That unusual date finally came to an end in the afternoon.
Aaron saw Jean out of the shop. "Are you sure you don't need me to take you home?"
"No. If I could come here alone, I can go back alone." Jean hugged Aaron as she spoke, then kissed his cheek while he was not paying attention.
Aaron froze for a moment, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curving upward. Then he removed the Moonstone Bracelet from his wrist. "Take this."
"A token of love?" Jean asked shyly. "Isn't this a little too soon? I haven't agreed to be your girlfriend yet!"
Aaron chuckled, took Jean's left hand, and fastened the bracelet around her wrist. "Give it back to me when you decide you don't want to be my girlfriend.
But until then, you have to wear it at all times."
Jean looked at the crystal-clear bracelet on her wrist, and a trace of sweetness rose in her heart.
Although this was only their first official meeting, her fondness for Aaron was unusually high.
Perhaps she had been drawn in by their few hours of interaction and conversation. Or perhaps the long exchange of letters had made her intensely curious about Fawkes's owner. But fate could sometimes arrive this suddenly.
Jean stood on tiptoe and kissed Aaron, then quickly turned and left with a flushed face.
"How? How did this happen? They only just met!" Scott's eyes were vacant, his voice hoarse, and he looked as though life held no meaning anymore.
"Even though I don't have a girlfriend yet, I can tell." Peter patted Scott on the shoulder and bluntly twisted the knife. "Unless she drops out, you probably don't stand a chance."
"Maybe this was why the professor sent us here." Ororo looked at him sympathetically. "To bring