Her eyes widened slightly, she looked at him blankly. He doesn't know that. He scared her. His lips pursed as she quickly raised the glass to drink from it, but she said nothing."What did you say?" She looked at him intently."I'm sorry." He faltered. "It's just... while talking to Dad, I mentioned you. My dad wanted to see you."With wide eyes, Vivian looked away then she spoke, almost whispering. "Doesn't that mean I need to look nice? I can't go looking like this...""You do not need to do so." He said quickly. "I don't need you to be beautiful."She suddenly turned to him. "What are you talking about? I'm going to meet your parents, not your friends."Jaime looked surprised but spoke calmly. "Don't worry about it. I like you like this."~~~~~A few minutes after finishing two bottles, Vivian collapsed on the table. Although Jaime was a little drunk, he still had some sense. He carried her towards her apartment complex. She pressed her face down on his shoulder, her arms dangling
This thought was puzzling because Jaime had been so honest and naive."I will tell you later." Jaime stopped the car. "I promise."Holding hands, he led her up the steps to the inside of the luxurious restaurant that made them look out of place in their ordinary clothes. When he explained that they had reserved a table, the waiter led them into a private room with a table reserved for them.She sat down at a table with four chairs, and vintage tapestries adorning the walls. Jaime clasped her hand under the table, they looked back at each other, smiling before the door opened. When they stood up, Jaime released her hand.Vivian listened to the noisy vibrator - a wheelchair powered by an automatic motor. His father, a handsome old man with an annoyed face, looked at her as he entered. The man appeared grumpy and unhappy. The waiter who opened the door rushed over to pull one of the chairs off the table. Jaime's father gave an insincere thank you to the waiter.Then her eyes turned to th
Silent. Vivian couldn't even pay attention to how comfortable she felt in the chair. She longed for her bed, curled up, and fell into a long sleep. All the way back, she was focused until she felt Jaime lean over to unbuckle his seatbelt. The car stopped and the door opened."You get out." He gently touched her hand, causing her to wake up.They are at the park. In the distance are children happily playing, their happiness carried by the wind. Vivian wanted to hug her because she was no longer a child. When her mother left, she turned twenty in the body of a child."I'm sorry," Jaime said apologetically as they sat down on the bench together. "My father seems quite gloomy today. He has been like that since he fell ill." Lowering his gaze, he pressed his lips together. "I refused to marry his friend's daughter, so my father got upset. That's why sometimes I don't want to go home. Every time I come home, he nags me.""Do you remember when I told you about my sister? Her name is Tanya. F
Jaime slowly walked the quiet street for half an hour before returning home at midnight. His mother was anxiously waiting for him at the door."Your father is waiting for you in your room." She speaks. That's what he guessed as well."I know." He said, taking off his shoes to put them on the shelf. Walking past his stepmother, he stopped when she grabbed his arm."I want to talk to you after you talk to your father, so don't go to sleep." She whispered quietly, he almost wondered why she spoke so softly.Nodding as a promise, he pushed the door open and closed it behind him. Like usual, his father sat on the bed, leaning against the pillow placed behind him. And as always, his face was dark and grim.Pulling a chair next to the bed, Jaime sat down. "I'm back."The father scoffed at his son's appearance. "Have you decided yet?"Jaime looked at him bewildered."What are you going to do? Are you going to marry her? Or are you going to meet President Evans' daughter again? I've heard her
He misses her. He wants to talk to her about what his father told him. He wants to know how she feels about it because he's both scared and uncertain about it all.With Jaime's situation, adapting to his environment may become more difficult for Vivian, many times he may not be there for her. Jaime wanted to tell Vivian all this before broaching the subject of marriage again. But Vivian didn't answer his phone.All of which makes him think about whether he did something wrong or said something wrong that upset her.When she hugged him in the park that day, she seemed disappointed and sad, quietly lonely but he was too indifferent to notice. She feels she is abandoned.~~~~~Almost a week has passed. Vivian feels suffocated by what happened but doesn't know how to relieve it. Saturday, when her twelve-hour shift ended, she was called to the counter. Someone wants to meet her. If it were Jaime, she would tell him it was over between them, but it wasn't.A girl stood on the other side of
"I don't care what anyone says," Vivian said softly. "Because they don't know me." Remembering his sadness from the day before, she said. "You don't need to be jealous of Hodja. Instead, I will protect you, so you don't need to worry about me and do what you want. I'll let you choose for yourself."Jaime looked at her in surprise then smiled softly, gently, and happily. “So, Vivian, will you marry me?”Embarrassed after exposing herself, she just looked at him with her heart trembling in a way she never knew was possible. Everything seemed to be working mechanically as if set up that way - the words that flowed and the way Jaime acted. It was all inexplicable, it was so out of sync with what she really wanted.The moment he opened his arms, she ran forward, threw herself into his broad chest, and hugged him. As if to make up for the torture of the past few days, she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder to inhale his body odor. Jaime placed his hand behind her neck to h
"I told you so many times. Of course, I give that money to your two children. I spend all the good food and buy beautiful clothes for them, what else do you want? Don't call me again." The woman on the other end screamed before hanging up, leaving Mrs. Maggie alone with the scary death tone just now.Putting the phone down, she sighed and buried her face in her hands. She was disappointed. Nelly doesn't give her answers, no one tells her where Vivian or Hodja is. She couldn't understand what happened to them. All the money she sent to her children, what did that woman use it for? Nelly said she would take good care of Mrs. Maggie's two children, was that a lie?"Mrs. Maggie!" Mr. Miro called her.Pushing back her disappointment, the woman went to her husband's room. "Fill the water bottle for me."She looked at the water bottle on the table, took it, and quickly walked out. After filling the water bottle, she returned to the room, refilling the empty glass next to her. Handing it to t
“Dad, what are you talking about?”Once again, ignoring his son, he continued. "So let's get married. If you believe that you can love that girl for the rest of your life, I will let you do it."Jaime opened his eyes wide, shocked by the sudden announcement."Marriage is not like when you are dating. When you give a ring, it means you give your life and your life to that girl. You must promise her that you will do everything in your power to make her happy." He explained sincerely. "And that promise will absolutely never be broken."Looking into his son's eyes, he said. "If I don't come to your wedding, promise me one thing. That this marriage is not a mistake. That you will do anything to stay happy. If you want to spend your whole life your life with her, never give up."He hesitated before reaching out to take his son's hand for the first time since his wife died, and squeezed."You've grown, Jaime. I'm proud of you, son." The man smiled. "Always be happy."~~~~~The conversation w
5 months later...The road she traveled over the years was full of rocks. Vivian doesn't understand why small things turn into such great things. Life is a circle, she ran a big circle and finally returned to the starting point.She learned that with perseverance, one can go further and that weightless dreams can take flight one day. When the road is long and dark, it means the end is near, there will be light at the end of the road.All we need to do is put in effort and courage, no one can get out of their dark path without scars.That's difficult. Her heart is small and scared but the fear is less now than before.Vivian finds it funny how dramatic and difficult situations have happened to her and Jaime. However, in the end, they somehow remained together hand in hand.She couldn't know if they were soul mates in existence, but she believed that deep down, they had built an eternal bond somewhere from the beginning. That bond remains even after two years apart.She was happy that J
"Wait." Jaime quickly pulled Vivian back as soon as she opened the bedroom door.The bags hanging from her arms collided with each other. She asked with irritation. "What's up?""Close your eyes. Don't open them until I tell you to."Vivian snorted. "Is this some trick from that stupid book Clinton lent you?"His eyes became warm. "Of course not." Even though that's a lie. This was a cliché idea he read from a chapter in a book Clinton gave him: How to Surprise a Woman.Vivian closed her eyes.“Did you close your eyes?” He leaned forward to check."Yes." She nodded. Grabbing her shoulder, he led her into the room, gently closing the door behind him. Turning on the light, he led her toward the bathroom and stopped right in the doorway."OK, you can open your eyes." He said and smiled with satisfaction when Vivian saw rose petals floating on the bathtub. The scent of lavender and rosemary flows from lit candles placed around the rim of the tub.Vivian smiled impressed. "Are you serious?
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Vivian sobbed and pulled her mother close as if if she loosened her grip, she might lose her again.It's been a long time since she touched her mother's hair, smelled her scent, or hugged her tightly. All the regrets and pain shattered in that moment, nothing was more important than this moment. "Mom."Their reunion was spent crying and apologizing. Tears fell from all the hurt they had carried over the years. Each tear carries a different story every time it falls.There hasn't been a day since their father passed away that their small family of three has felt so complete."Look at you two." Her mother cried, stroking both of her children. The fact that they survived without their mother's warm hands, she said in a hoarse voice. "You two have grown up very well. My children.""I brought my daughter. Do you want to meet her?" Hodja asked. Picking up baby Esther from the ground, he gave the baby to Mrs. Maggie. "Esther, this is your grandmother. It's your gra
Vivian stayed at Hodja's house, hiding there for a few days until she calmed down and thought things through, but she felt like she was causing trouble for his small family. They are happy. She couldn't go to Jerry's house, so her brother's house was the last thing on her mind.First thing in the morning, Aiden called to let her know she didn't have to go to Jaime's office anymore, and instead she could work with Jerry.The past few days, burying herself in work had helped take other thoughts from her mind, but returning to the solace of Hodja's apartment was completely different. The room was very quiet.She lay on the cold bed and couldn't sleep. When she has nothing to do, she often walks around the apartment, stopping to look out the window.For a week, she let her mind wander and her heart rest for a while. Personal space helps clear any blockages in her mind. The fog began to gradually dissipate, and she could almost breathe normally again. Her chest is not too heavy.All that w
"Why do you want to be my mother now? Why should I call you mother, when you're not there for me or for Hodja, why?" Bitterness filled Vivian's heart. "I don't even know you. Jaime has considered you his biological mother for half his life, more so than Hodja and I. So how do I call you mother?"Vivian's eyebrows furrowed as she looked toward her mother for an answer, but she said nothing. Breathing out a light breath, Vivian turned away to wipe away her tears."If you were there when Hodja almost died twice, I would have knelt and admitted my mistake." Vivian declared. "But you weren't there. Others can proudly say that their mothers raised them well, but Hodja and I couldn't have that happiness. I raised him in your place. I also support myself. We never lived like other people. Waking up to my mother's breakfast, we never had that breakfast.""If I could go back in time, I want to experience that once. I missed that so much that when I finally ate your food, it just made me angry a
Everything would have gone according to Jaime's plan perfectly if he hadn't mentioned her mother. Vivian's blood boiled. She doesn't want to listen. She doesn't want to.Pulling the blanket over her head, she tried to fall asleep.The next morning, she woke up to the smell of delicious food. Jaime was cooking in the kitchen. "Come and eat quickly." He said as she walked in from the bathroom.They ate quietly like strangers. That's so sad. They had come so far, having been together for less than two years apart. Their relationship is so fragile that even the slightest touch will shatter it.Stealthily glancing at Jaime, Vivian found that she didn't know what to say. Is it her fault that they are like this? Because she was too stubborn, too stubborn because she had been in the dark for too long?Because she can't come to terms with her feelings for Jaime or admit them out loud?Is cowardice driving her life so she doesn't want to hear anything from him?That's right, it's her fault, she
Everything was hazy in memory, the argument two years ago had fatefully ended what they had. Remembering why Vivian left him is an even bigger task than plotting to get her back.Jaime leaned forward and ruffled his hair with both hands, frustration evident. Was it the heat of the moment that made Vivian pack her suitcase that night?He can't remember. What he remembered after watching Vivian leave was standing here in this room with anger welling up in a way he had never felt before.He doesn't care if she comes back or not. Jaime regrets that. He should care, because that's what means the most to him right now.That night if he had chased Vivian right after she left, maybe they wouldn't be here constantly arguing. Raising his head from his hands, he thought. Once she left, it seemed like she had no plans to return.He ate lunch and dinner in solitude hoping Vivian would return to eat with him, even if they ate in silence better than without her.If he hadn't rushed to talk to her th
When Vivian returned, she walked into the bathroom, Jaime knew that she would be stiff with anger despite the wonderful night they had had. It's better to give her some space to blow things up, like his mother suggested.Closing his eyes to return to dreamland, he prayed that Vivian would not leave him again.After cleaning up the messy clothes scattered on the floor, he took a shower and walked out. There were no plans for today, so he didn't know what Vivian would do. Mrs. Maggie and Juke have not returned from their trip yet, only the two of them are at home.Since meeting Vivian again after two years, he's begun to learn about her temperament, adapting to it, to a degree he never had when they first knew each other.When angry, she will bite and fight back easily, making him nervous or, most annoyingly, ignoring him. Today she will be angry because he won't let her continue last night's unfinished story.Jaime couldn't figure out how he was going to fight her. He just knew they ne
His excitement increased when he felt that Vivian temporarily stopped resisting. Quickly pulling down her shirt, he smelled her scent and kissed her shoulder. He had been waiting for this.The joy that Vivian kept for him for two years. She owes him. All he could think about was carrying her to bed and claiming her as his own.Retrieving her wet lips, he inserted his tongue into her mouth, groping until his fingers rested on her thighs. He caressed her white calves, pulling her forward to get even closer.Jaime desired her slowly. He wanted to taste every part of her to be reminded of her innocence. The girl's embarrassment about undressing in front of him swept across his mind. He'd be damned if he let her get away after tonight.Releasing her lips, Jaime breathed into her mouth, their lips barely brushing each other. His whole body was aroused, he was using all his energy to satisfy his desire. Turning off the light, he picked her up and walked towards the bed.Vivian's body is attr