Rowen waved his hand in front of her face, and Lisa snapped back to reality. She smiled and said, "Am I bothering you?"
"No, not at all," Rowen said and opened the door for her to step inside. He handed her a pair of slippers to put on.
"Oh, thank you," She was filled with excitement and the shyness of a little girl until she noticed that it was a pair of female slippers. She curiously asked, "Do you live alone?"
"Yes," Rowen replied immediately without clueing into why she was asking.
"The slippers?" She pointed to her feet.
Rowen understood and smiled back, "My mother comes to visit occasionally. They are for her."
Lisa let out a sigh of relief. She thought it was nice that he offered her his mother's slippers.
"Please have a seat," Rowen pointed to the sofa. He had put snacks out on the table, "When you said you were stopping by, I thought I should offer you something to eat. I know girls like fruit, so I went with that."
Lisa looked at the snacks on the table and said, "Thank you, Rowen. You are so considerate."
"You are welcome! We have been old friends for so many years."
"Okay," Lisa nodded. She would have been much happier if her old friend could turn into her boyfriend. However, it was just a wish since Rowen was in love with Kate.
"So, why did you come to see me?" Rowen wondered.
"Oh," Lisa put down the napkin in her hand and passed him the bag beside her, and said, "If I remember that right, this coat is yours, right?"
"Mine?" Rowen was puzzled. He took the bag and opened it, when he saw the neatly folded jacket inside, and instantly understood. He asked quietly, "Kate asked you to give it back to me?"
Rowen frowned and wondered if she hated him that much that she didn't want to see him at all.
Seeing him depressed, Lisa worried that he might misunderstand the situation. She hurried to explain, "Kate doesn't know I am returning it. She left it at my house when she went home yesterday. I remembered seeing you wear it, so I wanted to give it back to you."
Perhaps Rowen felt that she was ruining the chance for him to see Kate again. If she had the coat at her house, she would have found time to give it to him. Then he would get to see her again, but now there was no chance.
"What's the matter?" Lisa asked nervously when Rowen didn't speak.
"Nothing," Rowen shrugged off his disappointment and smiled, "Is there anything else? If not…"
"Rowen!" Lisa interrupted, realizing he was going to ask her to leave. She looked at him and asked, "Can't I stay a little longer?"
Lisa's heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest as she waited for him to reply.
It was obvious, but in order to be alone with him for a bit long, Lisa chose to ignore it.
They sat in silence for a long time until finally, Rowen took the initiative to ask, "Lisa, tell me the truth, did Kate ask you to return this coat?"
Rowen could sense that Lisa was hiding something from him.
"No, no!" She waved her hands in front of her, "Kate left it at my house! When I woke up and saw it, I called her. She didn't answer the phone though so I guess she was busy."
"Okay," Rowen moaned.
"Rowen, you still love Kate, don't you?" She felt dumb for asking. He had been in love with Kate for so many years, it wasn't like his feeling were going to disappear overnight. She was able to vouch for that.
"Don't you think I am like Kate?" Rowen gave a sad smirk.
"Like Kate?" She didn't understand.
"We both love someone and our feelings have never changed," Rowen meant that he loved Kate, and Kate loved Joseph.
Lisa felt uncomfortable when she realized what he meant. She gave him a reluctant smile, "Yes, and I am the same."
"You?" Rowen asked curiously, "Do you like someone?"
Lisa did not answer him, she just lowered her head.
After a short while, Rowen added, "Don't misunderstand me. Everyone has the right to love someone. I just never thought that an outgoing girl like you would secretly like someone, I assumed that you would say something.
"I'm outgoing...It is true." She smiled embarrassedly, "In your eyes, I'm just like a boy who will not hide his love, right?"
Rowen could not deny it, he feared Lisa might think he was being rude so he added, "I like your personality. You say whatever you want rather than hiding it. It is a good attitude to have, it won't upset you."
"You are wrong. I can say anything I want, except my love for others. I am just as shy as you, probably even more than you."
Rowen frowned with a face full of doubt, "Does the person you like have a girlfriend?"
She shook her head.
"Does he have a family?"
She continued to shake her head.
"Then why don't you tell him you love him? Maybe the other person likes you too!"
Rowen's words made Lisa laugh helplessly, "He doesn't like me!"
"How can you be so sure?"
"He likes someone else," Lisa whispered. She worried if she spoke about her true feelings that they would no longer be friends. Even if they could be friends, it might be awkward. After all, her friendship with Kate felt immediately strained when she told Kate she had feelings for Rowen.
Rowen reached out to touch her hand. Lisa was stunned and not sure what he was doing but she put her hand on his.
"We are both suckers for love," Rowen said with a smile.