Dad answered the door. When he saw Colin and I standing next to each other by the entrance, there was only one word to describe his look—flabbergasted.His jaw almost fell on the ground as if he had just made a groundbreaking discovery. For once, he forsook the gentility he wore as a teacher and ran toward the kitchen so wildly that his slippers shot across the room. He dragged Mom out.Mom was holding a cleaning rag in one hand and a bottle of dishwashing liquid in another. She, too, was rendered speechless by what she saw. Her mouth was agape. Were it not for the pair of glasses, her eyes would have popped out of their sockets.Seeing the extent of their confusion upon seeing me with another man and understanding how disastrous the consequences could be, I put down everything and explained it to them.Perhaps I was being too straightforward. Colin stood beside me expectantly while my parents were squirming with embarrassment.I was befuddled. Couldn't they just give me a simple
I nudged Colin with my elbow. "Quit being so tense. You're not in the military."He looked around to observe his surroundings. Only when he made sure that we were alone in the living room did he let out a sigh of relief. Relaxing, he wiped away the sweat on his face. "This is worse than serving the military."I laughed out loud, unable to contain myself when I thought of his nervousness. And very uncharacteristically of him, he blushed. His face and neck were crimson, which made me laugh even harder. So much so that my parents popped their heads out of the kitchen to check on me.Colin gritted his teeth and locked his arm around my neck. Then, he dragged me into my room and put me down firmly on the couch so that I couldn't move. "It's your turn now. Tell me that I'm officially your boyfriend."Colin was very warm. Trapped between his arms, I felt like I was in a sauna. My heartbeat went out of control. "But Colin, isn't it too premature to make it official?"I nibbled on my finge
"It's okay. Meeting my future in-laws is more important. I can visit my parents later." Colin's words came out muffled because my finger was in his mouth. However, his tone was assertive."What if your parents won't allow us to date each other? You'll have impressed my parents for nothing," I said jokingly. But it was a valid concern of mine.What happened between Felix and I had damaged the two families' friendship. We were still close, but not as close as before.What if Melinda objected to our relationship to protect the friendship between our families?And truth be told, my feelings toward Felix were more of an infatuation during my adolescence.But I loved Colin now. I didn't want to end things with him.Melinda did not like that Felix was dating Lilac. She had repeatedly mentioned to my mom that she wanted Felix and me to reconcile. I categorically turned her down and went to date Felix's brother, Colin. That would make Melinda look very bad."Are you worried about me?"
Huh? So that was the case.I stayed still out of fear, but deep down, I felt loved.He said he had been holding himself back for 28 years, which meant that he had been keeping his virginity for me. He hadn't fooled around at all.And despite the abstinence, he did not force himself on me. Now that was what an ideal love should be.I took out my mental note and added a flower to the space next to Colin's name. Once I gathered a hundred flowers, I would allow him to become my boyfriend for real.This was my deepest secret. No one knew about it."Dinner's ready. Come to the table now," yelled Dad from outside.Colin combed through my messy hair with his fingers and planted another peck when I wasn't paying attention. "Should you get changed before going out?"I shook my head.The whole situation was already embarrassing enough. And I was sure my parents heard the ruckus we had made earlier on. They only chose to play dumb. If I came out with a set of changed clothes, that would m
Melinda saw Colin and me move with great difficulty and noticed his inebriation. Her mouth was wide open in disbelief."Harper, what is this?" Melinda looked past me and asked my Mom behind me.Mom pressed her lips into a hard line and thought that she shouldn't be the one to tell her the news. Instead, she tossed the responsibility back to me. "Ask them. You know, young people nowadays.""What? What happened? Okay. Uhm, honey? Honey? Come and help me, please. Colin is drunk. Geez, how many drinks did he have?"Austin appeared in my view half-asleep. He, too, was taken aback when he looked at us. Shortly after, at Melinda's behest, he approached me to take the drunk Colin off me.But Colin refused to let go. He mumbled that he didn't want to leave me, and his left hand maintained a tight grip on my shoulder as if it was fused to my body.It was dark outside, and we couldn't stay by the entrance for too long.I had no other choice but to enter Colin's home.The three of us toile
"Stop this and sleep, Colin. Be nice," I coddled in a hushed voice, forgetting that we had company."No! I want kisses. Kisses!" His lips puckered up to kiss me. Scared, I mustered all my strength and pinned him back onto the bed."Be nice now, Colin. I don't like the smell of alcohol. I'll let you kiss me when you're sober, okay?"When I finally soothed Colin and remembered Felix, he had already left.Through the half-open door, I saw an orange light flicker in the dark on the balcony opposite us.When did Felix come back? Where was Lilac? Why was Felix here? Why did he care if Colin and I were dating? What did he want?I couldn't find an answer, and just like that, I fell asleep.I guessed I was an easygoing woman.I was roused by something warm in the middle of the night. As I opened my eyes, I realized that I was on the bed. Sleeping next to me was Colin, who had changed into his pajamas. His slender hand grabbed me by my waist so that I was sleeping in his embrace.Heat r
"I know, Mom. Don't worry, I'll think it through before deciding."It was already 2:00 am after the chat. I yawned and went to bed. Right when I climbed into my bed, my phone screen lit up.I opened my WhatsApp and saw a selfie from Colin. Still in his pajamas, he made a peace sign to the camera. "I hope I can see you whenever I open my eyes in the future. Goodnight and have a sweet dream."My heart was aflutter.I wanted to reply to his text but couldn't come up with anything. After an extended hesitation, I sent him a thumbs-up emoji.After I sent the text, I realized how ridiculous it might look. I thought about recalling the message, but I saw no point in doing that. Therefore, I left it be.I was free on Saturday. If I were still studying at my university, I would've spent the day shopping with Jade and Zara.However, we had all grown up, and we worked in different cities now. Unless it was planned beforehand, it'd be hard for us to meet up.On Sunday, Colin and I flew bac
"You're right, I should cherish what I have now. I'll help you and care for you like a good friend, but I'll save all my love for Lilac. She made a lot of mistakes for me. Therefore, I'd like to apologize to you once more."I'll keep her in check in the future, and I hope you can forgive her. You don't have to if you don't want to. She doesn't deserve your forgiveness, after all."Goodbye, Lulu. I wish you happiness."After reading the text messages, I felt so relieved.Happy days with Colin flew by in the blink of an eye. Soon, it was already New Year's Eve.My school gave us three days of holidays for New Year's Eve. Lilac said she needed to see her family, so she'd be returning to Northpool with her mum on the morning of December 31st. Felix drove her to the airport.During New Year's Eve, those who did not go home all dressed up for the special occasion.Colin and I agreed to have dinner before heading to a theme park. Then, we'd head to the square for the countdown.Before