The Chen couple was taking a walk to pa.s.s the time. It was just a quarter past four in the afternoon. Chen Linyun reserved a table for two at the Four Seasons Hotel at six in the evening for dinner.As soon as they exited Xue Jinxu"s shop, they drove off to the nearby park. They decided to enjoy the afternoon breeze outdoors. They both preferred the outdoors.
Chen Linyun extended his right hand to the lady, inviting her to hold hands with him, at her own volition. The lady stared at him first, but conceded. She intertwined her fingers with his.
For the first minutes they walked in silence. It was peaceful. They traversed the stone path designed in the park for walking, while taking in the fresh afternoon air, and the beauty of nature surrounding them.
Some families were on a picnic somewhere on the lawn. Some youths were palying Frisbee at the farther end. Because the park was big and vast, even if there were quite a number of people, there"s still privacy between respective groups. Even the nearest group of people around them became so small in perspective because of the distance.
"Jinxu."
Chen Linyun called. His heart had not been this contented for a long time, to the point that it seemed only a dream to him, and that this moment is fleeting, ephemeral. He was too afraid to speak because if he did, the fantasy, the dream might break. Still, he called her name.
"Mhmm?" The lady was blus.h.i.+ng non-stop. Just like Chen Linyun, she was enjoying the simplicity of this date one lovely afternoon. It felt almost surreal.
"Is this real?" Chen Linyun asked, keeping himself in check.
"Yes." She clung closer to his arm connected to their intertwined hands. Using her other hand, she touched his arm, slightly hugging it in the process, and rested her head on his shoulder, while they continued their sweet saunter.
The man" heart skipped a beat. He could not quite identify the reason behind – whether it was the lady"s affirmative answer, or her nonverbal cues and body language. Looks like the lady had finally sorted out her issues. Well, it was still too early to conclude anything.
Undoubtedly, he was getting his hopes up. He was afraid that it was false hope.
"Jinxu, let"s get it straight. Are you… finally…" He trailed off.
"I"ve almost recovered, dear." She gave him an apologetic, tired smile. She sighed. She glanced up at him. His face was contorted.
"It would hurt a thousand-fold if… if…" Chen Linyun could not continue. There was a lump that was beginning to form in his throat. He gritted his teeth.
"Can we let the natural course of things flow? I"m so much better but, can we take it slow… just to allow ourselves to be more cautious this time around?" The lady suggested slowly.
"I don"t want to forget everything that has happened. Rather, I have come to terms with it. I have convinced myself that it"s a welcome part of us, and it has become a part of our journey together. It already happened, but here we are. We are still here, braving the storm, even separately. Our love persists, right?" Xue Jinxu tenderly enunciated every word.
This time, Chen Linyun seemed to be at his weakest, breaking point.
They stopped in their stroll. They faced each other.
Chen Linyun kissed the back of her hand intertwined with his. Then, he put her hand on his chest, still gripping it in his own, not letting go. "My heart is yours, Jinxu. However, my heart hasn"t been so well lately."
Hearing this, Xue Jinxu"s eyes rolled down her cheeks. She would have said sorry again, but decided not to. Instead she stared straight onto Chen Linyun"s eyes that were full of hurt.
Xue Jinxu buried her face onto Chen Linyun"s chest. "I"m sorry." She said in her mind. Chen Linyun enclosed her in his warm, comforting embrace.
"What can I do to ease up your pain?" Xue Jinxu asked. She kissed that part of his chest where his heart is.
"Nothing. It will heal on its own. Just… don"t leave me… I"m okay with this. I"m okay with taking things slow. Whatever you prefer. As long as you won"t leave me." He tightened her hold around her, his right hand stroking her head, dotingly. He kissed her forehead. How long had it been since the last time they were this close? A month ago? Two months ago? Maybe even three already?
"Let"s start over, mhmm?" But, let"s take it slow." Xue Jinxu suggested, her voice m.u.f.fled since her face was still buried on his chest.
"Good idea." Chen Linyun agreed. He was still enveloping her in a tight hug. "Tell me if you"re uncomfortable."
"En."
"And stop crying. You"re ruining my date. It"s important to me." Chen Linyun bantered.
"Hmph, cranky." She playfully acted offended and spanked him lightly. The next second she was lightly laughing, her face still had traces of her own tears. Chen Linyun looked down on her face, and proceeded in gingerly wiping out her tears with his thumb. "Stop crying. It doesn"t suit you." He said more seriously, tenderly, while hugging her tightly again.
They continued their saunter, but the awkward and tense atmosphere before had lifted. They were loosely tugging at their intertwined hands while walking, end even continued with their banter.
"So, will you be coming home with me tonight?" Chen Linyun asked blatantly.
The lady blushed. She could not answer, yet she stared at her husband"s face for a long while. She would have wanted to say yes, but then she knew what it meant, and at this point, she"s unsure if she could go all the way intimately.
"It"s fine. Slowly… Right?" Chen Linyun answered for them both. He smiled at her rea.s.suringly. "Don"t be too pressured about it."
"I enjoy going out on dates." He continued. "Let"s do this frequently instead. I"ll pick you up, then send you off later at your apartment. Sounds fun right?"
"Yeah. Let"s do that. Let"s catch up on everything we missed before. Seems we skipped a lot of steps before, honey." She realized.
"Can we go out on a date every night?" Chen Linyun started the bargaining. "It"s basically the same thing, without sharing the same home, without living under the same roof. I can live with that." He thought.
"Everyday? Clingy much dear?" She laughed a little. "How about thrice a week?"
"Fine. I"ll pick you up at your store or at your apartment. Honestly wherever." Chen Linyun gave in at thrice at week. "Tell me everything you want us to try out and do together. Let"s create new memories. It"s as if I"m wooing you again. Exciting."
"Agree." The lady giggled.
At dusk, they settled themselves on a bench – Chen Linyun"s one arm draped across the wife"s slender frame, while Xue Jinxu"s head rested comfortably on the husband"s shoulder. The two lovebirds continued talking about sweet nothings while watching the mighty sun retire for the day.