“Why did you come home so late? You know, I was so worried about you that I started having strange dreams,” I told him.
“Have you dreamed of our wedding yet?” he teased.
“Of course not!” I quickly replied, making him smirk.
When I told him about my dream, his blue eyes widened, and his forehead furrowed.
“That dream of yours will never come true, my baby. I’d stake my life for you, Lily. I’d do everything for you. Even if I lose everything, I won’t lose you, Lily. I know I can be overly dramatic and weird sometimes when it comes to love you, but honestly, I always pray that no matter what changes, your heart won’t. I want to be the only one your heart beats for until the end of our lives,” Arlo said, placing his right hand over my chest.
Instead of being annoyed with him for coming home so late, my heart pounded so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of my chest.
“Arlo…” I wasn’t able to finish what I was about to say because he kissed me passionately, trapping my face with his hands.
“I was just at the mansion last night with Dad. I drank with him. In Dad’s drunken state, he started reminiscing about his ex. He told me he wished, even just once, that he could see the face of the woman he loved. Dad also told me that he feels like he can see his ex’s face in you,” Arlo said to me.
“Philip must have been really drunk,” I replied.
“That’s why I didn’t leave him; otherwise, Mommy might have strangled him,” Arlo joked, and I playfully hit his arm.
But to be honest, I was curious about what Philip told Arlo because it reminded me of my conversation with Mom yesterday.
Arlo and I were distracted when the doorbell rang. Arlo got up to answer the door.
“Sir, a delivery just arrived,” one of Arlo’s staff said.
Even I was puzzled about who could have sent the bouquet of flowers. There was a card, but it was empty.
“Maybe it’s for Nikki’s suitor,” Arlo’s staff suggested.
“Maybe it is for Nikki,” I added.
But Arlo couldn’t take his eyes off the flowers in his hands.
I called Nikki and asked her about the flowers, but she didn’t know anything either. In the end, Arlo decided to have the bouquet thrown away.
We were then informed that breakfast was ready.
“Arlo, maybe the flower delivery was just the wrong address,” I said.
“Let’s just hope no one is trying to get close to you, babe, or they’ll have to deal with my fist,” Arlo said.
“Arlo,” I said, scolding him.
“Babe, I’m telling the truth,” he insisted.
“Fine, let’s just eat,” I replied.
While we were eating, my mind wandered, thinking about who might have sent the flowers. Could it be connected to the car I saw last night? My thoughts drifted back to the car from last night and the flowers from today.
LILY
Arlo invited me to go out, but I refused and told him we should just stay at home. I wasn’t feeling comfortable going out today.
“Babe, are you sure you don’t want us to unwind? If you’re worried about my work, I already finished everything yesterday, and I’ve signed all the important documents,” he said. I playfully pinched Arlo’s nose while he was still talking.
“It’s not that. Don’t you want to spend your whole time with me?” I asked. He nodded.
“It means you want us to have no interruptions,” he said in a sweet voice.
“Yes, because if we go out, your eyes might wander somewhere else. You might even glance at someone else,” I teased, making a playful face and giving him puppy eyes.
“Then how about we give Alex, Nikki, and the other staff a day off until tomorrow? Would you like that?” he asked. I hugged him tightly and said “yes” three times, feeling like I was agreeing to marry him all over again.
“We can do a lot here in the mansion—bake cakes, cookies, whatever you want. I’ll do it for you. Just don’t ever cook that noddles again again,” he joked. He laughed loudly, and I still couldn’t get over that moment.
“That won’t happen again,” he assured me.
A little while later, he told Alex and the others that they could do whatever they wanted outside and come back to the mansion tomorrow.
Everyone was so happy, including Arlo’s other staff. He only kept two people from leaving, just in case we needed anything. They’d have their day off next time when the others returned.
Arlo and I started with a movie marathon. I made caramel and salted popcorn so we could have options.
I rested my head on his chest. We had been watching movies in the living room for almost four hours. Arlo ordered Pizza and icecream, and I asked him to get a large bucket of chicken and extra French fries.
