Ryan almost lost control.
He could only turn his face away. “Get in the car. Let’s go home.”
On the way home, Freya opened the box. There was a starry moon necklace inside, and tiny diamonds were embedded on a small moon. It was dazzling.
“It’s so pretty,” Freya praised, and her eyes lit up. “ But… It must be expensive.”
“It’s not expensive. Just a few thousand dollars. There aren’t a lot of diamonds on it.” Ryan did not want her to feel burdened.
A few thousand dollars was indeed not expensive to a family like theirs.
However, as the person receiving the present, Freya felt embarrassed. “You’ve given me such a good gift, but I don’t have anything for you…”
“Didn’t you give me a scarf last time?” Ryan said nonchalantly with a smile.
“That scarf was only more than a hundred dollars…”
“If you feel embarrassed, I don’t mind you giving me another small gift.” Ryan stopped being polite. “ However, there’s no need to return the gift. You don’t have to get me a present of the same value as what I’ve given you. That’ll be meaningless.”
Freya initially had that exact thought. However, after hearing his words, she canceled her idea. “ What present would you like?”
The car passed through a crossroad when Ryan thought of something. “My belt isn’t very good. You can give me a new one, but don’t buy one that’s too expensive, though. I don’t want shady people taking pictures of it and saying that I’m involved in embezzlement.”
Freya understood instantly and quickly nodded her head.
After nodding, she was deep in thought again. Why did it have to be a belt?
Freya had dated and gotten married before. She knew that a girl giving a man belts and scarves suggested an ambiguous relationship.
However, she saw Ryan’s honest expression. Moreover, considering that she had given him a scarf previously, perhaps he really wanted to
change his belt. She might have been overthinking.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Catherine Jones and Shaun Hill