Embarrassment flooded Brian's face upon hearing the conversation between Molly and Mark. Nonetheless, he just sat next to Molly and didn't comment anything. Instead, he turned to his uncle and asked, "Uncle Hawk, are you preparing to open this bottle of wine?"
Hawk smiled softly and replied, "Stealing is not scary. However, the thief who is always thinking about me is!" He then turned to Molly and continued, "Your problems have been solved, thus, I can relax. This is to celebrate you and Brian." He turned to Eric. "And also console the person with a broken heart."
"What? Uncle Hawk! My heart was not..." Eric wanted to retort. However, his words stopped even before he could finish. He leaned himself on the couch and asked, "Uncle Hawk, how'd you know that we would come to steal this bottle of wine?"
Hawk smiled mysteriously and replied to him while looking at Spark, "I knew it when you went to the arena." Hawk knew the real reason. They saw him when he put the bottle of wine into the cellar when they were still teenagers. They had agreed that when one of them found his true love and wanted to spend his whole life together with her, they would come to open the bottle of wine together.
"Mr. Long actually expects everything." Spark commended him. He then raised his hand and clinked his glasses with Hawk's. After a slight sip of the red wine in the glass, Spark said, "Today is a good day to celebrate."
"Why is it a good day?" Mark asked innocently. He pushed himself between Brian and Molly just before Eric opened that bottle of wine. He said, "There's apparently nothing worth celebrating !"
"Why?" Hawk asked. He was as graceful as usual.
"Because Papa Brian hasn't proposed to Mommy, so Mommy and Papa Brian are not actually husband and wife." Mark replied seriously, like an adult. His eyes were bright in the soft light that they look like gemstones shining.
All of the people turned to Brian. Then Spark and Hawk looked at each other. They all agreed with Mark. "Does this mean that I still have the chance?" Eric said to Brian and Molly jokingly. Then suddenly, he seemed to remember something, "And, I actually do not need to explain anything in tomorrow's meeting. Little Molly is single now." Eric said and laughed.
"You're completely right." Spark pretended to agree with Eric. Regardless of Brian's dark face, Spark winked at Mark and Mark also blink at him.
Molly started feeling nervous. She did not speak and just stayed looking at Brian. Although everyone was talking at the same time, Brian sat there without much change with his expression at all. Thus, her heart sank little by little.
Tension was filled the room from wall to wall. Although Mark was the one who opened this topic first, he moved a little bit closer to Molly unconsciously after he stole a glance at Brian. Brian's emotions were beginning to sipped out.
Seeing what was happening, Hawk shook his head and thought, 'He is really exactly like my elder brother Richie. Whatever he does, it should be his own decision.'
"There is always something that doesn't need to be decided by others." Hawk said slowly. He started pouring some red wine to each of the glasses. "It is not good if others help you too much."
Spark had a smile in his amber-colored eyes. Of course, he understood what Hawk said, and so did Eric. They didn't talk like this for Brian, rather they were doing this to remind Molly not to act above herself.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Love Began with the First Meeting