“Yes, I will.”
Instead of saying the usual ‘Yes, I do’, he gave her a firm and definite answer. In Larry’s eyes, having willingness didn’t guarantee that he would do it. Hence, saying ‘I will’ showed that not only was he willing to take up his responsibilities, but he also was going to keep his words.
The couple was so in sync with one another that Joan understood him right away. Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around his neck, whispering in his ear, “Larry, I will do the same as well.”
It had only been a few days, but his hair already appeared disheveled, unlike his usual clean and neat style. There was a whiff of tobacco smell on him. As stubborn as Larry was, it must have been tough for him to change his mentality, despite days of efforts. His trust in her was like a caterpillar that was struggling to break out of its cocoon, and it would soon emerge as a ravishing butterfly.
As for Joan, she had been running around looking for him, skipping meals and not resting well. The exhaustion caused her to lose weight. Larry’s heart ached at the sight of her slim frame. When he first met her, the man liked pinching her face, teasing her with a smile, “You are so chubby.” Without him realizing, her cute and round face became a pretty, oval-shaped one.
Early in the next morning, the two went home with Leslie. It was during rush hour when everyone was on the way to work. Much to their surprise, they couldn’t hail a cab in the bustling city. Having no other choice, Joan suggested taking the subway.
“Why didn’t you drive?” Joan questioned him and plastered on an irritated face.
Larry didn’t style his hair today, and his shirt was slightly crumpled. Holding Leslie, he actually looked a little comical. With an aggrieved expression, the man explained pitifully, “If I had driven my car, Caspian could’ve quickly tracked me down using my car registration number. There’s no way I would let you guys find me so easily.”
His words wiped the smile off Joan’s face. He nudged her with his elbow and asked in a low voice, ”Is there anything wrong with Caspian?”
“When I couldn’t find you that day, I went to Caspian’s place to find out your whereabouts. However, no matter how I knocked and shouted at the door, he and Nancy just refused to let me in. I guess they must have misunderstood me.”
A look of realization crossed his face. “Oh, right. Speaking of misunderstanding, you owe me an explanation. Why have photos of you going out with Dustin been taken? Someone even sent them to me.”
Joan was baffled. “What photos are you talking about? What did you see?”
Letting out a snort arrogantly, Larry ignored her and marched toward the subway station with Leslie in his arms. The woman swiftly kept up with him and grabbed his arm. “Okay, okay, I remember now. Dustin saw that I hadn’t eaten for a few days, so he invited me to his house for a meal. Then, we went grocery shopping together. You said someone sent you those photos, but I don’t get it. What’s so interesting about buying groceries? Why did the person send them to you?”
“He did that just so I would blame you, and that would drive a wedge between you and me.” Larry reached out to poke the tip of Joan’s nose gently. “Silly girl.”
“Who is that? How could he ruin our relationship for fun and create misunderstandings between us?” Joan said furiously. I’m going to punch that person if I ever see him face to face.
Nonetheless, she became dejected the second she thought of Caspian again. “But why did Caspian ignore me? And Nancy too! I still can’t believe that they shut me out. Aren’t friends supposed to talk it out whenever they misunderstand each other? Yet, they didn’t even give me a chance to do any explanation.”
