It'll Come Naturally

"Everyone says that a daughter is a sweetheart to her parents. So why aren't you sweet to me?" Shannon felt frustrated. But Claire was her daughter after all and she could not just force her daughter to do something she didn't want to do. She always wanted to see her daughter do well, not make her a slave. Leena played with her ring finger. She actually knew who Claire was, and what she wanted. She was still a young woman and she enjoyed being free. She didn't want to settle down and marry just yet. Oh, of course, there were also some idiots like her who married a man at the drop of a hat. But Leena never regretted her decision and considered marriage to be the most precious gift in her life. At that moment, she raised her eyes and took a good look at Kevin. Kevin seemed to sense it, looked her way, and smiled back at her warmly. It made Leena happy.

"Oh! Leena, Gerard told me that he was glad to know you finally woke up. And he passes along his congratulations." After dinner, Claire grabbed her chance. Kevin wasn't around. So she sat beside Leena and carefully outlined what Gerard said.

"What? Gerard? Didn't he go back to France with Bella?" Leena was surprised to hear it. She tore her eyes from the fashion magazine in her hand and started to think. She remembered hearing from Kevin that Bella had already gone back to Paris. But why was Gerard still here? He told her earlier that he was going back with Bella. That was when the gears started turning in her head. Why did Claire mention Gerard, and why were they talking?

"He planned to. But he said he was worried about you and wouldn't go back until he knew you were okay. I think he likes you a lot." Claire looked at Leena, lost in thought. Louisa was right that Leena and Gerard were once a couple. But Claire chose to believe Leena. She'd seen how Leena and Kevin were when they were together, and she thought Leena loved Kevin and would never betray him. Gerard also told her that he and Leena weren't a couple anymore. He was still wistful, but she was a memory he chose to treasure. "You talked to Gerard lately, Claire?" Leena frowned and asked. She wondered since when Claire and Gerard were so familiar with each other. She noticed they got on well, but she didn't know they were that into it.

"No, I just ran into him a few days ago. We talked for a bit and exchanged numbers. Why? Is there something I should know?" She looked at Leena in confusion and asked her point blank. She talked to Gerard because both of them were lonely in this strange city. It shouldn't be a big deal if they took comfort in each other. Besides, he was a charming guy.

"No, I didn't mean that. Gerard is not just any guy. He has blue blood from Europe; his family's rich and so is he. So just... be careful. Don't let anyone force you into anything," Leena said in a worried tone. She wasn't too worried about Claire and Gerard. Gerard was a good guy. She was worried about the pressure from the Blanc family. They might not think Claire was worthy of their son. Oh, of course, it might be too early for her to worry about it. They weren't dating, yet.

"Ha ha. What were you thinking? Even if I wanted to, his family would put the kibosh on that. Don't worry about me!" Claire pursed her lips. She did not take Leena seriously. She and Gerard were just friends; that was all. A love affair wasn't in the cards. What? Did Leena think she was in love?

"Glad to hear it. And now I feel better. By the way, you said you wanted to find a job here in S city. Got any ideas?" Leena took a sip of tea. She wasn't a fan of this flavor. But her mother-in-law was kind enough to make this for her and she wasn't going to disappoint her. "Well, not yet! Maybe I need to think about this longer. I really haven't got used to the real world, and so I might have a hard time holding down a job," Claire said. People were always like this. They needed some kind of crisis before they took good hard look in the mirror. "That's okay. Take your time. But don't forget -- there are three big companies that have opened their doors for you," Leena promised, looking at her. She didn't promise anything like that before, because she was unsure about Claire. But now she was different. Although she wasn't perfect, she did make a change. Leena saw this, and thought Claire had a promising future. People make mistakes, but they pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and try something different. Claire did this, so Leena offered her a second chance. "Thanks, Leena." Claire smiled. She didn't tell Leena that Gerard offered her an opportunity as well. That really made her stop and think. His offer was really tempting. S city was indeed charming, but she wanted to go to Paris, the city of romance and fashion. The next day, Kevin still didn't go to the army base. That was unusual. Leena was puzzled, because Kevin was always quite busy every day. She had gotten used to him not being around much because of his work. But why didn't he go to work today? Actually he'd been home the past couple days.

"Penny for your thoughts." Kevin opened his eyes and reached out to hold her in his arms.

"Not going to work today?" She asked curiously. Leena reached out and played with his short hair.

"No, I'm on vacation. What? You don't want me here?" Kevin replied, rubbing his nose on Leena. The commander asked him to take some vacation time. So he jumped at the chance and freed himself from endless work for a while. It was nice to have a little time off. At least, that was what he told himself.

"No. Everything's great, and I like that you're home. I'm just curious. Didn't you take some leave while we visited the capital?" Why was she questioning him on this? Did she doubt his word?

"Yeah, I did. But it doesn't mean that I can't claim more vacation days! Are you worried that it might be hard to support the family when I lose my job?" Kevin said in a joking tone. Now Leena wondered if he were joking or not.

"Are you willing to have me bring home the bacon?" Leena reached out and put her arms around his strong waist. They just looked at each other with their heads tilted together, foreheads touching. It was very sweet and warm. "You bring it home, I'll eat it." Kevin hugged her harder and their bodies were closer to each other now.

"Ah! Cut it out! I --" Leena's face turned red as she felt Kevin's member brush against her.

"I want it to be like this all the time. I want to spend every day with you, welcoming the days and nights," Kevin said emotionally. He looked quite cozy and charming. Leena was still trying to fight down her embarrassment.

"Am I dreaming, Kevin? I didn't think you felt that way." Suddenly, Leena felt quite shy and afraid. She was afraid that she might get hurt after this. For a long time, she'd just been willing to take whatever she could get from the man. He was less than romantic, so her heart was happy any time he showed her sweetness. But now, he was so different.000000