Tell Me Again, My Love

One hand was still holding the steering wheel, another reached to the pa.s.senger seat at the back for a box of tissue. With his mother was back in town, he needed to prepare whatever needed in the car just in case the emotional woman burst into tears while in the car.

All the cars belonged to the family have everything needed.

He handed the tissue to her and she murmured her thanks. Then, she used the tissue to dry her tears silently.

There was no need for any word. They understood each other.

Jeremy focused on his driving while Ryn worked herself to stop the tears.

Half an hour later, he found a fast food restaurant and went through the drive-through to buy something for them. He needed the coffee and he knew she would want to. And he also knew she wanted to eat some meats. He ordered on behalf of the two of them and Ryn did not argue when she heard the food and drink for her. They did not have to wait long because not many vehicles were waiting for their meals. Soon enough they went back into the highway with Ryn enjoying her sesame chicken wrap.

They spent another three hours on the road before they stopped again for lunch. This time Ryn suggested for them to find a restaurant to eat. He could stretch his legs too, she pointed out. She knew how tiring driving for hours but she could not help him. She did not have a driving licence and most importantly, she did not know how to drive!

They spent almost an hour there. They not only have their lunch but also discussed about… their feeling. Jeremy knew this was the only chance for them to speak and later it would be hard for him to have alone time with her.

"Why do we have to talk about this?" she asked awkwardly. She did not know what to say when he suddenly asked her how she felt about them. They were supposed to walk around the park to digest the food, not sitting on the stone bench, under the willow tree and talked about their feeling. She was not ready for this!

"Why not?" he asked stubbornly. His heart was pounding hard. Even his hands were sweating. He was nervous to know her answer.

"I"m… not sure…" she mumbled.

"Excuse me?" he couldn"t hear her voice clearly. Did she just say no to him?

She mumbled something under her breath and again he did not catch it. His face changed into sadness.

"Am I that hateful for you? Is it so hard for me to get your forgiveness?" he asked sadly.

"You… you are kind. You are not hateful but I…" she paused.

"But what?"

"I just… I don"t know how I want us to be… I… I"m comfortable with us like this," she mumbled.

She considered him just a friend although her heart screamed for her to take him back. She told herself by being a friend, she would not get hurt if he did something wrong. She would be able to move on, especially once she decided to retire and return back to her family. She did not tell this to anyone yet, not even her parents. Seeing them living in the countryside, free from any problem made her feel her life was too complicated. She missed living with them, care about nothing but just to avoid her mother"s cooking. The house she bought would be a second home for her and her family. Whenever they missed the city, they would stay there.

"Why don"t you… Ryn~"

She ran her eyes from looking at him. She was stuck in the middle between her desire to forget everything but at the same time her longing for his love. She knew she was still in love with him. The love never died. It was deep inside her heart. But she was scared to get hurt again.

"I know I did not give much rea.s.surance about our relations.h.i.+p at that time but you know the one I love is you. Only you," he grasped her hands desperately. His nervousness was getting lesser when she did not pull them back. He still had the chance!

She could feel the warmth from his big hands seeping through her hands. Her heart pounded but she refused to say a word.

"You"re hurt because of my stupid ego and it was too late for me to realize it. But, love, I really do want to… please look at me. Don"t avoid me," he begged.

She finally looked at him but her eyes were wet. There was no tear but he knew he touched her emotion.

"You said you"re giving me a chance to woo you. I just hope you give yourself to feel love again," he continued, carefully choosing his words.

"I did…" she finally choked out, closing her eyes. But she did not give herself a chance for love. She was scared. Even her mother and Andy said the same. The trauma from her heartbroken built a thick wall around her heart, protecting her from any hurt.

And she knew it made her even colder and people kept having a misunderstanding about her. She noticed it when she started her study at the university, but she did not care much about it. Even now she did not care. As long as those who she closes with knew who she really was, she did not mind all the misunderstanding.

"Then?" the conflict in her eyes made him feel the pain but he hardened his heart and push more. This was the chance he had been waiting for, while her heart was vulnerable, and he did not know when he would have this chance again.

Slowly his hand reached for her shoulder and pulled her to rest against him. And to his happiness, she did not push him away.

"Don"t you think we should give us another chance?" he asked. His voice vibrated against her head and he stole a kiss on top of her head after he said that.

She tightened her eyes. Her mind was in a mess. Should she give them another chance? A real chance?

*~*~*~*

Harry went upstairs and headed to a room. He frowned seeing the door was opened.

"What"s wrong, aunty?" he asked.

Angel called him to her room when he just finished the game with his friends. Until now, his aunt was still living with them as his mother refused to let his sister-in-law away from her eyes.

"I heard Ryn has moved out," Angel murmured, as she stared at another canvas she was working on. Despite the argument from her brother and sister-in-law, Angel kept taking commissions and at the same time preparing for her exhibition.

"Yes. She moved closer to the university," he replied. He did not keep anything from her, well, except his real feeling toward Ryn. Angel, despite being absent-minded, was his close confidant.

"Her painting is done and I want you to give it to her," she said without looking at him.

Painting? Harry"s cheeks turned red as he was reminded of a particular painting. He had no idea when these two women collaborated and when Ryn came to be a model for his aunt. The redness even covered from his neck to his ears.

"Harry, did you hear me? Can you give it to her?" Angel asked. The painting was not commissioned by Ryn but rather a gift from Angel to Ryn for making such wonderful chocolate cake.

Speaking of chocolate cake, it had been days or maybe months since she last tasted the delicious chocolate moist cake. She smacked her lips at the thought and finally turned to look at him with her eyes sparkled.

"Do you think Ryn can bake me a chocolate moist cake?"

Harry"s brows lifted at the question. Trust his aunt to speak without looking at the situation. Didn"t she noticed how embarra.s.sed and awkward Harry felt about the naked painting of Ryn and to be the one handing the painting to her would be so… hard.

"Why don"t you call her today and ask her if she can bake it tomorrow?" the thought of eating a deliciously moist cake made Angel so excited, she even ignored the painting she was working for. Her mind now was full of chocolate cake. She could not wait to get her hand on it. Especially with the ganache drizzled all over the piece of cake and it soaked the cake so beautifully before it set. Yum~

"Why…" Harry cleared his throat and tried again, "Why don"t I bake the cake for you? I think we have enough ingredients to make a cake."

The diamonds in Angel"s eyes dimmed. She admitted her nephew was a good cook but she preferred the chocolate cake made by Ryn. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. Her lips pursed a bit.

Harry gulped.

"It"s not that I don"t want to call her for the cake, aunty, but she is out of town right now," he reasoned.

"Oh…" Angel frowned as her crossed arms tightened. "Ask her when she will return so she can bake a cake for me."

Harry looked at his aunt speechlessly. Didn"t she understand what he was trying to say? Ryn was not their personal baker. She had her own life to live. She was not on their back and call.