Alice remained silent. That's true. With how domineering Dylan is, he wouldn't let Kendall accept a Persian cat from me.
She giggled and said, "Ignore what I said, Dylan. Since you're here, don't you want to go in and take a look?"
"I still don't like them. If I went in, I would just feel like getting rid of them."
The only furry animals that Dylan could stand were the ones Kendall raised.
"Are there animals that won't need to be avoided?" Dylan asked abruptly.
"A tortoise," Alice answered.
Ronnie stifled his laughter.
Dylan stared at Alice with a complicated look in his eyes.
"It's true, Dylan. Tortoises are easy to raise, and even though Kendall's pregnant, a tortoise wouldn't pose any risks to her. They're also a symbol of longevity, you know. Wouldn't it be great to have one?"
After a moment of silence, Dylan replied, "I think Kendall would rather keep some fish. Once they're all fattened up, they can be prepared for dinner."
"Kendall needs to maintain a balanced diet and shouldn't eat too much of one thing," Alice reminded.
Both Kendall and the baby needed to get the right amount of nutrients.
"Yes, she shouldn't be craving all sorts of things, so that's why we can't keep any animal that can be used for food around, lest her mouth starts watering."
Alice chuckled. Kendall does love to eat.
Alice saw Dylan pushing the bicycle back out so she hurriedly asked, "Can you give me a ride, Dylan? It's been so long since I got to ride on a bicycle with you."
She was about four or five when Dylan stopped taking her around on a bicycle, but she could still remember what it was like.
"I'll take you if you leave the cat behind, disinfect your hands, and make sure that you're completely free of cat fur. Hurry up. Kendall should be awake soon. I need to go back and drink some soup on her behalf."
Alice rushed back into the animal compound with her cat, ignoring the last thing Dylan said.
After washing her hands as quickly as possible, she took off the apron that protected her clothes from animal fur.
The animal compound provided fur-resistant aprons for those who didn't want to get covered in fur.
"I'm ready!" Alice happily climbed onto the back of Dylan's bicycle.
"Make sure you don't fall."
Dylan rode off on his bicycle with his sister sitting behind him.
He pedaled fairly quickly.
Alice grinned blissfully as she cried out, "It's so fun, Dylan! Go faster."
"Don't go so fast, Young Master Dylan! Wait for me!" Ronnie was trying to keep up with Dylan, but the latter ignored him.
Soon, they arrived at Dylan's residence.
"How did it feel, Ally?"
"It was amazing! Take me on a ride again when you're free, Dylan. I want to relive my childhood."
Dylan tapped Alice's forehead affectionately. "You wish! I'm just practicing so that I can take Kendall out on a ride. Since you think it's pretty fun, I have nothing to worry about then."
Alice was stupefied. Once again, she was forced to endure Dylan's display of affection when she least expected it.
"You're so mean, Dylan. I don't even know what it's like to be in a relationship yet and you keep showing off your relationship in front of me."
Dylan chuckled. "You're still young. There's no reason for you to get involved with anyone now. You can think about it in a few years. But, I'm telling you now. If you do get into a relationship, make sure you tell me. I'll help you check on the guy."
The two of them walked into the house.
"No one in Orapolis dares to go out with me," Alice grumbled. "Who would dare to start a relationship with me? As soon as they find out that I'm Alice Coleman, they avoid me like the plague. They say that if they date me, they'd feel like they're carrying the weight of fifteen mountains. It's too much pressure for them to handle. I'll be 24 next year, Dylan. I'm not a little girl anymore, so you guys should stop scaring off the guys around me. It's all your fault that I don't even know what it's like to be wooed by a guy."
Alice sighed. She was full of woe over the fact that she had fifteen older brothers and male cousins.
When she first started elementary school, she looked so adorable that a lot of boys liked to tease her. Sometimes, they went a little too far and would accidentally cause her to fall. Once, her arm ended up getting bruised.
The moment she got home, her brothers found out about it.
Dylan and all her other fourteen brothers and male cousins marched over to her school to stand up for her.
The little boys were petrified, and those who were the most cowardly even peed their pants.
From then on, Alice became famous among all the students for having fifteen older brothers and male cousins!
All throughout her schooling days, she was famous for being someone that no one dared to offend.
Naturally, a lot of girls tried to get on her good side in the hopes of becoming her sister-in-law.
Unfortunately, all her brothers and male cousins had extremely high standards. None of her schoolmates managed to win them over.
Alas. What a shame.
"24 isn't that old, and you're not even 24 yet."
"Kendall's only three years older than me and she's about to become a mother."
"That's because Kendall met a great man like me who's one in a billion," Dylan declared proudly. "She married young so that she can be doted on even sooner. Look at us right now. Our lives are filled with bliss and delight. All the singles are so jealous of us."
"I'm single too, Dylan."
Dylan didn't know what to say. I guess she really wants to experience what it's like being in love.
Nevertheless, in all of the Colemans' eyes, Alice was still young. Though she wasn't completely innocent and clueless, they were still afraid that she would choose the wrong person and end up being fooled and hurt.
The conversation stopped once they went into the house.
Kendall was awake by then. She was envious of Dylan when she heard that he went out cycling with Ronnie. Why didn't he wait for me?
As soon as Kendall woke up, she had to face her mother-in-law's earnest gaze and several bowls of hearty soup.
Why am I not getting any morning sickness yet? If she did start throwing up in the morning, the family elders wouldn't be bringing soup over for her every day.
Kendall's eyes lit up when she saw Dylan and Alice walking in. She finally had someone to shoulder the burden with her.
"Oh? Why are you two coming in together?" Emily asked before turning her attention back to Kendall and smiling. "How do you like the soup, Kendall? Is it good? If you like it, you should drink more. You must be exhausted after all your long days of work, so you need to have more nourishing food."
"I'm not tired, Mom, really. I'm not tired at all. I'm used to it."
Kendall was holding the spoon, but she didn't drink any of the soup.
Although Emily switched up the types of soup that she made each day, Kendall was still sick and tired of soup.
She was still in the early stages of her pregnancy and her belly wasn't even showing yet. It would be many more months before the delivery, but she was still terrified by the way her in-laws were pampering her.
Kendall decided to go back to her parents' home tonight and stay there for a few days to avoid having to drink any more soup.
Truth be told, her mother would make soup for her too, but it was easier to deal with just her mother alone instead of all the family elders among the Colemans that were lining up to feed her.
"Dylan's the one who's exhausted. He didn't even get to sleep well last night. He needs more nourishment too, Mom. He can have this soup," Kendall added as she dragged Dylan over and pushed the bowl of soup over to him.
Dylan went along with it and had two spoonfuls.
"That's for Kendall, Dylan."
"But, I've already had some, Mom. What should we do?"
Dylan grinned mischievously. "Since I've already had some, I'll just finish the rest. I went cycling earlier and it was quite tiring since it's been so long. I need to head to the office too, so I'm the one who needs more nourishment."
"You've already gained weight," Emily scoffed disdainfully. "Any more nourishment and you'll be as round as a ball."
Dylan was speechless. I think you're going to have to drink this soup yourself, honey.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Love Knows No Bounds novel (Kendall and Dylan)
Beautiful story....