On the way to the Itou gathering, Mimi comfortably leaned back in the passenger seat of the car and closed her eyes. It wasn't until she detected the sound of something tapping, that her eyes opened. Glancing to the man beside her with his eyes on the road, Mimi noticed his finger was tapping against the steering wheel.
With an unreadable expression, she looked at him, observing the brooding expression on his face and the veins on his arm pulsing from his tight grip on the wheel. It didn't take an idiot to realize the man was in a bad mood.
Inclining her head back on the seat, she closed her eyes.
"So, who invited you to this gathering?" Mimi asked - eyes still shut.
Tobias's movements paused. Mimi heard him shift in his seat a little and clear his throat. Without even looking, she could tell her question made him uncomfortable.
But why?
That answer, Mimi would find out very soon.
There was nothing but silence. A few minutes passed, and Tobias finally released a heavy sigh.
"My father."
Mimi, whose eyes were closed until now, finally opened as she stared at Tobias with a blank expression.
"Your father?" Her eyes furrowed with displeasure. "We're going to see your father right now?"
"Yes." Tobias nodded his head.
"As in the man who helped conceive you into this world by offering his sperm to your mother's womb?"
"Mimi…"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Toby. I just thought I'd like some clear clarification that the man we're about to meet is your father. After all, you have kept this from me until now. Your girlfriend. The woman who loves you very much." Mimi spoke in a gentle voice, but there was evident anger beneath her tone.
"It wasn't my intention to hide it from you." Tobias sighed softly.
Mimi scoffed. "And yet you did."
"Mimi…" Tobias tried to grab her hand, only for her to avoid his touch. He frowned in distress. "Mimi, don't pull away from me."
"Oh, like you've been doing to me all week?��� Mimi's voice held anger that startled Tobias into silence.
His mouth flattened to a crooked line. He turned his head to see the girl's arms were crossed, her gaze focused on the window. While Mimi continued to ignore his stare, Tobias looked at her with guilt and anxiousness.
Pursing his lips, he suddenly stopped the car on the side of the road. They were currently driving down a long open road with hardly any cars in sight. Meanwhile, Mimi continued averting his gaze, unfazed by the current situation.
She couldn't help it. After expressing her feelings, she felt overwhelmed by the pain flooding her chest. She never talked about her feelings. In fact, she never even felt them. To suddenly feel what she kept inside not just from Tobias, but her whole life, only made it more difficult to control. All she could do was be silent.
"Mimi, look at me," Tobias demanded softly.
When the girl didn't respond to his words, Tobias pursed his lips. With a heavy sigh, he leaned back in his seat to stare at the car ceiling.
"I'm sorry. For making you feel alone, I'm sorry."
Even though his apology was met with silence, Tobias continued speaking.
"I...I don't like speaking about him very much." Tobias said slowly, his voice a little stiff showing how uncomfortable he was with his words. "It's not that I never had a good relationship with him. It was good for the most part. When he first launched his company, things were fine...but then it slowly changed. It was then that I started to see him differently. His actions were no longer righteous as they use to be. His work no longer became for the good of the family, but for his own merit."
"Is that why you acted out when you were young?" Mimi suddenly asked after being silent for so long.
The man's eyes held surprise and he glanced at Mimi to see her calm expression.
"Alec told me a bit." This was mostly during the beginning of their relationship when he was trying to convince her Tobias wasn't good to hang around with.
Tobias revealed a strained smile and said helplessly, "That was one of the reasons. I did many bad things that I'm not very proud of when I was young."
Mimi didn't bother asking for the details. At the very least, he was trying to explain himself. With a small pout, she lightly hit his arm – not that she'd do any damage with full strength.
"Fool, do you think I'd be the type to judge your past? If you haven't noticed, my past is very flawed as well."
"That's not it… I just…" Tobias answered quietly. Mimi could see the strain in his expression.
With his head lowered, Tobias looked at his fingers as he rubbed them together.
"I don't want you to know that side of me. Like I said…I made unwise choices I wasn't proud of. Even if you don't care... I would feel ashamed."
With a heavy sigh, Mimi looked at the man with a helpless expression. It was the first time she saw Tobias openly express his weak points to her. His flaws. It strangely made her feel closer to him.
"Then don't tell me, I don't care. It's not like I'm obligated to know your full past. If you want to tell me, then you can." Mimi reassured softly.
Hearing the girl's words, Tobias's heart trembled. To see her big, beautiful eyes look at him so warmly, he was unable to help himself and reached for her hand. Mimi did not pull away this time as she interlocked her fingers with his. His hand felt so big and warm.
"Just don't use your past as an excuse to push me away, okay? It makes me feel helpless when you don't explain anything to me." Mimi's soft complaints brought warmth to Tobias's heart.
His grip on her hand tightened while the other moved to pull her head forward. His lips pressed at the top of her head before he leaned their foreheads together.
"I promise." He whispered.
Mimi's lips finally cracked into a smile and she giggled.
"Thank you," She pecked his lips softly.
Pulling back, she looked at Tobias with dazzling eyes.
"Well then, let's go meet your father. I'm rather excited to meet the man who helped conceive my handsome boyfriend." Mimi's voice held a lilt of tease.
Tobias's eyes had widened before he sighed helplessly. With a small smile, he started the car and continued to drive.