67

Tomas.
“Honey, thank God you left the hospital. Now I can take care of you. Just stay in the hotel for a few days until I find us a new home to start our family together. I promise to make you happy every day, every second, once you step into our new house.” I kissed Jennifer’s hands and her forehead softly, filled with love. She gazed at me, a hint of annoyance in her eyes. I chuckled softly, sneaking a glance with my right eye.
I hugged her tightly. “Jennifer, I have to go now.” She closed her eyes, perhaps expecting a kiss on the lips. I watched her, stifling a laugh. When I finally burst out laughing, she opened her eyes, grinding her teeth. “Are you teasing me, Tomas?” she muttered.
I patted her head. “I’m not, honey. It’s just that you held your lips out for too long. How could I kiss a pregnant woman?” I smirked.
“What?” she groaned.
“I’m just kidding, Jennifer. Maybe it feels a bit weird to kiss you or even sleep next to you since I’ve never done it with a pregnant woman before,” I teased, raising my eyebrows.
She pouted, gritting her teeth, then pushed me away. “Then get out of this room now, Tomas!” She slammed the door in my face and locked it.
“Wait! I was just-” I stammered.
“God, Jennifer! I was just teasing you! Maybe pregnancy makes women a bit crazy!” I muttered.
I heard Jimmy call out my name from down the hall. “Tomas! She kicked you out of the room!” He laughed hysterically.
I turned to him, huffing. “Don’t start a fight with me. I’ve already ruined the mood for the day!”
“Pregnancy makes women like witches! So watch out, man! Don’t tease her, or she might throw something at you-maybe even a knife!” Jimmy mocked.
“This is not funny at all, Jimmy!” I crossed my arms over my chest.
He stepped closer. “Huh? Do you think I’m kidding? Read about it or call the doctor! I’m serious-be careful! You should sleep with a gun under your pillow. Women in this phase can go from sweet to terrifying in an instant!” He spoke with a grave tone, furrowing his eyebrows.
I walked away from him, waving my hand dismissively. “Nice try, Jimmy. That was close!” I winked, turning my back to head for the elevator.
“Man, I’m serious!” Jimmy hollered.
I gasped and cleared my throat as I entered the elevator, pressing the ground button. Suddenly, I remembered I hadn’t asked Jennifer what she wanted for dinner. I picked up my phone and called her. “Hey, sweetie. What do you want for dinner?” I chuckled.
“Um, I want ramen!” she replied, giggling.
“What is that? Is it like noodles with seafood?” I asked, confused.
“Yes! But it has to be authentic ramen!” she insisted.
“Okay, I’ll ask the chefs in this hotel to make it for you!” I stuttered.
“No! How do I know it will taste the same? I’ve never eaten it before!” she exclaimed, her voice rising.
“Honey, where can I even find this ramen?” I asked, trying to keep my cool.
“It’s easy-Asia, I think! Korea!” she grinned.
“Korea?! How am I supposed to get you a bowl right now? Can we choose something else? I’m asking what you want for dinner, not for breakfast next month. Be reasonable, please!” I pleaded sweetly.
“First, it’s ramen, not ammo. Second, I know it’s for dinner. I’ll lock myself in this room until I get my bowl of ramen or die. Got that?” she screamed, then hung up.
“Honey, honey! What just happened? She hung up while I was talking to her? And she slammed the door in my face!” I muttered, bewildered.
Jimmy appeared beside me. “Told you!” he mocked. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Tomas!”
“God, you scared me! I thought she was teasing, but she’s really serious. She said she’d lock herself in her room until I get her ramen! What am I supposed to do? If I sent my private jet to Korea, it would take at least 30 hours to get here! She’ll faint or die! She needs to eat now!” I huffed, raking my fingers through my hair.
Jimmy glared at me, running his fingers through his own hair. Then he snapped his fingers. “I have an idea!”
I widened my eyes, raising my eyebrows. “Really? Tell me!”
“Don’t touch me! This is weird! You look silly!” Jimmy huffed, blowing out a sharp breath and looking at my hand with disgust.
I dropped his hand. “Okay, now tell me. She’s your little sister after all; you should care about her a little bit. Or do you want her to starve?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Dammit! You’re using me because you know how much I love her!” Jimmy ground his teeth.
“Now tell me, what should we do?” I asked seriously.
“It’s easy. Every hotel must have Asian chefs, and I’m sure we have one. We’ll ask them to make a bowl of ramen for her.” Jimmy giggled, pointing to the manager and some employees.
“I want the Asian chefs in the hotel now!” he ordered.
“Okay, sir. I’ll be right back with the chefs,” the manager said, nodding as he walked away.
A few minutes later, the manager returned with an Asian chef. “Sir, you called?”
“Yes, we need you to make the best bowl of ramen with plenty of seafood, immediately!” I hollered.
Jimmy turned to me, chuckling. “You look nervous and serious, Tomas. Calm down.” Then he turned back to the chef. “Do what he asked and send it to the royal suite for my little sister.”
“No, Jimmy! We should go with the chef to Jennifer’s room. She might kill him or stab him with a fork!” I exclaimed, wide-eyed.
“I guess you’re right!” Jimmy rubbed his jaw, looking concerned. The chef was visibly anxious. “Sir, I should make it now and send the bowl to the room,” he said, excusing himself and rushing off.
“God, you scared him, Tomas!” Jimmy teased.
“Now, Jimmy, before he finishes this weird dish, I want to discuss something very important. It’s a matter of life or death!” I squeezed his hand, pulling him toward the outdoor pool.
“Stop, Tomas! I’m not a cow! What’s wrong with you? You’re not the pregnant one!” Jimmy shrieked.
“What is this, a family habit? Even our sister yells right in my ear whenever she takes advantage of me!” I furrowed my eyebrows, rubbing my ear.
“Be serious, Tomas! Tell me what’s going on!” Jimmy demanded. I turned to face him. “What do you think about me, Jimmy?” I asked, pointing to my face.
“What do you mean? I’m not the one in a relationship with you! Are you bisexual or gay?” he raised an eyebrow, shaking his head.
“God! Are you serious? Jimmy, wake up! I’m a womanizer, for God’s sake!” I retorted.
“I know, it was a joke, Tomas! I was trying to lighten your mood. Now, ask me again!” Jimmy smirked.
“What do you think about me? As a man, a businessman? If I asked Jennifer to marry me, what do you think she would say?” I asked seriously.
“As a woman, no one likes to marry a womanizer. But if she marries Tomas Charl, I’m sure she’ll be over the moon,” Jimmy replied.
I gasped. “Then do you think Jennifer will accept?”
“No, she’ll refuse for sure!” Jimmy said, frowning.
“What? But you said any woman would accept!” I huffed, furrowing my eyebrows.
“I said any woman, but my little sister is not just any woman,” Jimmy explained.
“Okay, what should I do? You have to help me,” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder.
“Dammit! You killed my parents, but now I should help you for my little sister’s sake!” he exclaimed, frustration evident in his voice.
“I want to propose to her tonight… with a romantic party. In front of everyone. I want to kneel and put a real diamond ring on her finger. I love her, Jimmy, so please help me,” I begged. For the first time in my life, I was asking for help like this.
“Okay, Tomas, I’ll help you. But first, let’s check on the kitchen and see what the chef has prepared for Jennifer’s dinner. Then I’ll help you prepare everything. Don’t worry,” Jimmy said, patting my shoulder.
We walked to the kitchen, where the chef had finished. As we approached, we both covered our noses. “God, what is that smell? It stinks! She’ll throw up!” we exchanged worried glances.
“Tomas, we have no choice. Let’s go up to her and see what happens!” Jimmy took the bowl and started walking, nudging me to follow.
We took the elevator. “God, we should leave a note in the elevator saying it’s closed for a week! If anyone uses this elevator, they’ll faint from the smell!” I mumbled.
“Hey, good idea! Even if we sprayed this elevator with perfume, it wouldn’t help! I wonder why she asked for this!” Jimmy rolled his eyes.
When we arrived and stepped out of the elevator, I felt nervous. I was genuinely worried about how she would react to this dinner.