In her eyes, Yuval was the perfect man for me. I knew that Natalie wanted me to find happiness as soon as possible and that she was considering him for me, but I felt there was something missing between me and Yuval.
“Okay, I know what you mean. I am more anxious than you are to find a husband. I mean, can you blame me, though. At this rate, I’m going to be an old spinster in no time.”
Helplessly, I heaved a sigh, not wanting to carry with the topic. I knew too that my age was catching up and if I did not get married soon, I would end up as an old spinster.
Hearing my view, Natalie stopped talking and lowered her head to have her meal. At this moment, Yuval came over.
“Anna, I’m sorry. I’ve got a little issue with the case I’m handling now, and I have to discuss it with the people involved. I may need to leave now.”
Yuval came up to me looking apologetic.
“Don’t worry about it. I know how important your job is. Go ahead.”
Strangely, when I heard that he had to leave, I felt relieved.
“Great. In that case, I’ll take my leave now.” Yuval gave me an apologetic smile. “By the way, I’ve already settled your bill. You can both leave right after you finish eating.”
When I was chatting with Natalie just now, Yuval had already foot the bill. It made me feel as if I owed him something, because earlier on, I had promised that I would treat him tonight.
“Didn’t I say that I’m giving a treat tonight? How much did you pay just now? Let me return the money to you.”
From the first time we started dating, Yuval had always been footing the bills. Today we had agreed that I would pay, but he had settled the bill on his own. Thus, I felt bad after knowing that.
I took out my purse intending to return the money to him. After all, Yuval had spent too much money too often, and I should not keep on taking advantage of him.
“Anna, there’s no need to be so courteous with each other. If we really end up together as a married couple, everything I have is yours, let alone a few hundred for meals.
What Yuval continued to say would please any other woman, but at this moment, all that I could feel was pressure, and I was at a loss for words to reply him.
“But we haven’t reached that stage yet. Every time we eat together, you’re always the one who pays.”
I still wanted to return the money to Yuval, even though I was frugal when spending and tried to save whenever possible. However, I was determined not to take advantage of others as it had always been a principle that I firmly believed in.
“Let’s just let it be for this time. When it’s your treat the next time, I won’t argue with you when paying the bill. Will that do?”
Though Yuval looked very gentle in appearance and seemed friendly, his personality was quite stubborn. After he had made a decision, no one could easily change it.
“Alright, then. Let’s agree with this. Since you’ve some business to attend to, you should go ahead now.”
Since Yuval had made it so clear about his decision to pay this time, it would be quite unpleasant if I insisted on paying him back.
“Okay, then. I’m going off now.”
At that, Yuval bent down and planted a kiss on my forehead. Then, he turned around and left quickly.
I stared blankly at his retreating figure, lost in thought. As a matter of fact, I was quite reluctant, but it happened so fast that I didn’t really know what was going on and had no time to react.
“Anna, what are you doing? Miss him already?” Seeing that I was lost in thought even after Yuval had driven off, Natalie said this jokingly whilst tugging at my arm.
I came back to my senses and glared at Natalie fiercely. I did not know what to say as I could not tell her that Yuval’s loving affection did nothing for me, and in fact, repulsed me a little.
Natalie wanted Yuval to be with me so badly that if I told her, she would think of more ideas, and so, I decided not to.
“Anna, when Yuval kissed you just now, I noticed that he blushed. It is so rare to find an adult man who is so shy, and that’s really surprising.”
Despite remaining silent, it did not stop Natalie from gossiping. Tonight, she seemed really taken up with whatever was going on between Yuval and me.
“Hurry up and eat your lobster. Even food can’t stop you from chattering, eh?”
Not wanting to continue debating on this topic with Natalie, I picked up a lobster and shoved it in her mouth.
Instantly, Natalie was silent again. Meanwhile, I was deep in thought. I should be more comfortable when I’m with Yuval since we might get married in the future. After all, we can’t possibly stay this way when we’re doing it as man and wife later on, right?
For a married couple, sex is a basic necessity. If I still feel repulsed by Yuval by then, that wouldn’t be fair to him.
Natalie was still eating, whereas I was drinking some water. She nearly finished eating all the seafood on our table. I must admit – Natalie sure loves food.
Not far away, a young couple walked toward us while hugging each other tightly. Even while they were walking, the man kept teasing the girl beside him.
I glanced at them, but I could not make out the faces clearly as the lights were quite dim; I could only see their movement in general.
There were undoubtedly more and more couples getting bolder nowadays – kissing and hugging in public. To me, it was just an eyesore. Seriously though, get a room, guys! Why would anyone want to see that in public?
I looked away from them, returning my gaze to the table as I could not bear watching them any longer.
After that, I continued drinking water as I waited for Natalie to finish the lobsters.
As she ate, I noticed that she stopped moving, and her eyes were staring fixedly at some distant object.
I followed the direction of her gaze and found that she was looking at the young couple. As I looked clearly at their faces, I was filled with rage.
It turned out that the man was none other than John Young, that scoundrel. The woman in his arms must be his new girlfriend. Well, what a coincidence to bump into them here…
Instantly, Natalie looked glum, as her gaze remained fixated on John. Though she seemed to have gotten over the pain from this breakup, I knew that, deep down inside, she still could not let go. She was someone who very much valued her relationships, and it was not easy for someone like her to move on so easily.
Not far away, John held a woman tightly in his embrace, and his lips moved forward to kiss her while she giggled, trying to avoid his kisses coyly.
“Johnny, stop it. There is a crowd here. Aren’t you afraid of being seen?”
