08: She Could Get Easily Embarrassed Without Even Trying

When Elian just left for his room, the shyness of Zaria started to fly away. But still the thought of seeing and having Elian up so near her, her cheeks heated again, so she put her hands to cool them. 

Foo. Foo.

You are an adult, Ria. Act like one.

Excusing herself to her room, a minute passed or two, she was found squealing and jumping on the bed.

Elian came back.

Elian talked to her.

Elian smiled at her.

Elian teased her.

Exhausted, she finally threw herself on her bed. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it closely to her chest, biting her lips in utter exhilaration. Her eyes, glimmering with her pure, innocent dreams and hope.

She still could not believe that he was here. 

"Don't be sad. I'll be back again to you, little lady Ria." She could hear his words in her ears.

It was the time he promised her when he was leaving for abroad. His words did encourage her a little and gave her a hope, but the sudden stop in their conversations made her lose all of it. 

She knew that he was completely immersed in his studies that was why he had no time to call her, so she compromised with time.

Now that he has come back, I will use this opportunity to replace all the formality like strangers between us, and will make Elian like me as a woman.

Quietly shutting her eyes close, she prayed to God for the wellbeing of her closed ones and fell asleep. 

Unbeknownst to her, some of the members of the Anderson family were still wide awake. 

"Why didn't you let me tell my thoughts to him. He would have agreed right away." Madam Anderson was upset.

She had been waiting for this day to talk to her son seriously, but her husband stopped her. She had the right to be upset. 

"Patience, my wife. Everything has a right time." He was a man and he knew how men think. Though he cared for his son and knew him like a back of his hand, he still wanted him to be mature enough. Enough to hold a responsibility of having a wife and family to feed. 

"But.." Mia Anderson was still persistent. She wanted to know badly what her husband was thinking. 

"He's still young. What if he gets scared when you ask this question all of a sudden?" Mia Anderson laughed. She knew her son very well. He was never afraid of anything. He was her son. 

"Didn't you marry me at this age, too?" She asked mischievously, her eyes having a playful glint. Even at the age of forty-eight, the understanding and love between these two was never once evaporated into thin air. 

Master Anderson lightly hummed and hugged her from behind. "Because, I was sure that I loved you dearly and what if you ran away with someone or your father married you to someone else? I just could not take any risks and had to tie you down with me. I remember many of your suitors were after you. You even called one of them handsome. I still get jealous thinking of it, you know."

With this he kissed her on the cheek. Mia Anderson gasped in shock and broke free from his embrace. 

"Shameless! How could you even at this age.. hugging me like this..." She was at the age of becoming a grandmother, but her husband was making her blush like a young woman. 

John Anderson raised one of his brows. He still looked handsome at his late forties. With a gentle smile which only belonged to her. She was fortunate to marry such a man.

"What am I doing? What is wrong with me hugging my lawful wife?" 

"You don't need to be jealous. You were still the most handsome in my heart. You still are." His cute and shy wife whispered.

With Mia's cold nature with everyone, it was very hard for everyone to receive compliments, but with her beloved, she was like a blooming sunflower.

She could talk to him and praise him for hours and hours and her mouth would not get tired. Same went with her when she talked about her one and only late best friend, Ria's mother, Cassandra Smith.

In their college, everyone could imagine Cassandra and John Anderson as rivals of each other.

"That's right. I should be the most handsome man in my wife's heart. You can even forget that brat son of yours. He isn't that good looking." 

"He's our son!" 

"He has Zaria for him." A light flashed in his eyes and he smiled. His wife smiled, too.

A forceful twisted melon is not sweet. Her husband was still waiting for the children to develop strong feelings for each other on their own, so they would not feel reluctant to marry when they would be informed of the news.

She understood his intentions now and she knew how wise her husband was. 

She trusted him. 

"Now sleep. I still have a talk with him tomorrow about business." Madam Anderson nodded gently and closed her eyes, feeling contented. Her husband along with her, closed his eyes, too. His face still held a smile as he slept, holding his wife in his arms.

The Next Day. 

Everyone in the mansion woke up freshly. With the environment being warm, their hearts felt warm, too. 

Zaria also woke up early, surprising her best friend Lisa. When Lisa asked her about it, she simply winked at her telling that she now had someone to impress. Lisa did not know about Elian by appearance as she came only when he had already left, but from the description Ria told her about these years. 

She knew how obsessed her best friend was with this person. Her love for him was boundless. He must have been very good to her. 

Wearing her best pretty clothes and her hair tied cutely, she did not resemble a girl of eighteen year old. When she came downstairs looking like this, one thought Mia Anderson had in her head was: 

Her childhood friend Cassandra had returned. She looked just the same as her mother. If only she was here.. 

They would be match making their children together, all giggling and laughing together.

"You woke up this early? May I know for what or should I say for who." Her aunt smiled at her when she came to greet her. She was teasing her!

"Well, aunt, um.. you know.." Zaria was fidgeting her fingers. It was a habit from childhood whenever she was nervous. Seeing her daughter-in-law so flustered, Mia Anderson decided to stop pulling her leg for now.

"Silly child, I was just kidding. Go, take this over to his room." Her aunt handed her a small tray of Elian's favourite English breakfast tea that she herself had made for her dear son.

She knew he liked her handmade tea.

Zaria looked at her aunt and asked hesitantly, "Aunt, do you want me to-" 

"Do you not want to?" Instead, her aunt asked her a question with a devious smile and was about to take the tray back when Zaria said:

"I want to. I want to. Leave this to me." Her sudden enthusiasm made her aunt laugh gleefully. 

Getting further embarrassed which she did not want to be at all, she scurried off taking the tray in her hands to the person her aunt wanted her to give this tray to.

Ah, this child.. 

She could get easily embarrassed without even trying.