“I’m asleep, Mom, and it’s getting late as well. Why don’t we talk tomorrow?”
“All right, then. You go ahead and get some rest.” As soon as her footsteps faded away, our surroundings fell silent again. Only the faint sound of the chilly night breeze blowing past could be heard.
I let out a sigh of relief and instantly relaxed. Then, slapping Christopher’s head, I remarked, “If she had barged in here just now, I swear, the sky would have come crashing down.”
“Don’t worry. Am I not here to protect you in case that happens?” Smiling affectionately, he sat me up and positioned me in his arms, his lips once again falling upon mine as he kissed me gently.
I knew he was doing all he could to comfort me, and it did help me to feel better eventually. After our strenuous workout ended, I lay there on his sweaty and muscular chest, scrutinizing the scars on his tan skin. I had never asked him how he had gotten them, but ever since I found out he was in the special forces, I knew they could only be his battle scars.
As I traced my finger over them, Christopher’s hand quickly flew over, gripping mine. Pointing at the scars, he asked, “What’s wrong? Do you hate the sight of them? Well, I don’t. I think it adds to my masculinity. Don’t you agree?”
Rolling my eyes at him, I answered, “Of course, I hate seeing them! The mere sight of them frightens me.”
In fact, those scars sent chills down my spine whenever I saw them. I never felt that way before I knew the reason he had them. However, once I did, the scars only reminded me of the horrifying battles he had fought.
“You don’t have to be afraid. I promise I’ll be extra careful in the future and won’t do anything that might worry you, all right?” he assured, planting a few kisses on my forehead.
I nodded wordlessly. I knew that due to his identity, there were certain commitments he simply could not reject. In fact, even if he had a choice, he would still have chosen to do them anyway, as it represented his honor and courage in battling alongside his comrades. Knowing there was no stopping him, I could only hope he would stay safe at all times.
As soon as dawn broke, Christopher climbed his way back out of the window. I did tell him he could simply go through the front door, but he refused to do so. Overcome with curiosity, I asked him why.
Lightly brushing his finger down my nose, he chuckled as he explained, “I’m leaving exactly the way I came. This is a secret rendezvous, isn’t it? Of course, I can’t possibly just walk through the front door!”
I snorted at him. A secret rendezvous? What’s he talking about? We’ve been a couple for ages now. The way he puts it, he’s making it sound as if it’s an affair!
After he left, I returned to bed and slept for a few more hours. Then I woke up and went down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. However, as I approached the kitchen, I spotted Isabelle in there, already busy with cooking. Stunned, I froze in the doorway for a moment.
In fact, Isabelle’s cooking was superb. I remembered tasting it as a child and thinking it was better than any chefs out there. Perhaps I did miss it a lot after not having it for years, as I stood there reminiscing about the taste, thinking that her cooking was the best I had ever had.
“You’re up? Breakfast will be ready in a minute. Why don’t you wash up first?”
“I’ve already done that,” I said with a smile.
“I remember you used to love the banana pancakes I made. You should have as many as you can,” stated Isabelle as she placed the dish on the table. Pointing at the pan behind her, she went on, “I fried a chicken omelet as well. That was your favorite, too, wasn’t it?”
I watched as Isabelle scooped the dish onto a plate. This woman, who once felt like a stranger to me, was finally beginning to seem less like one.
I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast that day and ate an awful lot, a smile hanging on my lips the whole time. After that, I gave Nathan a call to inform him that Isabelle would like to meet up with him for a chat. He sounded extremely emotional when he heard that and kept confirming if it was true.
“A-Are you serious a-about it? D-Did Belle really say she wants to meet me?” He could barely get the words out.
“Yeah. She said to meet her at Majestic Garden,” I stated flatly.
“A-All right. I’ll be there on time…”
“Look at you, Nathan! Aren’t you pleased to meet up with that woman? Let me tell you this. If you plan on reconciling with her, you’d better make sure you kill both me and Yvette first!”
