Khanyi took a sip of potato soup, put a bit of food in her mouth, then set down her fork, leaning her entire upper body against his strong arm, listening intently to his speech. For some reason, she particularly enjoyed hearing him talk about the weather.
The small gathering lasted for two hours. When he drove her back to the residence, it was already past 7 PM. He parked the car, lifted her out of the front passenger seat, bent down to pick up some scattered items from the back seat, and then gently wrapped his arm around her, walking behind her to push open the large door, helping her remove her wool shawl and supporting her frail body. He let her change out of her high heels first. Khanyi leaned on his supportive strength, lifted her leg, unfastened the buckle, and took off her high heels, kicking off the other shoe as well. Finally liberated, she stepped onto the soft carpet and let out a long sigh.
“Did you have fun today?” He bent down to retrieve her blue velvet slippers and placed them in front of her.
“Yes.” Khanyi looked back and replied, but unfortunately, the small gathering ended too early; she hadn’t had enough time to chat with Annabel . However, since her stomach was still uncomfortable, she had to return early. “Annabel said she would come to play with me when she doesn’t have classes. Is that okay?”
“Of course.” He looked down at her and replied. In fact, that was his intention—to introduce her to a friend, another girl from South Africa, who should be able to get along with her. It turned out his decision was correct; they hit it off very well, leaving him as the intermediary, and of course, Philip was not much better off. Although in the end, that guy didn’t understand that the real reason for organizing this small gathering was to invite Annabel , not him.
“I have to rush back to the base early tomorrow morning; you’ll be home alone.” He paused slightly and added, “I won’t be back until next Saturday afternoon.”
“Can you not go?” She buried her head in his arms, hugging his waist and acting coy.
“I have to work, darling.” He gently patted her back, his tone indulgent.
“Didn’t you say the military owes you enough vacation to last a year?” She released him and looked up at his face.
“Yes, but this is a special period; being able to take a week off is already the limit.” He explained, starting to take off his uniform coat.
“Aren’t you a general? Is it really that hard to give yourself a break? It seems this general is just a figurehead with no real power.” She made a face at him, slipping on her slippers and skipping up the stairs.
He watched her retreating figure, chuckling to himself, and continued to remove his outerwear and change out of his boots. He went to the reception room, needing to take this time to organize some documents and prepare for what he needed to bring back to the base tomorrow.
This week, he had truly been on vacation, accompanying her on outings without considering work at all. Sitting in a chair, he flipped through several documents piled on the table, needing to get himself back into work mode quickly, as there was still a lot of official business to handle tomorrow. Unknowingly, two hours passed, and the desk lamp made his eyes feel a bit sore. Habitually pinching his forehead with two fingers, he suddenly remembered something. He had just seen her run upstairs; she had been clinging to him like a little tail these past few days, but today she was unusually quiet.
He searched the entire house and finally caught her in the study. She was nonchalantly nestled in the plush sofa, flipping through a book she had just borrowed from Annabel. At first, he didn’t say anything, quietly watching her engrossed in reading. She rested her chin on one hand, her large black eyes and long eyelashes fluttering as she read intently. After a while, she finally sensed something, looked up at him, then continued to bury her head in the book. He leaned against the doorframe, his tone a bit impatient. “Go take a shower.”
“It’s still early, and besides, I’m not tired at all.” She glanced at the clock on the wall; it was barely 8 PM. She was in the middle of an exciting part of the book and had no intention of going to bed.
“I’ll be leaving at three in the morning sharp.” He stood at the door of the study, looking at her helplessly.
“Mm…” Khanyi responded, shifting her position, still curled up on the sofa. The book was too good; she couldn’t bear to take her eyes off it for a moment.
“You need to sleep early tonight; otherwise, you won’t have any energy tomorrow.”
She simply fell silent, leaving him standing there alone.
“You little rascal, do you even understand what I’m saying?” He clearly could no longer contain himself, quickly stepping forward, snatching the book from her hands. He glanced at the neatly written characters on the cover, furrowing his brow as he couldn’t understand their meaning, but he domineeringly confiscated her book, placing it on the top shelf of the bookcase where she couldn’t reach it. Pointing at her nose, he spoke in a commanding tone, “Go to the bathroom, wash up, get into bed, and wait for me. Right now.”
She stood up, and before she could protest, he pulled her into his arms. She opened her mouth to object, but before she could make a sound, he kissed her. His kiss was so intense that she could hardly breathe. She tried to push against his chest but lacked the strength, as her feet were already lifted off the ground.
