Honestly, Amber didn’t expect that the new-and-improved Ian would be like this. Unable to stand his salacious comments anymore, she decided to take a leisurely two-day break-last night’s reverie had seriously traumatized her, ok? Even now, she was still aching inside!
Of course, she still gave a pretty good reason for her solo vacation. “It’s been a few weeks since I last visited home. Conveniently, I have some time off this week, so I’m going to return and see my parents.”
But Ian’s reply was, “I’ve already talked to them.”
“Hmm?”
“I told your mother that you weren’t feeling well today, so you can’t go back.”
“… Did my mom call?”
“Mm, to be accurate, she sent me a text.”
!!!
A very bad premonition surfaced within her heart. She started walking back into the room, but on second thought, she walked out again. “What were you guys talking about?”
Ian was sitting comfortably on the sofa with both legs extended as he generously handed his phone to her. The first thing Amber noticed was that her mother had been stickied on his WhatsApp.
Clearly, the two of them chatted quite often. All of it was initiated by Amber’s mother, as she asked him almost daily, “What are the two of you doing today?”
Ian’s responses originally started off very terse. “Busy.” “At work.” “She’s working overtime.” Then, perhaps Amber’s mother found it boring, there were a few days where she didn’t ask anything. But after Amber’s apartment renovation had finished, she had started asking the questions daily once again.
This morning, Amber’s mother had texted “What are you two doing?”
Ian: “She’s sleeping, and I went to get groceries.”
Amber’s mother was clearly shocked. “This lazy brat’s still sleeping, even at this time?”
Ian: “Because she’s not feeling well.”
“Oh, is she sick? Tell that girl to take better care of her body.”
Then, Amber’s mother linked a few articles that weren’t particularly credible with titles such as, “What you should eat when you have a cold.” These articles were ubiquitous on mothers’ and aunties’ feeds throughout the country.
Up to here, everything looked normal; the shocking news was at the very end. After a while, Ian responded “She doesn’t have a cold. She said that it’s because I hurt her.”
Amber’s feelings were about as complicated as Amber’s mother’s.
As soon as she read this, she grabbed his hand and started grinding her teeth. ‘Crazy, crazy, crazy! Why did he have to tell her mother about this!!’
This time, Amber’s mother took a very long time to reply, “Give her some good food to supplement her body.” … And then she added on in a second text “If it’s too uncomfortable, tell her to rest well at home”.
From Amber’s understanding of her mother, she was almost definitely typing these sentences out, one letter at a time, with a malevolent and fearsome expression on her face.
Her intuition was spot on. When Amber returned to her room and picked up her own phone, she saw a message from her mother “You dirty little brat! You’d better not come home this weekend, or I’m afraid that I might be unable to control myself and beat you to death! Tell him to prepare to get married. Your place is already renovated, so just choose a date and have the ceremony then!”
Amber had no response.
Amber had always felt that she wasn’t a bad child. She had found a respectable job, made a decent amount of money, and was always filial towards her parents. However, her mother’s words always made her feel like she was trying to pass her off to someone else, like a burden.
And so, Amber texted back: “I’ve decided to depend on you for my entire life.”
Amber’s mother instantly replied: “I’m not strong enough to carry you. Please latch onto someone else!”
Amber was out of replies. -_-||
She was being forced to abandon her family and leave home! But even if she did so, she couldn’t do so alone; she had to bring Ian with her because leaving him alone in the house would be too dangerous. That fellow’s mind was filled with pornographic intentions, and he’d act on them anytime and anywhere, without warning or shame.
As such, any indoors activity would be too dangerous. Luckily, it was a nice day outside with a clear sky and a splendid view of the spring atmosphere. So, Amber decided to go cycling with him. She initially tried to ignore her discomfort, but was only able to bike a few miles out before becoming too exhausted. To that end, she even discarded her bike and fell down in a heap by the roadside, like a dead dog.
Ian was already very far out when she collapsed. When he finally noticed that she had fallen behind, he turned back to look for her. A short while later, he saw her lying underneath a tree. The tree’s swaying leaves let a few soft rays of sunlight pierce through, leaving a mottled pattern on Amber’s skin. As the spring wind ruffled the branches, leafage slowly drifted down, some landed in her hair, some on her white cheek, and others on her plain clothes.
When Amber sensed that Ian had arrived, she immediately opened her eyes. Her clear pupils were filled with the drunken radiance of spring. As she basked in the warm sunlight, she smiled and stretched her hand out towards him. “Hello there. The scenery here is really nice. Do you want to stop and take a break?”
Ian wordlessly dismouted from his bike, headed toward her, knelt down half way, and then, without any warning, hugged and kissed her.
Amber was so surprised she didn’t even react.
A few seconds later, she pushed him away even as her face had turned a deep red. “We’re still out in public! Show some restraint, you big oaf.”
Ian couldn’t help but laugh, but he did eventually let go of her. Amber shifted her posture slightly so that she was now half-resting on his knee. “The weather’s really great today. It feels really nice to just sit here and appreciate the view with you.”
She was just saying whatever came to her mind, but also partially reminding him to not to engage in anything overtly sexual.
Luckily, Ian honestly agreed that it was very nice to just sit here with her like that. Whenever he saw her smile, he felt as if even his heart calmed down and became more peaceful.
Of course, if they could kiss and then make love, it’d be even better.
For today, the two of them left their busy and tiring lives behind, and under Amber’s insistence, finally behaved like a regular couple, enjoying a small and relaxing date.