The more he said, the sillier Caspian felt about his fight with Nancy. “Boss and Joan may have many problems, but at least when they upset the other person, they would apologize without any hesitation.”
For someone who wasn’t good with words, Caspian was surprisingly very eloquent and forthcoming. Nancy listened to him attentively. She had never heard him say so much in one breath, and she was afraid she might never again get the chance to in the future.
Caspian gazed at the golden tulips held tightly in Nancy’s hand, feeling the warmth that seemed to emanate from them. “Nancy, I’ll change for the better. Tell me what you’re unhappy with, and I promise I’ll change! But you know I’ve always been a wild child, so some habits may take longer to get rid of… “
“Caspian,” she interrupted. Even though it was just one word, it had taken her a lot of effort and courage to get it out.
Caspian hummed in response as his gaze remained on the tulips. He stayed silent to let Nancy carry on with what she had to say.
But, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get the words out. Caspian treated her with so much love and respect, and she couldn’t bring herself to hurt him.
“Joan had invited you along to brunch with us. I… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“Is that it? Don’t worry. Boss had already told me a while ago. We’ll go in the afternoon. We won’t make it for brunch, but we can still treat them to a nice afternoon tea.”
Nancy nodded, unable to go through with what she had planned to tell Caspian. The more she saw how he blamed himself for not treating her right, the more she couldn’t get the truth out.
She knew she wasn’t thinking clearly. She had never panicked this much, not even when she was up against a more formidable opponent in Taekwondo.
The only thing she could do now was to follow her heart and go with the flow.
The day to meet up had finally come. It was a glorious afternoon as the dappled sun shone through the trees, casting beautiful shadows on the roads.
The café by the road had set up umbrellas to provide shade for its beautiful outdoor seating. There weren’t many people idling about at that time, which added to the leisurely atmosphere.
Joan lifted the jug and poured herself her fourth cup of water. Larry looked on, bemused. “Don’t drink so much. Caspian and Nancy aren’t here yet, and we haven’t even ordered our meals… “
“I’ve been thirsty ever since I had my lunch. When I heard that Caspian and Nancy have made up, I was so excited I forgot about my water and came straight here. How dare you complain about me drinking too much!”
Larry laughed as he shook his head. “I’m not complaining. I’m just worried that if you drink so much now, you might need to keep running to the restroom when they finally get here.” Upon hearing that, Joan tried to hit him in mock annoyance, only to have him swiftly place his hand over hers.
“You’ve been drinking so much of the café’s water that people might think you’re trying to get a free meal,” he whispered.
Joan knew Larry had a point, so she scoped out the surroundings, only to find a few young servers eyeing them and talking in hushed tones. They were probably wondering why such a well-dressed couple was only drinking water and not ordering food.
Joan felt a hint of embarrassment as she gingerly pushed her glass away. Even though she was still thirsty, she knew she had to practice some self-control.
