"Nope," Carlos answered coldly. He was not the type to be curious about everything.
Despite his answer, Debbie still chose to continue. While jogging along with him, she said, "The easiest way to lose weight is... to give your heart to me!"
Debbie herself burst out laughing at her joke as if Carlos was ready to give her his heart and soul.
Her breathing rhythm disrupted by laughter, she began to pant.
But she still laughed some more. Maybe it was to conceal her embarrassment. By the look of it, Carlos was impassive.
Unknown to her, he was thoroughly enjoying her lively company. Her smile was a ray of sunlight, working its way through his hitherto cold heart.
He slowed down and then came to a halt, staring at her with unrelenting, lustful eyes.
Debbie stopped as well. His intense gaze made her feel awkward. She scratched the back of her head and stammered, "I...I'm going back home."
All of a sudden, he took a step forward.
Startled, Debbie instinctively stepped backward. They repeated it a few times until her back bumped into a big tree. She had to walk past the tree if she needed to avoid him.
So she turned right in an attempt to walk past the tree, but he stretched out his arm to press on the tree and blocked her way.
Left with no choice, she turned left. Then again, she was blocked by him.
'Is this a Kabe-don?' Her mind flashed back to the study at his manor, where among other books, there were also a couple of Japanese poetry works. In wistfulness, she wondered how much better they'd have done together for all the three years she was away. Gradually, her heart began to race, her cheeks flushing with love.
She raised her head to look at him. "You... I..." She was lost for words.
He lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.
An intense, passionate kiss from a man long starved of love. 'He kissed me again!' She savored the moment, feeling electrified in his warm embrace.
'Oh my God! We are in public, and there are many people passing by!' she thought to her
mind you calling me 'Uncle.' But you have to call her 'Aunt' as well. Otherwise, people will mistake her for my niece as well." Seeing sense in what he said, Debbie protested, "That's not gonna happen!"
With a playful touch, Colleen pinched his arm, to which he smiled pleasantly.
Watching the peaceful couple, Debbie envied their love and commitment to each other.
After so many years, Colleen and Curtis were still head over heels in love. Debbie had never seen them have a disagreement.
In contrast, she and Carlos had disagreed almost every day.
Shaking off her thoughts, Debbie let go of Colleen and walked up to Curtis, who was holding a little boy. "Who is this handsome boy?" she asked. She lightly pinched his chubby face and smiled broadly.
It was the first time that she had seen her little cousin, who was even younger than her daughter. She reached into her clutch-bag and took out a chocolate bar for him.
The boy happily grabbed the bar and put it into his mouth, trying to bite, with the wrapping paper still on.
Debbie scooped him into her arms, unwrapped the bar for him and played with him, enjoying his excited gurgling sounds.
"Sweetie, what's your name?" she asked.
"He is Justus Lu," Colleen answered.
"Justus. Sounds good." Curtis held the chair for Debbie as she sat down with the boy in her arms.
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