my sorrows with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream in my mouth."

I said in an exaggerated manner, which made Camila let out a giggle as if she found that scene to be funny. But she immediately covered her mouth and stopped laughing, as if she felt guilty for laughing at my horrible situation.

"Don't worry...I said it with the intention of making you smile and clearing up the gloomy mood, so don't hold back and laugh all you want." I said with my lips curled up, which made her give a sigh of relief, seeing that I wasn't really as heartbroken as she thought I was.

She then gave a thoughtful look and said, while holding her chin,

"As for the way I can prove to you that I have a daughter of my own and am not the daughter of this household herself..." She looked deeply, like she was thinking of a way to do so.