Chapter 9

Willow didn't disappoint. Early in the morning, she sent me several of our wedding photos that turned out quite well. I forwarded them to the family group chat and then happily chose the best one to set as my phone wallpaper.

Silent Willow: "How are the photos? The edits turned out great, didn't they?"

Spring Breeze: "Yeah! I didn't expect them to be ready so soon. I thought it would take a while."

Silent Willow: "The final versions will still take some time. The studio sent us a few because we kept urging them. By the way, why are you in such a hurry to have the photos?"

Spring Breeze: "I have my reasons."

Spring Breeze: "Also, let's go car shopping on our off day."

Silent Willow: "Sure!"

Silent Willow: "So, how have things been going with your cousin lately?"

Spring Breeze: "What do you mean by that?"

Silent Willow: "Come on, don't play dumb. With my years of experience in shipping couples, I can tell there's something going on between you two!"

Spring Breeze: "I'm about to marry you. What could go on between him and me? Think carefully before you speak!"

Silent Willow: "You may not be the problematic one, but I can't say the same for your cousin. The way he looks at you isn't exactly innocent. He looks like he wants to devour you."

I didn't know what to say to that.

Silent Willow: "Now that he knows we're getting married, he must be taking action. Be honest, is he the reason why you were so eager to get the photos?"

I remained silent for a while before I replied to Willow.

Spring Breeze: "We're getting married. Why are you getting so worked up?"

Silent Willow: "Marriage doesn't interfere with my hobby of shipping couples."

Spring Breeze: "Let's go car shopping together this weekend."

Silent Willow: "Sure!"

I was genuinely surprised by Willow's keen observation. Even though Willow and I were more like partners in crime, I felt that I needed to take responsibility because I was a man.

Due to Fred's worrisome health condition, we were getting married no matter what. Besides, Blake was also a man. So, how could we develop any sort of feelings beyond those of family ties?

After a refreshing nap, I prepared brunch for myself and sauntered downstairs.

"Good afternoon, Nate." As expected, Blake was waiting downstairs.

Since there was no escaping it, I thought I might as well enjoy it. After being forced to sit in Blake's car for the past few days, I had already gotten used to calmly getting into the car.

I looked on as Blake got into the driver's seat, playing the role of a diligent chauffeur. I comforted myself that Blake would have to start work in a few days anyway. If he liked playing chauffeur so much, I could tolerate it for a bit longer.

It wasn't like Blake could drive me around forever.

When Blake stopped the car, I deliberately fiddled with my phone in front of him. Of course, he caught sight of my new wallpaper.

The corners of his lips lifted into an ironic smile. A dark glint flashed in his eyes as he said in a low voice, "Why did you change your wallpaper?"

I intentionally adjusted the phone's brightness to the maximum and held it in front of Blake's face to make sure he could see it clearly.

I smiled and said, "What do you think, Blake? It looks great, doesn't it? As a man who's about to get married, I can't help but want to show off my wife."

"Indeed, it looks great." Blake's voice was deep and hoarse, as if someone was strangling him. The surge of jealousy he felt seemed to have rushed up and formed a lump in his throat.

"Ha! I knew you'd like it too." I pretended not to notice Blake's strange reaction. I felt a sense of satisfaction that I'd never experienced before. With a gleeful smile, I got out of the car.

Blake watched me walk away without a second thought and tried to suppress the gloomy feeling that was intensifying in his heart. He couldn't scare me again. I didn't know anything—he had to take things slowly.

Seated in his car, Blake smoked three cigarettes in a row. He inhaled deeply and trapped the smoke in his lungs for a moment before slowly exhaling it. It drifted away in the breeze, taking the edge off his pent-up emotions.

I realized that my tactic seemed to be effective, so I became even more determined to step up my game. I decided that whenever I had the chance, I would flaunt the wedding photos I took with Willow in front of Blake.

I would then go on to talk about the books we both liked, the malls we'd shopped at, the couple outfits we bought, the movies we watched, and the future we envisioned while sitting in cafés. I even asked Blake for advice on which new car we should get.

I was determined to make Blake back off. As a cousin, I felt it was my responsibility to guide Blake back to the right path.

When I saw Blake downstairs the next day, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was Saturday! What was Blake doing here again?

I looked at him and reminded softly, "Blake, today's Saturday."

"Yeah," Blake responded plainly.

I was exasperated. What did Blake mean with that unassuming "Yeah"? Why did he come here even on a Saturday? Saturday was my off day, so I didn't need to go to work. So, I had no need for a chauffeur either.

I spoke up meekly again. "It's getting late. I have to go pick up Willow. See you around!"

I tried to walk past Blake. But as soon as I took a step, Blake grabbed my wrist with surprising strength that made my arm ache. Despite my confused look, Blake still didn't let go. It seemed he was mentally prepared for this moment.

He said, "Get in the car. I'll drive you there."

I knew that Blake wouldn't let go unless I complied, so I sighed and got into the car. I didn't mind—at least this way, Willow and I could continue with our act and discourage Blake from constantly tagging along.

However, I would learn firsthand that Blake had gone mad after he returned from overseas.

"Have you had breakfast?" Blake asked calmly as he drove, pretending not to notice my displeasure.

"I have," I replied. I had indeed eaten. But from the corner of my eye, I had seen the familiar paper bag in the back seat earlier.

The rest of the drive was silent. I wanted to talk about my imminent marriage and relationship with Willow. But upon seeing the expression on Blake's face, I decided to stay quiet.

We soon arrived at Willow's place. She was waiting at the entrance of her building. I thought that Blake would surely leave me alone now. He wouldn't have the nerve to intrude when I was going on a date, would he?

Of course, I underestimated Blake. He didn't seem the least bit troubled after greeting Willow.

Instead, he looked self-assured as he smiled at me and Willow while asking, "Where are you planning to go? I'll take you there."

I politely declined. "Willow and I are planning to look at some cars."

Undeterred, Blake pressed on, "Taking the subway or the bus would be a waste of time. I can drive you around since I don't have anything going on today. I know more about cars than you do. So, I can give you both some advice."

Willow observed the exchange between the two men and the underlying currents. She wasn't afraid to stir the pot by saying, "That would be nice. Thank you, Blake."

With that, she eagerly got into the car.

I looked at Willow and knew that she was happy to have scored front-row seats to see how things would play out between Blake and me. I felt I needed to rethink my opinion of her. Ever since I got to know Willow better, she had gradually come out of her shell.

With Willow already in the car, I couldn't argue further and got into the back seat to sit next to her. A sly thought crossed my mind. Since Blake was asking for it, I'd lay it on thick. I had to show Blake how serious I was about marrying Willow!

Spring Breeze: "Remember the first term of our agreement?"

Silent Willow: "Pretending to be affectionate when needed?"

Spring Breeze: "Now's your chance to perform. I'll back you up."

Silent Willow: "Why?"

Spring Breeze: "No reason. Just do as I say!"

Silent Willow: "Oh, I get it."

Spring Breeze: "Good."

Silent Willow: "I absolutely get it. With your low-key personality, you would never actively ask to show affection in front of friends and family unless it was to send a message to your cousin to back off, right? So, does that mean he has made a move on you?"

Spring Breeze: "Is what you're saying even appropriate? We're the ones getting married soon…"

Silent Willow: "Ha. I was right. Not bad, Sis! You managed to score an exceptional hunk."

Spring Breeze: "Stop calling me 'Sis'!"

Silent Willow: "Sure thing, Sis."

Spring Breeze: "Stick to the plan, okay?"

Silent Willow: "Okay!"

I couldn't understand why Willow had taken to calling me "Sis" after we got to know each other better. I was a normal guy through and through. It was just that I was a bit introverted.

Nevertheless, I had to admit Willow was incredibly sharp. She was indeed a master at picking up anything queer-related.

"Honey, what do you think of this car?" Willow asked cloyingly, clinging to my arm as we spoke to the salesman.

I couldn't help but shiver slightly at her touch, but I managed to play along. "If you like it, then we'll get it."

Neither of us expected Blake to chime in at that moment. He said, "This model has a common issue with the gearbox making noise when shifting. Plus, the headlights aren't LED, so the visibility may be lacking if you drive at night."

"Let's look at another car then." Willow leaned against me and flashed me a discreet smile.

I sneaked a glance at Blake, who was trailing behind us. I then raised my voice and said in an exaggeratedly indulgent tone, "Whatever you say, my dear. If you don't like it, we'll look at others."

We spent the entire day going from car to car. In the end, we were so exhausted that we didn't bother to put on a show anymore.

No matter which car we looked at, Blake would point out a slew of issues. He also seemed to selectively ignore our attempts at displaying affection. This made Willow and me feel more like we were his sidekicks on his car-buying quest.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted. The original plan was to at least decide which car model we would be going for. But after trudging around all day, Willow and I felt drained. We probably wouldn't be able to go out tomorrow.

I thought that was for the best. I could spend the next day cooped up at home, and Blake would be back to work the day after. And then, I would finally be free from Blake.

However, reality would often turn out to be different from one's imagination. After getting home, I had barely sat down on my couch to rest when I received a text message from Blake.

NatLiebe: "Nate, are you free tomorrow? Can we go somewhere and talk?"

The moment I read this, alarm bells went off in my head. Here it was. Blake couldn't hold back and wanted to talk about that night. But what was he going to say?

This was bad! Judging from his recent actions, there was no way anything good would come out of his mouth. I couldn't give him the chance to speak!

Spring Breeze: "Sorry, Blake. I have plans with Willow tomorrow. We're going to the library."

NatLiebe: "Will you be in the library all day?"

Spring Breeze: "Of course not. We're going to the library in the morning. Then, we'll have lunch and watch a movie in the afternoon. In the evening, we'll take a walk in the park."

After I sent out that message, I gloated inwardly, "Take that! Willow and I are going to be together all day on our date! I don't have time to meet you alone. You'd better not come and disturb us."

NatLiebe: "Okay, get some rest. I'll come to pick you two up tomorrow."

I cursed at Blake's reply. Couldn't he see that I was going on a date with my girlfriend? Why would he still offer to pick us up? How could he be so shameless?

Spring Breeze: "Seriously, Blake. There's no need for that. We shouldn't trouble you."

But Blake didn't respond. I was truly at my wits' end. Was Blake really going to join me and Willow on our date?

The answer to that question was a resounding "yes".

To me, the morning at the library was somewhat bearable. The quiet atmosphere meant Blake's occasional glances were all I had to deal with so I could still focus on reading.

But the afternoon was a different story.

At lunch, every time I gave Willow food, Blake would give me food and then give Willow some too. Under Willow's teasing gaze, I died a slow death of embarrassment.

I assumed that Blake wouldn't tag along for the movie, but I was wrong again. I sat between Blake and Willow and watched two back-to-back romance films.

When the movie was playing, Blake kept offering me soda and popcorn. I did the same for Willow, but Blake was even more attentive than I was in terms of being a boyfriend.

By evening, I thought that Blake would excuse himself. Did he have no sense of boundaries at all? Once again, Blake proved that he indeed had no sense of boundaries.

While Willow and I were strolling hand in hand in the park, Blake tagged along too. At first, he trailed behind us. Gradually, he moved forward and walked right beside me.

Now that he was walking beside me, what was next? Was he going to hold my hand publicly?

As the day went on, I felt utterly exhausted. I didn't even bother to keep up pretenses with Willow anymore. This was too much for me to bear. I massaged my temples and decided that I had better head home and get some sleep.