SWNOVELS Chapter 235
Jocelyn furrowed her brow.
Melvin's gaze landed on her lips, and Jocelyn instantly realized what he wanted to do.
Her feet felt as though they had taken root in the ground, immovable.
She watched wide-eyed as he leaned in, slowly narrowing the distance between them.
When his cool lips brushed against hers, a surge of electricity shot through her, paralyzing her entirely.
He merely pressed his lips to hers with no repetition, no deepening.
Seconds later, he pulled back.
Seeing her stunned expression, Melvin pressed his lips together. A self-satisfied smirk appeared on his face tinged with a hint of shyness.
Jocelyn's eyes widened further, her heart racing uncontrollably at the sight of him now.
She felt if she remained standing there, something might actually happen.
Taking a deep breath, she turned and bolted up the stairs.
Melvin's grin deepened.
He touched his lips thoughtfully. For him, this gift had been just perfect.
Hearing the door close, he looked up at the light in her house and let out a heartfelt smile.
Back in his car, he sent Jocelyn a message on Facebook before driving away.
When Jocelyn got home, her parents were cuddling little Euston back to their room. She dashed into her bedroom and closed the door swiftly. Leaning against the door, her chest heaved with erratic breaths as the feeling of a frantic deer bounding in her heart returned.
It was ridiculous. She and Melvin had been through so much, and yet here she was, blushing and heart racing from just a kiss like a teenage girl.
She covered her chest, taking several deep breaths to calm herself.
Glancing at the bag in her hand, she sat on the bed and couldn't help peeking inside.
It was full of jewelry boxes.
She dumped them all out, various sizes of boxes clinking together.
Opening them one by one, she found a pair of earrings somehow familiar.
Next, a bracelet, also familiar.
By the time she had opened half of them, she realized what they were.
These were the pieces she had donated after breaking up with him.
How did he find out?
No, how did he manage to retrieve all of them?
She opened the remaining boxes. When she got to the smallest one, she was stunned.
She didn't remember receiving this piece before.
It was a pair of rings.
She stared dumbly at the rings, feeling as though her blood had frozen and then boiled in an instant.
Aside from that one time when he had suggested marriage and they bought a ring, he had never given her any other.
Hesitantly, she picked up the smaller ring and examined its simple design. There seemed to be something engraved on it.
She held it up to the light, squinting to make it out.
Engraved were the letters "M&J".
She didn't take a second to understand it - the initials of Melvin's and her names.
The words were inscribed in a small circle in the middle of the ring, so fine one might mistake them for a pattern without close inspection. She fought the surge of emotion in her heart and picked up the other ring.
It also had the same letters engraved.
If she had managed to contain her feelings earlier downstairs, now they were impossible to ignore.
Clutching the two rings, her mind went blank.
Enveloped by a strange emotion, she was distracted by a buzzing sound that seemed to come from nowhere. It took her a while to react. Frantically, she fished out her phone from her pocket.
The cluster of the incoming call numbers seemed to automatically morph into the name "Melvin".
Her hand trembled as she stared at the screen, her fingers hesitating to press "Answer." Until it stopped ringing.
One missed call and one unread Facebook message displayed on the notification bar. She opened Facebook with shaky hands. As expected, it was a message from Melvin.
[I left something at your place. Keep it safe for me, and I'll get it the next time we meet.]
Jocelyn read the message, glanced at the rings tossed on her bed and instantly understood what he meant. The phone rang again.
Taking a deep breath, she answered and slowly brought the phone to her ear, not uttering a word.
After a few seconds, his voice came through, "Are you asleep?"
Jocelyn gazed at the rings, her hand on her frantic heart, "No."
"Did you see it?”
"See what?"
"The thing I left behind."
Jocelyn gripped the bed sheet tightly, taking a long time before murmuring an acknowledgment.
"From now on, don't try to get rid of things I give you."
Jocelyn knew what he was referring to.
The jewelry wasn't just carelessly disposed of.
"How did you get them?"
"You left my name when you donated them, otherwise how would I know that?" Melvin teased.
Back at that time, Jocelyn simply didn't want to owe him anything.
"And that ring we bought before... Is it lost?" Melvin asked, "It's not in there."
Jocelyn pursed her lips tightly, "I threw it in the trash."
Silence from the other end.
It had indeed been thrown in the trash, but she had picked it up again later.
Now, it was locked in a cabinet she dared not open.
"It's fine. Out with the old, in with the new," Melvin's voice was deep, "Jocelyn, it's my turn to love you and give you promises this time."
Jocelyn's heartbeat quickened and her breath grew shallow.
She was destined for a sleepless night, occasionally opening her eyes to look at the two rings beside her pillow. The letters "M&J" seem to have engraved on her heart as well.
Jocelyn was woken by Euston's crying the next morning.
Daisy was trying to soothe the child outside, but the baby just kept wailing.
With dark circles under her eyes, Jocelyn emerged from her room.
Euston immediately called out "mama" and reached for her, clearly searching for Jocelyn.
"He was sleeping just fine, and then he started crying early in the morning. I changed his wet diaper and gave him milk, but he's still crying." Daisy was at a loss. "I didn't expect him to really take you for his mother."
As Jocelyn cradled little Euston in her arms, the baby's cries gradually quieting down.
"Ever since Castiel brought him here, I've been the one holding him. Both Castiel and I were totally clueless in the beginning. We even hired a nanny to help out, and I learned bit by bit from her. If his birth mom comes back, he'll probably still want me to be around."
Daisy let out a resigned sigh, "You've become a mom before you even had a kid of your own."
"It's a special bond," Jocelyn cooed, planting a gentle kiss on Euston's cheek. "Right, sweetheart?"
Euston clung to Jocelyn's neck, nestling in adorably.
Calvin asked, "When are his parents coming back?"
The question made Jocelyn anxious instantly, "I'm not sure. Melvin's already asked some people to look for them."
She kept to herself the grim reality of Castiel's situation, not wanting to worry her parents.
"No parent doesn't love their child," Daisy commented, feeling sorry for Euston and then thinking about Melvin. "Speaking of which, you mentioned Melvin doesn't have a mom. What about his dad?" Jocelyn knew the story behind Melvin's parents. She spoke with gravity, "Dad, Mom, please don't ask me on this matter. I won't tell. Unless he chooses to share with you himself one day."
Daisy glanced at Calvin, who nodded in agreement, "Alright."
With the conversation taking such a serious turn, it was clear the situation was far from ordinary.