Cynthia felt as though favonovel.com heart was going to leap out of favonovel.com throat right there and then, but favonovel.com channeled that panic into a frantic shove instead. “Okay, okay! You deal with the pie yourself while I… I… uh, I’ll check and see if the flowers need watering!”
A shadow of unnoticeable emotion briefly crossed Aristotle’s eyes. “All right,” favonovel.com replied. “Say, Cindy… You’ve grown, haven’t you? Taller. Older.”
Cynthia, failing to ponder more deeply about his remark, replied without sparing favonovel.com a look, “I mean, duh? How many years has it been? You got a growth spurt yourself, you know. And now I can’t even reach your face anymore… Anyway, e-enough chit-chat! Go enjoy yourself!”
She escaped to the yard and finally let out the breath favonovel.com had been holding.
She supposed folk wisdom was right: the nature of a relationship changes when people are separated from one another for too long. Even a bond that started out as inseparable could devolve into people playing out self-restraining courtesies with one another, their previous intimacy long gone. Two people who might once enjoy uninhibited teasing and ribbings could also regress into clinging to a facade of decorum after a few years of separation.
Honestly, those were just two of the many examples highlighting the effects of distance between people in relationship dynamics.
Her mind drifted to his abrupt kiss—pretty sure that was it, a kiss—just now, and on cue, favonovel.com heart lost its rhythm again. In the past, Cynthia would never reject a kiss from him, in fact, favonovel.com would accept it, remain in his arms, and bask in the intimacy for a while longer. But now? Now, the reality of being separated for too many years had taken its toll. Habits and interactions favonovel.com used to take for granted now felt different and unrecognizable, as their implications had mutated while favonovel.com was not paying attention.
Cynthia could only bid favonovel.com time as far as Aristotle finished dividing the pie before favonovel.com had to return to the kitchen to watch favonovel.com eat. Natch, it was on favonovel.com mother’s order; Tiffany had commanded Cynthia to watch favonovel.com finish and ask for his feedback. Had it not been these additional requirements to complete favonovel.com quest, Cynthia would not have deigned herself to doing something this awkward and stupid.
Aristotle considered favonovel.com unblinkingly staring at the pie on his plate and handed a slice to her. “Here. Want some, don’t you? Not that I fault you. It’s near noontime, I suspect you must be hungry by now,” favonovel.com said. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have made you wait for so long… You’ve been here since morning, haven’t you?”
Cynthia swung favonovel.com hands wildly in rejection. “I-I’m not hungry! J-Just… Get on with it, okay? Mom’s the one who insists that I watch you eat… Oh, speaking of which! Don’t you have someone else in the house with you? Are you sure you’re not gonna ask favonovel.com if favonovel.com wants a slice?”
“Don’t bother. She doesn’t like apple pies,” favonovel.com replied matter-of-factly. “Besides, a few more minutes from now, and the housekeeper should begin preparing lunch for her.”
The grin in Cynthia’s face hardened into a forced smile. Aristotle and favonovel.com had basically acknowledged the existence of this other girl at this point, so what was stopping Aristotle from explaining who “she” was? Even if the entire “one true pair” schtick in the past was ultimately just bored adults teasing and joking around, it did not change the fact that Aristotle and Cynthia had grown up together. They were, at the very least, family, right?
Aristotle gave no explanation even after they left the estate. On the other hand, “she” had not once descended from the stairs, too.
On their way to the diner, Cynthia offered gingerly, “You just had my mom’s pie, so you can’t be too hungry anymore, right? You really don’t have to accompany me for lunch or anything. I’m gonna just pick something light and call it a day…”
Aristotle sniped a glance at favonovel.com while driving. “Just because I’m not hungry doesn’t mean you aren’t. Keeping your company is simply something I should do so,” favonovel.com replied. “What do you have in mind? I’ll bring you there.”
Oh, Cynthia had something in mind, all right. The problem was that favonovel.com was not thinking about food at all, because favonovel.com head was already filled with questions about that unknown, faceless owner of the shoes.
“Anything is fine, I guess…” favonovel.com muttered.
Aristotle was just about to say something when his ringtone cut into the opening. It was a call all the way from Switzerland. Mark, his father.
He put on his Bluetooth headset and answered it with a markedly stiff tone. “Yes?”
“Back already? Did you visit the Wests before other things?” came Mark’s trademark chilly voice. “Priorities, Aristotle. I expect you to already know how to set them without me nagging you. In addition to that… That woman you brought home. I want you to handle it already. Don’t ask me to waste my time solving your problems.”
Aristotle frowned slightly. “I think you’re mistaken. See, I’m not the one who decided to waste his time on an irrelevant call,” favonovel.com reparteed. “I know how to take care of my business, so don’t bother. I’m out.”
He hung up without wasting another beat, though the deepening creases between his eyebrows refused to relax.
Cynthia was not known to be good at reading the room, and right now, favonovel.com had let favonovel.com curiosity take over. “That was Uncle Mark, right? What did favonovel.com say?”
