Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman

"So you know each other..." Ronald scratched his head awkwardly looking at the man standing beside Jean and noticing that he was not the same one that was with her earlier today. "So, where is your boyfriend?" "What boyfriend?" Jean asked looking at him surprised.

"When did I say that I had a boyfriend?

I don't know what you are talking about."

"Earlier today, you were with another man,"

Ronald reminded her.

Zed frowned and looked at Jean.

'Earlier today? What does he mean by that?' Zed thought, irritated.

"Did I tell you that he was my boyfriend earlier today?" she continued angrily. Jean was even more unsettled. She didn't dare look at Zed.

It was a rare scene for Avery to see Jean acting like this; she couldn't help but observe with curiosity.

But she did figure out who that 'other man' could have been.

Most certainly it would have been Moore.

Moore mentioned that he had gone with Jean to buy some clothes in the daytime.

That's who this man must have seen, hence the misunderstanding.

"No, you didn't say he was your boyfriend. But I..."

Ronald felt a flicker of hope when he heard that the man wasn't her boyfriend. He tried to explain but Jean had interrupted him.

"So if I didn't tell you that he was my boyfriend, then why did you assume that he was? Did I tell you that he has a girlfriend?" Jean asked seriously.

"Yes, you did, but I thought..." Ronald felt even more embarrassed being questioned by Jean like that.

Zed watched her being so aggressive just to prove her innocence to him.

He actually felt sorry for Ronald.

'But this man is really silly!

Why is he trying to put Jean in such an awkward position and making everything so tense, 'thought Zed.

"You thought? Don't you know that things can get very ugly when people make the wrong assumptions?" Jean noticed Ronald's uneasiness and backed down. "Ronald, I don't mean to blame you for these things. I just don't want to be misunderstood..." "It's okay, my mistake. I deserve some blame," Ronald quietly responded. "Don't blame yourself.

Here, let me introduce you." She turned to Zed and Avery. "This is Ronald, a friend of mine from primary school. We haven't seen each other for almost fifteen years," Jean explained with a smile. Ronald looked at Jean, surprised. 'One minute ago she was ripping into me and now she is welcoming me to her friends.

It looks like fifteen years can change people.'

"Hi, I'm Ronald," he said clearing his throat.

He introduced himself to Jean's friends feeling very self-conscious and embarrassed. "Hi, I'm Zed, Jean's husband,"

Zed said extending his hand to shake Ronald's.

"What?..."

Ronald shook his hand absently. He stood glaring wide eyed with his mouth gaping. 'Husband...

Jean's husband...

Did I hear correctly?

Am I delusional? Jean was just defending herself that she didn't have a boyfriend and now there's a husband?'

"I'm Avery; the man you saw earlier today is my boyfriend, Moore."

Avery smiled and stepped forward to introduce herself. Jean looked at Avery uncomfortably. She didn't think that Avery would have guessed who Ronald was talking about. She finally looked up at Zed nervously.

Zed graciously held out his hand to Jean and smiled, encouraging her to take it.

The unease in Jean's heart vanished. She looked at him gratefully and smiled.

As unwilling as Ronald was to accept it, he knew what they were saying was the truth especially when he saw Jean standing proudly hand in hand with Zed.

After the shock had passed, only sorrow and regret remained in his heart.

He originally thought that she just had a boyfriend and that he still had a chance if he tried.

But now, there was no chance of that happening. He was a broken man.

Ronald was reluctant to accept it, but he had no choice, he had to.

"Congratulations!" he barely managed to say.

Hearing the word coming out of his own mouth, cut through his heart like a sword. He felt weak and looked very upset. "Thank you,"

Jean replied sweetly as she

snuggled closer to Zed. She was

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aware of what she was doing, and she could tell that Ronald was hurting deeply. But she needed to treat him with some cruelty, so that

he would give up all ideas and

hope ofpursuing her. Jean really didn't know what else she could do.

Zed squeezed her hand and she looked up at him.

He shook his head letting her know to stop being so cruel.

Jean looked at Ronald's face and saw his eyes filled with tears.

She felt sorrow and let go of Zed's hand, and then she went to Ronald.

"Ronald..." she called softly.

Not knowing how to comfort him, she reached out to touch his broad shoulder. "Don't touch me. I know I look stupid!

But I can't help it. Just leave me alone!" Ronald said and turned away. "Okay, I won't touch you."

Jean bit her lower lip with regret. she had been so conceited that she neglected his feelings and caused him great misery. "Ronald, I just want to tell you that you should let the past be the past. You will always be the same Ronald in my heart; that cute chubby little Ronald, who was a cry baby and was always picked on.

Now cheer up, okay?" Jean comforted gently. Ronald choked on his words. "I know that I was wrong.

You don't have to comfort me. I should have returned sooner, when I still had the chance to be with you. But now, I don't have a chance anymore," Ronald said, distraught.

Jean was stupefied. She never realized that Ronald had feelings for her from when they were small children.

"Yes, who knows. Maybe things would have been different if you had returned earlier."

Jean felt sad; she looked at Ronald and smiled bitterly. "But there is one thing that I am sure of and that is: could not fall in love with you.

Because I look at you as my obal net

classmate and that is all." Jean closed her eyes as she finished her

words.

'I needed to be cruel one last time!

This is the only way that he will give up thoughts of pursuing me and move on." "Thank you for telling me and being honest."

Ronald smiled bitterly and turned to

face Jean. His cheeks were wet with

tears. "You know what? For years, I have been imagining how the day would be when we finally met again. I thought we would be so in love never for a moment thought that you didn't feel the same way about me and that you would reject me. As it turns out, I had overestimated myself. If I had known otherwise, I wouldn't have tried so hard to achieve so many things and then

return to you.

I still live in the past, but you are no longer the same Jean as you used to be. I'm sorry for making such a scene." Ronald looked deeply into Jean's eyes, his face full of gloom and despair. He then turned and ran towards the gate. 00000000