Chapter 23 I Think You Should Give Yourself A Chance
âBaby, Mike has his own life. He has Hannah,â I explained to Millie.
I was a little excited at the thought of my upcoming date. I hadnât had a date in a long time. God, what should I wear? What style of makeup should I wear? I didnât know. At this thought, a personâs face appeared in my mind. Mandy! Sheâs an expert in this area! At the thought of it, I immediately called her.
âHello, dear Melanda. Whatâs up?â Mandy was always so energetic.
âUm, Mandy, I have a date tonight. If you have time, can you come over and help me choose what to wear? I need your advice,â I said truthfully.
âHuh?! What?! You have a date?! Thatâs great!â The scream coming from the phone indicated that my good friend was more excited about the upcoming date than I was. So, we agreed to meet at my house in two hours.
It was two in the afternoon, and there were four hours before the date. I needed to get some rest first.
âYou should go, baby. Leave Millie to me. Donât worry, Iâll take care of her.â It was so good to have a loving mother. Millie was lucky, and so was I.
âThank you, Mom. Itâs so good to have you.â I kissed Momâs face sincerely.
While I was agonizing over my outfit, Mandy arrived.
âTell me who that guy is. Is he handsome?â Mandy was gossipy, as usual. âLeo is my colleague. Heâs two years younger than me. Heâs quite handsome. Many girls in the office flirt with him.â
âYouâre impressive, Melanda. Youâre indeed very attractive. You actually attracted a handsome man younger than you!â
âMandy, you have a boyfriend. Please stop drooling, okay?â I couldnât help but roll my eyes at her when I saw her smitten expression.
âHahaha, Iâm happy for you! Seriously, darling, you really need to move on from Millie, and live your own life,â Mandy said seriously.
My heart tightened when I heard her mention Mike, and the smile on my face stiffened. âYouâre right. Mike has his own life, so I shouldnât keep obsessing over him. It wonât just be bad for me, but itâll even disturb Mike,
right?â
âBaby, put yourself first, okay? Look at yourself in the mirror. You deserve a better life, gorgeous.â
Mandyâs taste was as good as ever. The dress she chose for me was well-tailored and accentuated my curves perfectly. I looked curvaceous and charming. She did a wavy hairstyle and applied fashionable makeup for me. She made me look more mature and feminine. She knew me better than I did!
Just as we were about to finish, the doorbell rang. I looked at the time. It was 17: 55. Leo was a punctual young man. This gave him bonus points. Mandy blinked. âYour handsome guy is here!â
We went to the living room together. Leo had been taken into the living room by Mom and was chatting with her.
âMom, we have to go.â
âLeo, remember to send my daughter back before 10pm! Have fun!â Mom winked at us.
Leo was indeed very gregarious. The 20-minute drive passed in a relaxed and pleasant manner, and we arrived at the restaurant quickly. The restaurant was a Hong Kong teahouse. It was relaxed, bright, and not at all stifling. We chatted casually as we enjoyed the food.
Suddenly, Leo said, âMelanda, frankly, I like you a lot. I can tell you donât dislike me either. Can you be my girlfriend?â
I was stunned. Were all young people so direct nowadays? Wasnât this too fast? Although I had already felt it, I didnât expect him to bring it up on our first date. It had been too long since I had a date. Was I unaccustomed to the pace of relationships nowadays?
Seeing me hesitate, Leo said, âItâs okay, you donât have to answer me now. I just like to be direct with my feelings.â
âUm, thank you, Leo. Thank you for liking me. Frankly, this is a little sudden for me,â I said truthfully.
âI understand, but Melanda, you should give yourself a chance. Other than being Millieâs mother, youâre also an individual. You can also be someoneâs girlfriend, right?â Leo looked sincere and determined. His eyes were sparkling, and it was impossible to ignore him. Just then, my phone lit up with a new message.