Chapter 21
She looked so beautiful. I wasn”t surprised that she could clean up this nicely but given that she hadn’t exactly been dressed to the nines every other instance I had seen her, this was a very welcome change.
She, however, couldn’t look me in the eyes for too long. It was almost amusing to watch, but I was in a sour mood, so I couldn’t appreciate the moment fully. I didn”t, however, share in her shyness, so I took my fill of her appearance before I looked away. She had on a nice-looking set, white romper and delicate pearls on her slender neck, seemed to pull it all together. She looked casual yet elegant, and it just made me appreciate just how gorgeous she was even more.
And then on her lips, she had the darkest shade of red, and all it made me think about was kissing her and once again drinking in her taste.
”Do you have siblings?” I asked. She knew I was talking to her; however, she pretended not to hear me, and that annoyed me.
I didn”t ask the question again, but pretty soon she looked up and confirmed that Aurora was now asleep, resting against the window.
Then she met my gaze.
”Uh… no, I don’t,” she replied. ”I’m an only child.”
I nodded in response, and she returned to staring at the road.
”Would you have wanted one?” I asked a bit surprised at my behavior because usually, I didn”t like to speak much in the car. However, as I watched her, I couldn’t help but ask. I was curious about her, I realized, which was in itself a rarity, so I didn’t want to just blatantly ignore or push it away. Plus, none of these were intrusive questions, at least not yet, so I didn’t expect her to have any difficulty whatsoever in responding.
She thought about my questions, and I watched as she lifted her gaze to think. And then she looked at me.
”I don’t know,” she said. ”I mean, if they were kind and loving and caring, then yes. But if they were toxic and uncaring and forceful, then, of course, no.”
I was almost amused at her words because it was so obviously a dig at my relationship with Aurora.
My gaze lowered to my dear sister Aurora, and I couldn’t help but sigh. If only she knew what she was supposed to, none of these would be an issue. She wouldn’t feel so sad and as though nobody was on her side.
However, if she did know, then this week would be even worse for her, and so I had no choice but to stand by our unilateral decisions to keep things as they were until her wedding was over.
Turning, I stared out of the window, deep in thought and with my mother on my mind, I loved seeing her smile. Over the past few years, she hadn”t quite been that way, but now she seemed to have shed so much emotional weight. She had obviously accepted what was to come and was literally living out every single moment with all of her heart, and I couldn’t help but be happy about this. It also made me feel quite sad, but I couldn’t help but smile once again.
”I’m sorry,” I suddenly heard the voice in the car, so I turned and met Evelyn’s gaze through the rearview mirror.
”What?” I asked.
”I did it again,” she replied. ”Assumed. I didn’t mean that.”
At first, I wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but when I recalled what she had said about having a sibling, I understood.
I watched her then, and my mother’s words filtered through my head. She was right, I realized. I had taken a liking to her more than any other woman I had met in recent years, and now I wanted to know why.
She was gorgeous for sure, but that was the least criteria that could inexplicably draw me to anyone in this way. Even now when she had stepped out of line again, I wasn’t even mad. At least not as I had been the previous time. Now I was almost beginning to accept that she couldn’t help it and that she wasn’t trying to be judgmental. She just couldn’t help but put herself in Aurora’s shoes, and I completely understood. I sighed and sent her a smile so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable once again around me.
”I know you’ve put yourself in Aurora’s shoes, so you can”t help but feel bad for her, that she is not getting the wedding she wants, but I hope you can consider that things are never that simple. And life is never that simple. You”ve put yourself in her shoes, so you can empathize, but remember that she”s only one side of the story. There are others as well, and I”m sure that if you saw my side as well, you’d understand.”
At my words, I could see her gaze soften in contriteness, and then she nodded.
”I know,” she said, in a low voice. ”That’s why I”m apologizing because I meant that simply as a tease. It wasn’t that I was trying to judge or chastise you. I only realized what it sounded like after I had said it.”
I didn”t respond to this because I didn’t want to give her the whole satisfaction that this interaction had been fruitful. I simply wanted her to not feel too tormented by it as this was already severely affecting the degree and extent to which I could get to know her much better.