“Nat, how about you go downstairs with me?” Benjamin raised his brow and asked her.
“What are we going to do downstairs?” asked Natasha.
Flashing her a mysterious smile, Benjamin approached her and held her arm. “Come with me, and you'll find out!”
With that, Natasha headed downstairs under Benjamin's lead.
When they reached the courtyard, Natasha asked again, “Where are you going to bring me?”
“You'll know soon!”
Natasha glanced at him and smiled.
The sky was clear outside.
Under the sun, everything looked vibrant and full of life, and it felt as if they were basking in the wonders of Mother Nature.
When Benjamin and Natasha reached the gate, a voice sounded from the outside.
“Nat.”
Natasha paused in her tracks, unsure whether she was hearing things.
“Nat!” the sweet voice called again. When Natasha looked over, she saw a figure running in from the outside.
At the sight of the girl, Natasha froze.
Wearing a dress, a hat, and a sling bag across her body, Denise looked just like a character straight out of a cartoon as she skipped toward Natasha.
For a moment, Natasha was in a daze. I'm hallucinating now, am I?
While she was still spacing out, Denise approached her and embraced her tightly.
It was only when Natasha felt Denise's arms around her that she realized the girl was really standing before her.
Natasha looked down at Denise, whose hat had fallen off while she was running earlier. Despite the fact that her hair was flattened because of the hat, she still looked adorable.
“Nat, I missed you so, so much,” Denise confessed with a trembling voice.
When Natasha raised her head again, she saw Kenneth walking in with a suitcase.
In an instant, she seemed to understand something.
Lowering her gaze, she stroked Denise's head and responded, “I missed you, too.”
Denise continued to cling to Natasha. After all, she had never been separated from the latter for so long. She missed Natasha so much that she felt like losing her mind.
Standing at the side, Benjamin couldn't help but tease, “Denise, did you only miss Nat?”
“Yes!” Denise answered. It seemed like she had no intention to let go as her arms remained wrapped around Natasha's hand.
With a helpless smile, Benjamin said, “All right, that's enough. Let's go inside first.”
Denise looked up at Natasha with red-rimmed eyes and pouted. “Nat, carry me!”
Right away, Natasha leaned down and took the girl into her arms.
Upon seeing Denise hanging onto Natasha's body like a baby koala, Benjamin frowned.
Just as he was about to speak, Kenneth piped up, “Let me carry you.”
“No. I want Nat to carry me!” Denise refused to give in.
Hearing the girl's words, Natasha glanced at Kenneth and arched her eyebrow triumphantly. At that moment, she felt like she had finally won after being the children's mother for years.
“Nat isn't feeling well,” Kenneth claimed.
Immediately, Denise looked at Natasha and touched the latter's forehead, cradling her face in her palms. “What's wrong, Nat? Are you sick?”
“I'm fine.”
“Then... Then what's wrong?” Denise asked with tearful eyes.
“Her stomach hurts,” Kenneth interjected.
The smart girl twirled her eyes and gave his words a thought before instantly coming to a realization. She then turned around and stretched her arms toward Kenneth, who took her into his embrace immediately.
“Nat, your hand.” Denise reached out one hand to Natasha, wanting to hold hands with her.
Natasha broke into a grin and extended her hand.
With Kenneth carrying her and Natasha holding her hand, Denise was finally satisfied.
After they entered the living room and sat on the couch, Denise got off Kenneth and moved to sit next to Natasha before hugging the latter again like a pitiful child deprived of love.
Natasha had never seen her daughter acting like this. “Are you finally appreciating my existence now?” she teased.
“What do you mean? I've always appreciated you. You're the best, Nat!” Denise stated while snuggling against Natasha.
“How about Daddy?” Natasha probed.
Before Denise could answer, Kenneth remarked, “I didn't lose her affection. It's just that she already hugged me long enough on our way here.”
His words rendered Natasha speechless.
She pretended to be upset as she turned to Denise, grumbling, “Oh, I see...”
“Nat, I missed you a lot! I even lost weight because I missed you too much,” Denise whined.
Natasha gave Denise a once-over and remarked, “You did lose some weight, but how come you also became prettier? Look at how fair and dazzling you are!”
“I'm pretty because it's my job requirement, but I really lost weight because I kept thinking of you.”
At that, Natasha burst into laughter. “Are you sure you didn't lose weight on purpose?”
“Nat!”
“All right, I'll believe you!”
“Nat, did you miss me?”
Natasha nodded. “Of course.”
That confession surprised Denise, who initially thought Natasha would tease her again instead of admitting that she missed her right away. There was an earnest look on Natasha's face, and the sight of that brought tears to Denise's eyes again.
“I missed you too, Nat.” Once again, Denise dove into Natasha's arms.
This time, Natasha embraced the girl without a word.
She did miss them a lot, too. Back when they were together, she never felt that way, but their time apart made her realize how happy she was with them around.
As Benjamin watched them, he curled his lips up and suggested, “Nat, how about we stay here and spend time together before we go back?”
Hearing that, Natasha looked at Benjamin and then at Kenneth. “Were you the ones who asked Denise to come here?”
“We decided on this secretly while we were on the phone with Denise the other day. Daddy only found out today. He was asked to fetch Denise at the last minute,” Benjamin explained.
Natasha narrowed her eyes at his words and chided, “You're getting bolder, aren't you? What if someone abducts her on the way?”
Just then, Denise looked up and chimed in, “Nat, I didn't come here on my own.”
Under Natasha's curious gaze, she continued, “Sharon drove me here.”
Natasha was surprised to hear that. “Sharon? Then where is she now?”
“She claimed she had work to do and went somewhere else.”
Work? What kind of work would require her to travel all the way here?
At that thought, Natasha threw Kenneth a look. He understood what she meant right away and said, “I'll arrange it soon.”
In response, Natasha gave him a nod.
“Nat, can we ask Sharon to come here as well? I know she came all the way here just to bring me to this place,” Denise said.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Not twins novel (Natasha and Kenneth)
Why are these novels always stopping halfway...