Ren brought his cup to his lips and drank his tea, then muttered, âAnd yet, you still haven't.â She gaped at him. | guess | should have seen that coming, she thought ruefully.
In another attempt to change the subject, she said brightly, â| wonder when Aunt Scarlet and Uncle Walter are coming back. | do miss them.â
Ren read Rukaâs mind and said with a deep smile, âI'll be back in about two days. Ruka nodded, and her phone rang at that moment. She picked up her phone and glanced at it. Then, she said, âIt's my mom.
He motioned for the woman next to him to answer the phone while urging her, âAnswer it!â
She answered the phone quickly and greeted, âHey, Mom.â
âRuka, what time do you get off work? Iâm having a get-together dinner with some old friends. You should come and meet them as well.â
She agreed, âOkay. I'll be home before 5.00PM. âDress up nicely tonight.â
âMom, why do | need to dress up?â Ruka questioned. The question drew the manâs attention, and he cast a sidelong glance at her.
Claire stressed in a serious tone on the other end of the line, âJust do as | say and donât embarrass us, alright?â
Ruka smiled as she pursed her lips. âAlright. | got it.â
Ruka raised her head and looked the man in the eyes after she hung up the phone. Ren locked his gaze on her, and his expression was unfathomable.
She thought she had made a fool of herself as she ran her fingers through her hair and asked, âWhy do you keep staring at me?
Is there something on my face?â
âWhat would you do if your parents set you up on a blind date?â he asked her directly.
Ruka was startled for a moment before she recalled her momâs advice about dressing up. Then, she responded with hindsight, âNo way! Are my parents going to arrange a blind date for me tonight?â
Ren asked her coldly, âAre you looking forward to it?â
She erupted in laughter. âNo! Are you already jealous before Iâve met another man?!â
When he reached out to take her hand, he immediately noticed the missing diamond ring on her finger. He asked with a frown, âWhereâs the diamond. ring?â
âOh, | left it at home. Iâm afraid I'll lose it.â As soon as she replied, she felt guilty and lowered her head.
Ruka was worried about losing the diamond ring? Nah, obviously, she was terrified that someone would notice she was wearing a coupleâs ring with him.
âPut the ring back on when you get home. If you lose it, weâll get a new one,â the man demanded. Ruka had no choice but to nod her head. âAlright. I'll put it on when | get home.â
The way Ruka responded caused Renâs facial expression to soften subtly. However, he did not release her hand and instead grasped it in his palm. Her heart skipped a beat when he grabbed her hand. She experienced a rapid heartbeat and flushed cheeks. In addition, she felt sparks fly from his gesture.
âFrom now on, say goodnight to me before going to bed every night. Did you know that | was waiting for your call last night?â
Ren asked in a low voice. He could not fall asleep because she was not at his home.
She was left speechless as she pondered, Does he really wait for my message? She did not send him a message because she did not intend to bother him late at night.