“Joan, be my girlfriend,” Larry mumbled.
“What did you say?”
Joan couldn’t hear properly because Larry’s voice was too soft.
“Be my girlfriend.”
Larry sat up straight and looked at her in all seriousness with passion in his eyes. “I love you and want to be together with you forever. I want to laugh and cry with you as we watch the sunrise and sunset together. Happiness to me simply means hugging you to sleep every night and see you the moment I’m awake. Say yes and we will never be apart from each other ever again.”
Joan was overwhelmed with happiness at Larry’s confession. She had always dreamed about it but never believed that it would become reality.
“Yes! I will be with you!”
Joan’s eyes were filled with tears of joy. “Being with you is the one thing that I desire the most in this world.”
Hugging each other tightly, they relished in the truth of each other’s words.
After a while, Joan whispered in Larry’s ear in a bashful tone, “Larry, let me tell you a secret.”
“Hmm? What secret?” Larry asked softly. He was stroking her hair as she lay in his arms.
“I… I think I’m pregnant.”
Just as she spoke, she buried her face in Larry’s embrace.
“Oh, it’s good that you’re pregnant.” Larry didn’t grasp the full magnitude of the situation.
“Wait… What? You’re pregnant!”
Larry grabbed Joan’s shoulders in shock. “Is the child mine? I’m the father, right?”
When Joan saw that Larry wasn’t making any sense, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Who else can it be if not you?”
Having heard Joan’s confirmation, Larry burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha, I didn’t expect to not only have a new girlfriend today but also a child. This is really a joyous case of ‘buy one get one free!’“
Joan wondered if Larry had gone crazy as his ramblings made no sense at all.
“Joan, I love you.”
Larry was so ecstatic that he swept her off her feet and whirled her around in his arms.
Joan exclaimed in surprise but quickly realized something was wrong. “Larry, aren’t you supposed to have trouble moving? How are you able to prance around like that?”
Larry gasped at his mistake. He had forgotten about his charade in the midst of his joy.
“Ouch, it hurts! My arm!” Larry pretended to moan in pain.
“You scoundrel! You can drop the act now!”
Joan was infuriated. She had been puzzled as to why Larry was taking such a long time to recover when the doctor told her that he only suffered minor injuries. She now realized that it was a hoax all along.
“I’m going to kill you!”
“Please have mercy!”
As both of them argued affectionately, the air was filled with bliss.
“Enough, enough, let’s take a break,” Larry said to Joan with a smile as both of them were tired.
Only then did Joan bother to stop her exacting her revenge.
“Joan,” Larry whispered into her ear as he pulled her into his embrace.
“Hmm?”
She felt her pulse race the moment his warm breath brushed across her ear, causing her to blush.
“Since you’re now my girlfriend and carrying my child. It’s time I take you to see my parents.”
“Isn’t that too hasty?”
Joan was shocked. “I’m still not ready yet.”
Are you kidding me? I haven’t even prepared anything. How do you expect me to see your parents just like that?
What if I get on their nerves? It will all be my fault!
Holding that thought, Joan suddenly realized that they had to think through the matter carefully.
Despite her concerns, Larry didn’t seem to think they were warranted.
“It’ll be fine. My parents are easygoing people and won’t mind at all. After all, we will be a family soon. All you need is to just be yourself.”
“No! No! Definitely not!”
Joan shook her head vehemently, “I must get myself ready before I meet them.”
Given Joan’s response, Larry had no choice but to agree. At the same time, he was secretly delighted at how seriously Joan took the matter.
