Chapter 116 A Promise From Him
I was in a state of utter confusion.
I had agreed to put on an act with Dominic because I knew Dad and Mom would make some assumptions about us. Now, however, it seemed like they were practically jumping to all sorts of conclusions about us.
They not only thought that we had a physical relationship, they even assumed that we were already living together.
Most importantly, Dad was not angry about it at all.
Good heavens, when did my parents become so liberal? Are they just especially benevolent toward Dominic? ”Dad…”
Dad waved his hand dismissively and cut me off. “Lili, Dad used to be strict with you because you were still young. You’re older now and have even been married once. You know what’s right and what’s wrong. You know what’s best for yourself.”
I was moved by Dad’s words. He was not the kind of father who said “I love you” to his children, but I knew he was strict toward me because he loved me.
Dad stood up from his seat and walked toward us. He stood between Dominic and me and held our hands. Putting my hand in Dominic’s, he said, “Dom and you have missed a chance with each other in the past. Your mom and I are rooting for you to have a happier outcome this time around. Dom, I’m entrusting my daughter to you. Please treat her well.”
Dominic looked at my father and nodded. Then he turned to me, looking rather serious.
I felt him squeezing my hand as he said, “Rest assured, David. I promise you I will take good care of Lian for the rest of our lives.”
“Very well, Dom. I trust you.” Dad was looking completely satisfied.
I looked at Dominic with a mix of confusion and annoyance. What audacity he had to make such a promise in front of my parents.
We were only supposed to be putting on an act. After what he just said, how were we going to explain things to my parents when the time came to cut our act?
All of a sudden, I began to feel afraid. Things seemed to be progressing much faster than I had expected.
I was distracted for the rest of the evening.
However, Dominic did not seem to notice anything amiss. He was still keeping my parents entertained and happy.
When we left the restaurant, it was almost half-past nine in the evening.
Before we dropped my parents off at their hotel, Dad told us that we could drop in on his talk at the university the next day if we were free.
Dominic immediately accepted the invitation and promised that we would be there.
I shot him a look, but it was too late for me to say anything in refusal of my father’s offer.
Dominic and I only left the hotel after we watched Dad and Mum enter the elevator.
“Let’s go. We should go home now.” Dominic held my hand to lead me to his car.
I shook his hand off and took two steps back, saying, “You go ahead. I’ll take a taxi.”
The situation was getting too messy. I did not want to see him, neither did I wish to talk to him.
Dominic did not seem to hear me. Instead, he waved his hand and called out, “David, why are you here again?”
I froze for a moment before turning around to look behind me, only to see that Dad was not there. Good heavens. You’re playing such a trick on me at a time like this?
Before I could react, I found Dominic holding my hand again. This time, I did not shake his hand off.
Half-annoyed and half-amused, I chided him, “You’re so childish!”
He rolled his eyes at me and said, “If I’m childish, then you’re stupid.”
“Humph!” I was so annoyed that I could not think of anything else to say.
Dominic continued to lead me by my hand, walking a little ahead of me. Looking at our adjoining hands, my mind started to wander. As long as we continue acting like a couple, does that mean we can continue to spend time with each other?
“Hey, what are you thinking about? Get in the car!” Dominic’s booming voice shook me out of my reverie. That was when I realized I was standing right beside the car.
I opened the door and got inside. Showing my irritation, I glared at Dominic and said, “Why did you have to be so loud? You gave me a shock.”
Dominic replied nonchalantly, “I wasn’t loud. You got a shock because you were lost in your thoughts. Tell me. What were you thinking about? Were you thinking about me?”
Caught off-guard by his correct guess, I turned away from him to face the window. “Stop flattering yourself. I wasn’t thinking about you.”
Unsure if I had just lied to him or myself, I let out a secret sigh.
It began to rain halfway through our journey. Mom especially called to tell me to remind Dominic to slow down and drive carefully.
The weather had started turning colder. We seemed to be getting more sudden downpours that lasted for days in a row.
The rain seemed to be pouring more heavily the closer we got to my house.
Listening to the rain pelting down on the car, I began to worry. I had not brought an umbrella with me because I did not expect it to rain.
When we were almost there, I told Dominic, “You can stop at my block here. I’ll run right in. You don’t have to get out of the car. The rain is too heavy.”
Dominic did not answer me, so I took his silence as assent.
When we reached my block, I got ready to get out of the car. Suddenly, his hand shot out and pulled me back. “Hold on.”
I was taken by surprise. I had no idea what he was about to do. I watched in shock as he opened the door on his side and got out of the car. What’s the meaning of this? We’ve reached my block, and instead of letting me get out of the car, he got out of the car himself?
Ignoring his instruction, I decided to open the door to take a look at what he was getting up to.
The moment I opened my door, I saw Dominic standing soaking wet in the rain, holding an umbrella out for me.
He offered me his hand to help me out of the car. Then he put one arm around me and said, “Let’s go.”
As I made my way from the car to my block in his embrace, I felt like I was floating in a dream.
Although his clothes were dripping wet and felt cold to the touch, I did not feel cold at all. On the contrary, I felt warm and protected.
A little voice in my head was calling out to me to push him away, but I could not bear to do it.
The man walked me all the way up to my apartment, opened the door, and led me inside the house.
Looking at the state he was in, my heart ached a little.
I pulled out a chair for him and handed him a face towel for him to dry himself.
Using another towel to dry his hair, I said, “I’ll make some ginger tea for you. Drink it before you go.”
Dominic caught my hand, looked straight into my eyes, and said, “Look at the state I’m in. Do you really want me to go?”
