Stunned by her mother's question, Michelle blinked frantically as she tried to come up with an excuse.
Mothers know their daughters the most. Without a doubt, Elaine knew that her daughter must have fallen in love with someone. Since Michelle seemed unwilling to admit it, Elaine decided to stop talking about it. "Well, it doesn't matter. If someday you fall in love with a guy and get into a serious relationship with him, you can bring him home for dinner and introduce him to us."
Relieved, Michelle chuckled and sat next to Elaine. "I know that, Mom. Oh, by the way, thanks for washing my bed sheets yesterday," she said to her, holding her arm.
"It's nothing," Elaine replied, patting her gently on the face.
"Next time, I'll take care of the laundry for you. Don't worry about it, okay, Mom? You too, Dad. Alright?" Michelle offered.
Adams replied, "Okay, I'll let you know next time. From today on, your mom won't go to work. You should come back early and have dinner with her. I still have some things to take care of, so I may not join you. Don't stay out all night."
He stressed the last sentence.
"Got it, Dad," Michelle replied with a smile.
"Don't forget," Adams reminded her seriously.
Standing at attention like a soldier, Michelle stiffly saluted. "Yes, sir!"
Adam and Elaine shook their heads and chuckled at their daughter's antics.
Suddenly, Elaine remembered something. She looked at Michelle and said, "By the way, Mimi, Leon dropped by yesterday to get the spare key to Nina's apartment."
"What? He took it?" Deep inside, Michelle was a little reluctant to give it back to him. They had so many memories together in Nina's apartment. One time, she even kissed him secretly as he slept. Before she went abroad, she went back to the place to take his sheets with her.
'Wait!' Michelle realized something.
Last night, Leon did mention the sheets while they talked. He must have visited the apartment and found out about her secret.
Realizing this, she felt very embarrassed. Her face flushed red almost instantly.
Now Leon knew her secret.
"Ah!" Michelle let out a muffled scream into her palms as she squatted down.
Without a clue as to what was happening, both her parents were shocked. Elaine looked down at her and asked, "What's wrong, Mimi?"
Adams joined in as well. "What is it? Are you feeling any discomfort? Headache? Stomach pain? What is it?" Looking at his daughter as she tried to cover her blushing face, he kept on guessing what was wrong. "Is your face hurt? Why are you covering it with your hands?"
As if nothing had happened, Michelle stood up with a straight face and declared, "I'm going to work now. Bye, Mom and Dad." She then sprinted outside as if a ghost was chasing her.
Clueless, Elaine frowned. "Hey, what just happened?" she asked her husband.
"Don't worry about it. Seeing how fast she ran out that door, I'm sure she's fine."
They sat down and proceeded to eat breakfast.
Once she was already far from their house, Michelle stopped to catch her breath. She put the back of her hand against her cheek and felt that it wasn't hot anymore. After resting for a minute, she continued on her way, walking easily this time around.
On the side of the road was a dark blue car with its windows rolled up.
They had agreed to keep their relationship under wraps, so that was why Leon couldn't pick her up at her house.
A smile appeared on his face when he saw Michelle drawing closer. She was a little different today. There was a certain liveliness to her as she walked towards the car. When she got in and sat beside him, he noticed that she was wearing makeup.
His eyes sparkled as he looked at the beautiful woman beside him.
Now, she looked more mature and provocative. The shades of her makeup highlighted the angular features of her face. Leon found her pink lips inviting, and he wanted to taste them.
'She must have dressed up especially for me. That's quite adorable, ' he thought.
Although the makeup made her appear more mature, she still looked like an obedient child as she fastened her seat belt and sat upright.
Leon reached out and put his hand on her head. "Good morning, Michelle. Did you sleep well last night?" he asked with a smile.
"Yeah. It was alright," Michelle replied promptly.
"Well, it's good that you were able to get some sleep. On the other hand, I didn't sleep at all. I missed you so much that I couldn't fall asleep even if I tried. Did you miss me?" Leon asked her frankly.
The question was so straightforward that it caught her off guard. She didn't know how to react.
'Leon was not like this before!
It's as if I'm talking to a totally different person. When did he become so sure of himself?' she wondered.
Seeing her reaction, Leon raised one eyebrow. "It seems that you didn't miss me, Michelle," he said, pretending to be sad.
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