SWNOVELS Chapter 171
That night, Jocelyn cooked dinner at home, but Melvin didn't show up.
He had been practically living at the hospital the past few days. So he must have left a backlog of work piling up at the office. Melvin mentioned he'd booked a hotel for her uncle's family. They could check in anytime.
Aunt Mae couldn't stop praising him, "He's so thoughtful."
After dinner, Jocelyn drove Uncle Hank and the others to the hotel. It was conveniently close to her parents' home.
Once they were settled in, Quinta walked Jocelyn out.
"Are you okay?" Quinta approached, concerns in her tone.
"I'm fine."
"You and Melvin are finally back together. Don't bottle things up. Talk to him if there's misunderstanding between you. You know, silence only makes things worse," Quinta said, holding Jocelyn's hand gently. "As I can see, he's trying to make things right."
Jocelyn felt weighed down. "It's just... I think his family situation might not be as picture-perfect as we imagined. And I'm not talking about money."
"I get it," Quinta said with a knowing look. "Because he hasn't opened up, you're left in the dark, right?"
"Yeah."
"Listen. Your parents never cared about wealth but only your happiness. A person's family background matters indeed, but the person himself matters more, right?" Quinta tried to reassure her. Jocelyn knew this, but she sensed that Melvin was hiding something-secrets that might have everything to do with his reluctance to face marriage.
"Come on, stop worrying," Quinta patted her shoulder and glanced outside. "Look, he's coming."
Jocelyn turned to see Melvin's car pulling up.
"Talk to him about your parents' wishes when you get a chance. He should be prepared," Quinta whispered. "If you two are in this for the long haul, you've got to face these issues sooner or later. There's no running away."
Melvin stepped out, nodded at Quinta in greeting and asked, "Everything settled?"
"Yeah," Jocelyn calmed her nerves and turned to Quinta. "Get some rest. I'll pick you guys up for a fun day out tomorrow."
"Don't bother. We're heading back tomorrow morning. Look after your parents and get yourself some rest." Quinta said with a smile, patting Jocelyn's shoulder and waving at Melvin. "Take her home, will you?" Melvin nodded, took Jocelyn's hand and left.
On the drive back, Jocelyn asked if he'd been swamped with work.
"It's manageable," Melvin replied, glancing at the ring on her finger. "Getting used to it?"
"Huh?"
He took her hand, touching her ring finger.
She looked at the ring and chuckled, "Feels a bit heavy."
Melvin laughed and held her hand tighter. "If we weren't in a rush, it would've been bigger."
"Then I'd have to walk around with my finger held high all the time," Jocelyn joked.
He found that amusing too.
They were really happy in that moment, as long as the word "marriage" wasn't mentioned.
"Go to my place. It's weekend tomorrow," Melvin said, not giving her other choices and steering the car towards his house. Jocelyn didn't mind.
Their relationship was out in the open now. It didn't matter where they went to.
Once in the elevator, Melvin couldn't resist kissing her passionately. His urgent breath left Jocelyn a bit overwhelmed.
She gently pushed him away, leaned against the wall to catch her breath, and glanced up at the camera in the corner. "It's filming."
"It's fine," Melvin said, burying his face in her neck and sucking gently on her skin.
A soft moan escaped Jocelyn, and that was all Melvin needed. The elevator doors opened, and he can't wait to carry her toward his apartment.
"Shower?" Melvin whispered, kissing her earlobe.
Her breath hitched, and she whispered back, "Yes."
They headed to the bathroom together.
The sound of water echoed off the tiles, mixed with their heavy breathing—a deep longing and fierce desire unleashing between them.
Their silhouettes overlapped on the frosted glass, each yearning to give themselves entirely to the other.
Afterward, Melvin carried Jocelyn to bed, holding her close and kissing her forehead gently. He let out a contented sigh.
"Thinking about marriage?" his deep voice rumbled in her ear.
Jocelyn was almost asleep when his words jolted her awake.
She looked up at him, making out his features even in the dark, and said, "I want to marry you."
She had always wanted to marry, but it was his occasional questioning of its necessity that gave her pause.
Melvin intertwined his fingers with hers, his gaze intense in the darkness.
"Okay."
Jocelyn stiffened. Her body was freezing.
She tried to sit up to see if he was joking, but Melvin held her head down. As she lay back in his arms, she could hear his heartbeat-it was erratic. "I'm serious," he said, hugging her tightly. "Let's get married."
His firm resolve echoed in the darkness.
Jocelyn was overwhelmed by emotions, as if she had witnessed two of life's most beautiful moments in a single day.
She held back her excitement and asked, "Are you serious?"
"Yeah," Melvin's voice was low but serious. "Let's go for registration first, and we can have the wedding ceremony later, okay?"
Jocelyn wasn't even thinking about the wedding at the moment. It didn't really matter to her whether she had a wedding ceremony or not.
What she craved was the man before her.
To be with someone she loved was the most important celebration, not needing a marked date or a prescribed routine to declare the joyous commencement of their shared life. Such ceremonial fanfare held no allure for her.
"Yeah," Jocelyn murmured, without a trace of resistance.
Her love for this man had spanned an eternity. Her desire to be his wife was unwavering.
Marriage was her declaration to the world that he was her man, her partner for life.
Melvin wrapped his arms around Jocelyn with an intensity that seemed to want to fuse her into his very being.
"What's wrong?" Jocelyn suddenly tapped his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Melvin's breath quickened, not with the heat of desire, but with an emotion quite different.
Suddenly, he pushed her aside, swung his legs off the bed and strode to the bathroom.
Confused, Jocelyn flicked on the light and followed him to the bathroom door. "Melvin?" she called out.