Elijah dropped by as soon as they had finished their meal. Ruka looked torn; she wanted to stay, but she missed her parents as


    well. In the end, by 1.30PM, she got into Elijah’s car.


    Ren had personally seen her to the car door, but with Elijah there, he did not say much to her. “Remember to take good care of


    yourself.”


    “You too,” Ruka replied, her solemn gaze locking with his.


    He closed the car door for her once she had settled in the backseat. Elijah then started the car, but he did not step on the gas


    pedal immediately, worried that there might be other things Ren would like to say to Ruka.


    However, Elijah was surprised when he turned around and saw that the both of them were not speaking at all but merely


    watched one another with reluctance with eyes that were filled with the pain of separation.


    “Drive safe,” Ren said to Elijah, then jerked his chin to indicate that he could pull out of the driveway now. In the backseat, Ruka


    looked down to hide the tears glistening in her eyes. She did not want Ren to see her so vulnerable...


    Elijah drove away from the house, and before long, they were cruising down the main road. Ruka sighed. She knew that she


    could no longer see Ren from this distance, but somethingpelled her to look backward anyway.


    “Don''t worry, Miss Singed,” Elijahforted. “Mr. Husson will not hesitate to see you if you asked him to.”


    Ruka shed him a grateful smile, and her heart warmed at the sight of his quiet concern for her. Returning the favor, she asked,


    “| hope he wasn''t too harsh with you after what happenedst night.”


    “Not at all. Mr. Husson has always been a gentle person,” Elijah replied mildly.


    She pursed her lips to keep herughter from bursting out. She thought about how jealous Ren wasst night; there was nothing


    gentle about him then.


    Half an hourter, they pulled up to the neighborhood where the Singed family home was. The neighborhood was a considerably


    old one nestled in the center of town, and they had never moved out of it seeing as Ruka’s parents were abroad through most of


    the year.


    It was a small house, but it was cozy. It was already straightened up by the time Ruka arrived, and her parents had put up fairy


    lights that ran along the edge of the roof to spice things up for the festivities. “Mom, Dad, I’m home, she called out as she


    dragged her suitcase out of the elevator.


    ire looked down and eximed, “Oh, that looks heavy! You should have asked your father to help you!” “It’s fine. A friend of


    mine dropped me off right at the elevator,” Ruke called up.


    Robert beamed at his daughter. “Ruka, we''ll be doing somest-minute New Year''s shoppingter. Some of our rtives and


    friends are dropping by this evening, and that includes your aunt as well.”


    Ruka nodded. “Okay.”


    When they went grocery shoppingter, Ruka was like a child. She was more coquettish than she had ever been in a while,


    which made it harder for ire and Robert to imagine how lonely things would get if she ever married. They like having her


    around to themselves.


    That night, Ruka’s family was gathered at the Singeds’ ce for dinner. In the midst of the celebration, the grown-ups were more


    concerned about when the young ones would settle down. Ruka’s aunt, Vanya, in particr, had four children three daughters


    and a son. For a while, Vanya had quite the load on her shoulders, which was how Ruka ended up being sent away to the


    Hussons’ when she was a child.


    The eldest of Vanya’s daughters had marriedst year at the age of twenty eight, and with two other daughters catching up to


    their mid-twenties, Vanya was anxious to see them married off. Her efforts continued tonight at the dinner table, only this time,


    Ruka was roped into the discussion as well.


    Never known for being tactful, Vanya said, “So, are you seeing someone at the moment, Ruka? If not, I’ll be d to introduce


    you to some nice young men.”


    Ruka waved her hand frantically. “Oh, no, Aunt Vanya, | don’t feel like putting myself out there right now.”


    “What''s the rush?” ire interjected. She did not like the idea of having her daughter see anyone unless it was a truly nice


    young man who had the makings of a wonderful husband.


    Vanya smiled indulgently. “Well, Ruka’s always been pretty, and I’m sure she''ll blossom in the years toe. Men will be lining


    up outside your door just to ask for her hand!”


    Blushing, Ruka lowered her gaze, and for some reason, Ren’s silhouette surfaced in her mind. Will | really marry him someday?


    “She doesn’t need men to line up for her hand; she needs someone who can really care for her,” ire argued.


    Just then, Ruka’s phone buzzed with a new message, and she nced at it to see that it was from Ren. ‘What are you doing


    now?’ he asked.


    She peered at the grown-ups warily over the dinner table, then quickly replied, ‘Family dinner. My aunt''s trying to set me up with


    nice young men.’


    “Say you’re taken,’ came his response. ‘I can’t, she objected.


    ‘Well then, tell her you already have a nice young man in mind, but leave my name out of it, Ren countered, refusing to entertain


    the thought that his woman would go on a blind date with some random guy.


    Asmall smile curled on her lips as she read this, and she buried this happy secret in the midst of the grown-ups’ lively chatter.


    That night, she could not sleep no matter how hard she tried. It was already past 10.00PM, and as shey restlessly in bed, she


    thought about all the warm and happy memories she had with Ren.


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