Ranita’s voice was soft and sweet, resembling that of a little cat, as if she was acting cute.
Brendon’s heart warmed up, intending to steal a kiss, but just as he leaned over, Ayaan caught them in the act.
“Mommy… Daddy is kissing you!” Ayaan puckered his lips and giggled. “How shy!”
Ranita blushed at being exposed and quickly pushed Brendon away. “No, no!”
“Brendon, you’re misbehaving.” Ranita warned the man in a low voice, only to hear Brendon laugh.
His laughter fell on her ears, mellow and pleasant, making her heart uncontrollably flutter.
With Ayaan by his side, Brendon’s constant chatter no longer bothered Ranita. They seemed to have become good friends, just like brothers.
Ranita watched them and felt a twinge of sadness in her heart.
Over the years, she had felt deeply guilty towards Ayaan.
Ranita initially wanted Brendon to leave earlier, but when she saw how happy Ayaan was, his eyes sparkling with joy, she couldn’t bear to do it.
When Ranita left the house, Brendon even offered to drive her to Gauss Technology. In the car, they didn’t speak, but the atmosphere was much better than before.
“Brendon, thank you.” Ranita pursed her lips and glanced at his profile, smiling.
Brendon looked at her. “No need to thank me! You didn’t sleep much last night. Rest for a while, and I’ll call you when we arrive.”
“Take care!”
Ranita couldn’t actually sleep, but she didn’t know what else to say. So she closed her eyes.
The car moved smoothly, and the seat was comfortable.
Ranita gradually fell asleep. She didn’t know how long it had been when she heard someone softly calling her, “Ranita!”
Ranita drowsily opened her eyes and found Brendon leaning closer, his lips almost touching hers.
“Hmm?” Ranita was startled and instantly wide awake.
Click.
The seat belt was unfastened, and the man moved back slightly. “We’ve arrived. You should go quickly, or you’ll be late.”
Ranita’s mind was still hazy, but with his reminder, she looked at her watch and realized there were only ten minutes left until ten o’clock. If she delayed any longer, she would be late.
Ranita hurriedly grabbed her things and got out of the car. “Brendon, I’m leaving. Thank you!”
“Wait a moment!” The man reached out and stopped her.
“What’s the matter?” Ranita asked, and the man’s fingers brushed against the corner of her lips, gently wiping it. “Your lipstick smudged.”
It was just a simple touch, but Ranita felt an electric shock. Her heart raced rapidly, and it took her a while before she could muster up a flushed face. “Thank you.”
Ranita didn’t dare to look at him anymore and quickly ran off. However, she ended up colliding with Makhi at the corner of the elevator.
Makhi smiled at her. “Ranita, why are you running so fast?” After a pause, Makhi added, “Your face looks a bit flushed. Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, it’s probably because I ran too quickly. I feel a bit warm,” Ranita hurriedly explained.
“I was delayed a bit today, afraid of being late and keeping you waiting!”
“Since I just arrived, let’s go up together!” After entering the elevator, Makhi suddenly smiled and asked, “Ranita, are you close to Brendon?”
Ranita pondered for a moment and replied, “Well, we know each other.”
“Is that so?” Makhi smiled again. “I’ve seen you before at Kurima Foreign Studies University. You liked going to the library.”
Ranita was taken aback. “How did you know?”
“When I was at Uni, our group always worked on projects in the library, so I often saw you there,” Makhi said, recalling a scene from many years ago.
Ranita stood amidst a sea of green ivy, like a white rose elegantly standing by a red wall, beautiful and captivating.