Chapter 200: Chapter 190: You Have to Give Me Enough Time to Rest (1)
The sun was scorching. Georgia Thorne stood at the bus stop, baking under its heat.
Suddenly, the phone in her bag began to ring. "Hello, this is Georgia Thorne!"
The sunlight was so glaring she couldn’t make out who was calling on the dim screen.
"It’s me. Where are you?"
It was Elliot Sheridan’s voice.
"I’m out. I went to Archetype Company to submit some design drafts today!" Georgia saw her bus pulling up slowly and moved forward a couple of steps with the crowd. "Husband, what about you?"
During the week Elliot had been away on his business trip, he’d called almost every day. Elliot loved hearing Georgia call him ’husband.’
Georgia had been shy about it at first, but then she figured Elliot was right. They were husband and wife, after all. Even if she didn’t call him that now, she would have to eventually.
However, they only used the term when they were alone. Otherwise, they stuck to their usual habits.
Elliot listened with satisfaction. The word ’husband’ coming from Georgia’s lips was incredibly pleasing to his ears.
"Something came up on my end. I might be delayed a few days."
"Don’t tell me you’ve found a foreign beauty and don’t want to come back!" Georgia felt a pang of jealousy.
A man like Elliot—though he was a bit old and had a bit of a temper—could have women throwing themselves at him. All he had to do was flash his status, and that, combined with his ridiculously handsome face, was more than enough.
"What do you think? Why don’t I come back and ’unload my gun,’ then you’ll know for sure?"
Every conversation seemed to end the same way: with one of Elliot’s dirty jokes and Georgia’s blushing embarrassment.
’This shameless, shameless man.’
"Be good. I’ll bring you back a present."
"I don’t need a present. Just come back safe."
The bus started to move slowly. Georgia heard voices on his end. "I won’t keep you from your work. Bye."
"Okay. Wait for me."
Georgia smiled as she hung up and put the phone back in her bag.
Her mood was as bright as the cloudless sky outside.
Meanwhile, standing in the crowd, Michelle Shields was frozen to the spot.
She had resentfully followed Georgia and happened to overhear her phone call.
Just as she was about to get closer, she saw Georgia get on the bus and call someone ’husband.’
’What’s going on? Didn’t she fail to get married? Where did this ’husband’ come from?’
She had been following the news from that day very closely.
Georgia Thorne, dressed in a wedding gown, had waited from morning until night, but the groom never once appeared.
’Could there be more to the story?’
「Saturday.」
Georgia was up early, packing her things.
Nancy Hughes, who had been watching her pack all morning, lay on the sofa scooping out a spoonful of watermelon. "Aren’t you going to Elliot’s apartment today?" she asked curiously.
"Why would I go?"
"Elliot’s coming back from his trip today!"
At that, Georgia straightened up. "He’s coming back today?"
"Yeah, Dylan Heston told me. He’s supposed to get to Portmire around eleven!" Nancy turned over. "No way, Elliot didn’t tell you? Don’t tell me you two fought again."
"No, he really didn’t tell me!" When they’d talked on the phone last night, he hadn’t mentioned anything about coming back.
"Could it be that Elliot wants to give you a secret surprise?" Nancy guessed cheerfully.
"No way," Georgia denied.
Her gut told her Elliot wasn’t the type to plan surprises.
Georgia went back to her room and waited until after eleven to call Elliot.
"Hello? What are you doing?"
"You guess," Elliot said. He was sitting in a car, resting with his eyes closed.
He never liked sleeping on planes. Throughout the ten-plus-hour flight, every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Georgia.
"How would I know!" Georgia sat on her bed, swatting at her own shoulder.
They both fell silent. The line was quiet.
After a few seconds, Elliot spoke. "Did you hear it from Nancy?"
"Hear what?" Georgia pretended not to understand, lowering her head to stroke Blue’s paw.
Blue was curled up comfortably by her leg, purring with its eyes closed.
"I was planning to surprise you, sigh!" The sound of his mock-resigned sigh traveled through the phone and straight into Georgia’s heart, which suddenly felt like an overturned honey pot, an indescribable sweetness flooding her.
She kept up her tough front. "What kind of surprise could you possibly have!"
"Making a person appear out of thin air. What do you think?"
"Not good!"
"Too bad. It’s the only one you’re getting!" Elliot said domineeringly.
Georgia almost laughed out loud. "Then I don’t want you!"
"You think you can return me? Open the door!"
The words had barely left his mouth when she heard the sound of a door opening behind her.
Georgia whipped her head around and covered her mouth in disbelief. "How are you here?"
"Surprise!" Elliot put his phone away, crossed the room in a few large strides, and wrapped his arms around her.
They hadn’t seen each other for almost ten days. Elliot had to admit he’d been going crazy thinking about Georgia.
He’d rushed over right after getting off the plane, travel-worn and all, just to appear before her like this.
After a nap and a shower, Elliot felt much more refreshed and looked full of life.
"You’re awake!" Elliot was wearing clothes he had left there before—a soft cotton loungewear set Georgia had picked out for him personally.
Georgia shyly clutched the blanket and looked at him. "Can you get me some clothes?"
Elliot picked a dress for her from the closet, thinking that Georgia’s wardrobe was still too sparse.
’Later, I’ll have Owen Sawyer pick out a batch and send them over.’
’Oh, wait. They should be sent to my place.’
"Go take a shower. We’re going out to eat." Elliot sat on the edge of the bed, his dark hair falling straight across his forehead, obscuring his sharp gaze.
Georgia clutched the dress. "Then you go out first. I’ll get changed by myself."
"What’s there to be shy about? I’ve already let you see all of me. Is there any part of you I’m not allowed to see?"
"..."
Georgia didn’t want to argue with this old man who had secretly stripped her while she was asleep.
’Taking advantage of me!’
’And this isn’t the first time, either!’
If Elliot wouldn’t leave, Georgia wouldn’t change. It was a battle of wills!
"Still not changing? Are you waiting for me to do it for you?" Elliot tossed the towel in his hand aside and leaned in, pressing toward Georgia.
His handsome, clean hands were already gripping the blanket Georgia was clutching. She immediately grew anxious, hugging the blanket to her chest and shrinking back. "Don’t!"
Just then, a phone started ringing from inside Elliot’s suit jacket. "Your phone is ringing!"
Georgia reminded him frantically.
Elliot glanced over, let go, and walked over to grab his phone.
He took one look at the screen, then turned back to Georgia. "Hurry up and change."
Then he walked out while answering the call. "Yes, we’ll be there soon."
As soon as the man was gone, Georgia scrambled to grab her clothes and put them on.
In the living room, Elliot was on the phone out on the balcony.
Georgia went into the bathroom and took a shower.
Standing in front of the mirror, she deftly tied her hair into a ponytail with a hair tie.
As her fingers accidentally intertwined, she felt something cool and metallic.
’Strange...’
She pulled her hands back and looked. On the ring finger of her left hand was a plain band that hadn’t been there before.
There wasn’t a ring on her hand before she went to sleep.
’It was Elliot!’
He was the first and only person who came to mind.
’Is this a wedding ring?’
She remembered the day she’d proposed to him. She had specially taken a picture of her hand and asked if he was willing.
She had originally thought he didn’t have a romantic bone in his body, that he didn’t know you were supposed to have wedding rings. She’d even felt disappointed at the time.
Georgia looked at her slender, pale fingers. A plain band glinted under the fluorescent light.
’He actually slipped a ring on her finger while she was sleeping.’
In TV dramas, when the male lead puts a ring on the female lead’s finger, he always recites a long, romantic speech and even gets down on one knee to propose.
Georgia smacked her own head. ’Georgia, oh Georgia, how could you have slept through it!’
Georgia changed into her clothes, which were no different from what she usually wore.
This wasn’t the reaction Elliot had been expecting.
He frowned and followed Georgia into the room, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.
As Georgia combed her long hair, she noticed Elliot’s stare. She turned her head and looked at him curiously. "Why do you keep staring at me?"
Elliot tried to find some crack in her expression, but he couldn’t tell if she was just good at hiding it, or if she was so unobservant that she hadn’t even noticed the new ring on her left ring finger.
He had made a special trip to Solara and even stayed a few extra days just to wait for their wedding rings.
He wanted Georgia to wear it for the rest of her life. That way, any man who coveted her would see the ring and give up the chase.
Elliot’s expression turned indescribably dark. His handsome brows furrowed deeply, and his sharp eyes shot a look like daggers at Georgia.
Georgia looked even more bewildered. "What’s wrong?"
Elliot let out a cold snort and stalked out, flicking his sleeves dramatically.
’That slow-witted woman.’
Watching the man storm off in a huff, she couldn’t help but smile.
She glanced down at her ring. ’Well, he didn’t say anything to my face, so I’ll just pretend I didn’t see it!’
Inside the car, the air conditioning was blasting.
Coming in from the ninety-degree heat, Georgia shivered from the cold. She turned her head to look at him. "Where are we going?"
The sky was gradually turning dark. Elliot didn’t answer, simply stepping on the gas and driving forward.
’His expression was grave. The ring was right there on her finger. No matter how slow she was, it was impossible not to notice it at all.’
’She must be doing it on purpose!’
’The little minx was getting bold, starting to enjoy teasing him, just like that time at the concert.’
At that thought, Elliot slammed on the brakes, pulling the car to a stop on the side of the road.
"Why did you stop?"
Georgia turned to look at the man beside her. The more agitated he became, the calmer she was.
Her clear eyes reflected Elliot’s furious face. He grabbed her hand forcefully. "You didn’t see this?"
"I see it!" Georgia’s gaze fell to their clasped hands. "You’re grabbing my hand!"
Elliot had thought she meant the ring, and the knot of frustration in his chest had just started to loosen when he heard the rest of her sentence, and it tightened up again with anger.
"You only see the hand? You don’t see what’s on the hand?" Elliot held up his own left hand. Both his and her ring fingers bore matching rings.
A man’s ring and a woman’s ring.
"You know, if you hadn’t brought it up, I would have completely forgotten." Georgia looked at their two rings. "Isn’t this the present you brought me from Solara? How come you have one too?" Her face was a perfect picture of surprise.
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