Meanwhile, Luke was enjoying cookies and hot chocolate with the children. He was puzzled when he saw Estelle rushing into and out of the bedroom.
Taking a bite of her cookie, Yvonne asked inquisitively, “Uncle Vincent just came downstairs, and then Mom also came downstairs. What are they doing? Why isn’t Dad coming out?”
Luke didn’t have all the answers but was certain that Estelle and Vincent would ask his help if they couldn’t solve the issue themselves. He replied softly, “I think they are looking for something for your dad because he’s having trouble moving smoothly.”
Christina had been yearning for her parents’ reconciliation and gazed at Luke with eyes as bright as stars. “Does this mean they might make up soon?”
Yohan also hoped for their parents’ reconciliation but was a bit more realistic. He commented, “I think they still need some time.” However, Yvonne and Christina were already excited with this answer, clapping their hands and exclaiming, “Yay! That’s great!”
“Alright, drink your hot chocolate first, or it’ll get cold,” Luke suggested, worried that Estelle and Cristofer might feel awkward hearing the children’s excitement. He entertained them to keep them from going upstairs.
Back in the study room, Cristofer tried to negotiate with Estelle, tugging at the hem of his shirt. “You’ve applied the burn ointment. I can handle the rest,” he said, feeling as shy as a teenager, trying to cover his lap with his shirt.
Amused by his shyness, Estelle, holding the shorts, laughed and said, “Don’t be shy.”
“I’m not shy,” Cristofer stated firmly, trying to maintain a facade of composure. However, the reddening of his earlobes gave away his true feelings, which Estelle couldn’t help but notice.
At that moment, Estelle had a sudden realization. She felt like she was the one bullying Cristofer, who now seemed like an innocent young boy. She thought, ‘Since when did our roles in this relationship change? Since we began dating, you’ve always been the assertive one, even though you treated me so kindly. You were my first hug, my first kiss, the first man I slept with, and the first one who convinced me to skip classes. You’re the man I experienced all my firsts in love with.’
The breeze from the window seemed to whisk away those memories and sentiments, leaving behind fragments of broken hearts scattered on the floor. Estelle couldn’t distinguish which pieces belonged to her and which to Cristofer. Taking a deep breath, she snapped back to reality and thought to finish this task swiftly.
After helping Cristofer put on the shorts, Estelle instructed him to lean on her shoulders so he could stand up and pull the shorts into place. She asked casually, “Are you feeling any discomfort now?”
As Cristofer looked at her face mere inches away from his, he suddenly felt a tightness in his pants, resulting in an embarrassing situation, but he couldn’t say anything about it and remained silent.
Just as Cristofer was about to feel incredibly awkward again, Vincent finally knocked on the door and loudly announced, “Mr. Hans, Mrs. Hans, I found the burn ointment.”
Cristofer awkwardly glanced at Estelle, his ears red. His smile stiffened when he saw that Estelle still looked normal. Soon, he calmed down and said in a deep voice, “We’re done. Come in, please. We’re waiting for the scald ointment.”
Vincent pretended that he had just come here and said awkwardly, touching his head, “It took me a long time to find the ointment because I didn’t know much about medicine. I wasn’t sure which one was better, so I brought all the ointment I could find. Mrs. Hans, which one do you think is better?” He was holding all kinds of ointment, ranging from Azithromycin solution to Mometasone Furoate Cream.
Cristofer’s lips twitched, and he thought, ‘Who could believe a man graduating from a famous college can’t read the package insert? You even know how to speak French. You did it on purpose, right?’ But he knew Vincent wanted to let Estelle stay longer with him, so he said lightly, “Okay. Just put them down.”
“Let me have a look. You guys are the best at work but have no common sense about daily life.” Estelle said softly, “The scald isn’t severe, so you only need the ordinary scald ointment and antibiotic cream.”
Vincent quickly said in admiration, “Wow, Mrs. Hans, you even know so many things about medicine.”
“Please stop flattering me,” Estelle said awkwardly.
Vincent scratched his head. “I’m just telling the truth.”
Estelle understood why Vincent was acting strangely today. It felt like she and Cristofer were on the brink of revealing the truth about their relationship. However, neither of them wanted to do it right now, and they both felt hesitant. They knew that everyone around them was eager for them to reconcile. This explained why their three kids were eager to see their dad. Luke tried to persuade Estelle subtly, and Vincent acted unusually friendly today.
Since Estelle didn’t say anything, Vincent thought about taking the two cream tubes from her but decided against it. In a quiet voice, he said, “Mrs. Hans, why don’t you apply the ointment to Mr. Hans’ burn? You’re right; we’re not very knowledgeable about these things. I can handle many tasks, but I’m not confident about applying burn ointment. I’m afraid I might hurt Mr. Hans.”
Hearing this, Cristofer turned stiffly away and chose not to engage with him any further. Estelle understood Vincent’s intentions and firmly responded, “It’s not difficult at all. You just need to use a cotton swab to apply the cream to the burn twice a day. When you see it healing, you can stop. I’m confident you can do it.”
She then casually said to Cristofer, “I still have some work to attend to, so I’ll be going. Remember to use the cream, and make sure the burn doesn’t get wet. I hope Uncle Luke will also remind you of that.”
“Estelle,” Cristofer started to say, wanting her to stay longer, but he realized it wasn’t the right time for such a request in their current situation. So, he held back his words. Estelle paused when she heard him, but when she noticed that Cristofer had stopped speaking, she pretended not to hear and continued downstairs.
Observing the awkwardness between Cristofer and Estelle, Vincent cheerfully remarked to Cristofer, “Mr. Hans, it seems like Mrs. Hans still cares a lot about you. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t pay so much attention to your wound.”
Cristofer halted the conversation, looking down to conceal his mixed emotions. He thought to himself, ‘I can’t determine whether she cares about me or not. It’s okay if she doesn’t, but if she does… that’s something I don’t dare to hope for.’