[127] b
Chloe lowered her head again. Darren gently pushed aside her hand, which was still resting on his chin.
“Oh, Sa! No! I have no intention of distancing myself from you! I want to be alone with you, seriously,” Darren said firmly. “Don’t think about things I don’t want to do, Sa. Leaving you is not in my life’s plan anymore.”
His words made Chloe raise her gaze. “Is that true?” However, tears welled up in Chloe’s eyes. She felt a growing sense of fear. Darren’s behavior seemed so different. She was terrified.
“Yes, Sa.” He tightly held Chloe’s hand. “I just want to be with you. Tomorrow, I’ll be busy with work. You, too, right? Even though we can be together after work, it’s different from a special date. Let’s consider today as our special date. How about it?”
Observing their interaction from a distance, Leonel fixed his gaze on them. He wanted to know what they were discussing, but unfortunately, the distance between Leonel’s seat and Chloe and Darren was quite far. He couldn’t catch what they were saying, especially with the background music in the restaurant disturbing his hearing. However, Darren’s every gesture and Chloe’s body language near Darren was enough to hurt him deeply.
His jealousy had indeed taken over now. He had to wet his throat countless times to maintain his composure. Certainly, seeing Chloe being affectionate with Darren made him furious.
Meanwhile, Chloe smiled upon hearing Darren’s words. She finally nodded, agreeing to his request. It made Darren embrace the woman he loved once again.
“That’s right. I just wanted to ask you this. Going on a date together, and if you’re willing, we’ll spend the day together. Besides, I want to discuss many things with you if you’re willing,” Darren said with as much optimism as possible. In his heart, he was anxious, waiting for Chloe’s decision. He hoped she would agree to his sudden request, even if it seemed forceful because he genuinely wanted to spend time together.
Just like when he invited Chloe on a vacation to Bali back then. Repeating the intimacy shared between lovers wasn’t something wrong, right?
“Okay, if taking a day off is not a problem for me. Peni will take care of things. I’ll tell her I won’t go to the café today,” Chloe said with a honey-like smile. It made Darren laugh with joy. He brought their still intertwined hands closer and kissed the back of Chloe’s hand without permission.
Besides, Chloe didn’t mind. It only made her feel even more flattered by Darren’s actions today.
“But, Darren, I need some clarification. You said there’s something you want to discuss; why not do it here? Does it have to be when we’re together later? Is it that important?”
Darren smiled widely. “It’s essential.”
“Is that true?”
Darren didn’t hesitate to nod. “Are you done with breakfast?”
“Yes.” Chloe nodded quickly. “But… can you tell me the purpose of today?”
“Um… I don’t know yet.”
“Oh, Darren!” Chloe looked surprised. It was unlike Darren at all, making her furrow her brow again. Her concerns about her relationship with Darren resurfaced. Please don’t tell her that Darren would say something more severe, like breaking up?!
No, no! Chloe couldn’t bear to hear that.
“Just tell me now,” Chloe urged with impatience. However, her heart was already in turmoil. Her heartbeat was irregular.
“Later, Sa.” Darren smiled mischievously. “Come on.”
“Decide on the destination first,” Chloe pouted. “I don’t want to go on a trip without a direction.”
Darren sighed softly. Chloe and her habits took work to accommodate. “How about going for a random trip today? It’ll be fun.”
Chloe squinted her eyes. “Random?”
“Yes. Wherever the car goes, we’ll follow.”
“You’re being too random, Darren.”
He chuckled. It was true that Chloe’s words hit the mark. Darren had never taken Chloe on such a randomly planned trip. But what else could he do? Besides missing her, he wanted to spend time with Chloe and discuss some serious matters later.
“I have my reasons, you know. Are you okay with it? I’ll explain everything. I won’t hide anything, Chloe. I want everything about us to be based on honesty.”
To be treated like this by Darren, how could Chloe’s heart not flutter?
“Alright, Mr. Random. I’ll go along with whatever you want to do.”
Darren furrowed his brow with a mischievous grin. Suddenly, a slightly crazy idea crossed his mind that he wanted to express to Chloe. “Or… spend time together at my place? Just you and me?”
Chloe widened her eyes. “Darren!”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
Darren’s laughter echoed.
Leonel, watching from a distance, became more infuriated. He took advantage of a moment of what Chloe and Darren were doing. The tension was building up in his body. He wished he could approach them and hit Darren with all his strength, following the ignited emotions. But it seemed impossible; he couldn’t do it. And so, Leonel wiped his face roughly, frustrated from watching what they were doing. Leonel thought Darren’s return from Surabaya made them more romantic and harmonious. Was there any chance for him, even a tiny one? He intended to win back Chloe and bring her back into his embrace. Or was it all over?
“Damn it, why did you have to come back to Surabaya and steal Chloe’s attention from me? You shouldn’t have come back and stayed in Surabaya! That way, I could have returned to my ex-wife,” Leonel growled, glaring sharply at Darren, who was still tightly embracing Chloe.
Shortly after, Darren and Chloe finally rushed out of the restaurant, true to Darren’s words that he wanted to spend time with Chloe. Moreover, she had agreed to take another day off, allowing them to spend time together and discuss what Darren wanted to tell Chloe about his parents’ pressure.
Although slowly, Darren was confident he could persuade Chloe to meet his parents. He believed that Chloe wouldn’t refuse. Before leaving the table where they had spent their time, Darren fervently prayed in his heart. Hopefully, this plan will succeed. He only wanted Chloe to accompany him for the rest of his life.
Just that.
Seeing the two of them leaving the restaurant, Leonel didn’t want to be left behind. He immediately followed Chloe and Darren’s steps as they exited the restaurant. It didn’t matter if he was labeled as a top-class stalker.
As usual, Darren always held Chloe’s hand wherever they went. It made Leonel feel envious because he had never treated Chloe like that. Only Darren treated Chloe so, especially now, but Leonel tried to neutralize his feelings. He resisted his emotions and tried to calm his anger at what he saw in front of him. Although he wanted to snatch their connected hands, he also thought about what would happen if he suddenly appeared like this.