Three Years Wasted I Married Mr. Right novel Chapter 208

The kids in their school uniforms whooshed past, chattering excitedly.

Richard shielded Sophia and steered her aside, watching the kids as they ran off.

“I wish I could be as carefree as they are,” Sophia said, a wistful note in her voice.

Richard’s hand was still resting on Sophia’s shoulder, and they were standing so close.

With their thin summer clothes, Sophia could even feel his heartbeat vibrating against her shoulder blade.

The air between them suddenly felt charged with something unspoken.

Sophia quickly took a few steps back, putting some distance between them.

She brushed a loose strand of hair from her cheek, avoiding Richard’s gaze.

“Come on, let’s get going–if we linger any longer, this place will close,” Sophia said.

She took the lead, stepping onto the bridge. Richard watched her slim figure walk ahead, letting out a resigned shake of his head.

As dusk fell, the whole theme park was wrapped in a golden haze, half glowing, half fading in the twilight.

They strolled past a restaurant, where a crowd of tourists lined

up,

all eager for a cup of butterbeer.

The buttery sweetness lingered in the air along the whole street. Sophia tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she stretched up on tiptoe to look around.

Richard grinned—she was just too cute for words. “Craving a taste?” he teased.

Sophia nodded, her eyes lighting up. “Earlier, my coworkers were raving about it—they said the butterbeer in the Harry Potter Village is a must. I’ve never gotten the chance to try it myself.”

“Let me stand in line,” Richard said.

Sophia stopped him with a quick tug of his sleeve. “No way, you’re way too tall! You’d probably freak everyone out waiting behind them. Let me handle it. Go grab a seat over there and just chill–I’ll bring you one.”

Sophia knew that no guy really enjoys having to line up for anything, especially since most of the line was girls–if Richard queued up over there, half of them would probably start flirting with him.

Richard paused for a moment, but then just went with her suggestion and sat himself down on a bench outside one of the shops.

Sophia stood at the very end of the line, stealing glances over at the bench every now and then.

She wasn’t sure if she was worried Richard might leave, or just anxious he’d get restless waiting around.

But every single time she looked back, Richard was right there–always catching her eye and flashing that soft, reassuring smile.

Whenever she saw him smile, it instantly put her at ease.

While standing in line, Sophia was filled with anticipation, craning her neck every now and then for a better view of how fast things were moving.

When she finally made it to the front, she bought two cups of butterbeer and stepped out of the line.

Once she was out, Richard was nowhere to be seen on the bench.

Sophia’s heart gave a little jolt, and she instinctively scanned the crowd, searching for that tall, unmistakable

presence.

Just as she was searching, she felt a gentle weight settle on her head—a hand ruffling her hair. She looked up in surprise, only to see Richard had appeared out of nowhere.

He took the butterbeer from her. “There’s a fireworks show by the river–come on, let’s go see.”

Sophia quickly followed as he turned down a side path.

As she walked along, Sophia absentmindedly reached up and found something fluffy on her head- something that felt like a headband.

Passing a shop, she cocked her head to glance at her reflection in the window. There it was–a bear–shaped headband perched right on top.

A soft smile curled on her lips. ‘Guess Richard does have a childish streak. Maybe he’s not always such a serious guy,’ she thought.

When they arrived by the river, the whole view was pure Harry Potter magic–castles rising everywhere, all that classic wizarding architecture drawing the eye.

Lots of people were snapping photos.

Then, a couple of lovebirds rushed up, practically begging Sophia to capture their moment. She gladly took their phone and helped them out.

The couple treated Sophia like their bestie. They started off posing sweetly, but soon they were all cuddly— sneaking kisses, planting smooches on each other’s cheeks, no shame at all.

Her face was burning red from embarrassment by the time she handed back their phone.

Once the couple finally left, Sophia pressed her icy butterbeer to her cheeks, desperately trying to cool herself down.

“What’s wrong?” Richard asked softly.

Sophia’s cheeks turned pink, a little embarrassed. “It’s just kinda awkward. Kids these days are so bold.”