"Okay, fine. I admit that I was a bit angry, but I wasn't that mad, you know? In fact, it was partly my fault too. I know I was being very childish, and I realize my mistake now. So please, tolerate with me. I promise I will be better and more mature than this." Leena bit her lip. She was the kind of girl who would be tough if others were tough on her, but once they responded nicely to her, she too would be gentle toward them. She wondered if it had been her fault as well. She was brave enough to admit to her mistakes.
"I understand why you were angry. That was reasonable. After all, I was the one who was too harsh on you. You mentioned yesterday that I didn't care about you enough. I admit that I have neglected you a lot, so I apologize to you again. I promise I will pay more attention in the future." He had pondered on what Leena said on the phone yesterday for a very long time and felt guilty as hell. All this time, she was being so thoughtful, and he had been taking her for granted. He never stood in her shoes and considered her own feelings. He wasn't keeping the promises he had made when the two of them got married. After a long time of thinking, he finally realized that what she said was true. He rarely called her, or showed that he cared for her.
"No! I didn't mean that! You took my words too seriously. I was just angry and hurt. I didn't mean to blame you." Leena was quick to explain. She really didn't want to blame him. She just couldn't help but complain a little when she had the opportunity to do so. It seemed like she had made a big mistake. What did he think of her now? Did he think she was a childish woman who was being unreasonable?
"People can't help themselves when they are angry. But at the same time, they usually tell the truth. I do understand your feelings. I'm a grown man, and I wasn't a responsible and proper husband. That's totally my fault. I hurt you. It's something I can't forgive myself for." Kevin closed his eyes slowly, leaning against the back of his chair. He was indeed wrong, and he would not deny that. He wouldn't even make excuses for himself. It was hard enough for two people who barely knew each other to be in a marriage. If they didn't put in the efforts it required, it would turn out to be a complete disaster. Both of them wanted a happy married life.They should be more considerate toward each other from now on. Only this way could they make their marriage work.
"Well... Kevin, it's really not that serious...I..." Leena was getting more and more anxious as they talked. But the two of them were so far away from each other that she couldn't explain to his face that she really hadn't meant to say that.
It's alright. I am not saying this to make you feel bad. I just want you to know that I really considered it, that's all. No need to worry too much over it, okay? In fact, it's not even what I called you for. Could you give me your e-mail address? I want to send you some pictures when I get home. Would you take a look at them? Tell me which house you like."
Kevin started the car as he said these words. He intentionally changed the subject in case she pondered over it too much. It was enough for him that she knew his thoughts. He did not want her to constantly agonize over them.
"House? What house? Are you buying a house?" Leena put down the pen in her hand upon hearing Kevin's words. The house they were currently living in was good enough. Why did he want to buy a new house?
"No, not me. Edward said he wanted to buy you a house as a wedding gift. And because I have no idea about the kind of style you like, I took photos of each house. You can just pick the one that you like." Kevin pulled his car out of the villa neighborhood. Because he was on the phone, he drove very carefully.
"Oh! I see. I will send you my e-mail address later. But, I was wondering, don't you have to work today? How come you have spare time to see the houses?" Leena wouldn't say no to a gift from Edward, because she knew that if she said no, Edward would be hurt. He would think she didn't consider him her brother. Every time one of her brothers wanted to give her a gift, she gladly accepted it without hesitation.
"I went to the army base this morning. So I had half a day free to go and see the houses." Kevin's brows furrowed all of a sudden. A thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, making him turn the steering wheel to stop the car by the curb. Damn it, something felt wrong with his stomach. Why? Was it because he didn't have time to eat lunch today?
"It didn't interrupt your work, did it? Truthfully, Edward could have simply sent the pictures of the houses directly to me and that would have been enough. But instead, he asked you to go and see them yourself. That was not necessary at all. He was definitely trying to make fun of you by making you do extra work." Leena pursed her lips. She really did not understand why her brothers still couldn't let it go. Yes, they got married without informing them. She couldn't deny that. But it happened a long ago! Why couldn't they just accept the fact and make everyone's lives a lot easier?
"That's alright. I could use some fresh air anyway." Kevin lowered his voice as he stretched out his hand to get to the medicine he kept in his car. The more urgently he reached toward it, the more he couldn't get to it. Instead, he toppled more things over.
Kevin, what's wrong? Why do you sound so weird all of a sudden?" Leena could hear the odd strain in Kevin's voice. His breath was becoming more rapid. It sounded like he was trying to hide something from her.
"Oh. I'm fine, don't worry. Okay, I need to go now, I'm driving. Bye," Kevin said briefly and quickly hung up the phone, throwing it aside. He hurriedly took out the bottle of medicine and put two pills in his mouth, then drank some water from the bottle beside him. He leaned heavily against the back of his chair and closed his eyes, resting.
Leena looked at the phone in her hand in confusion. She had a feeling there was definitely something wrong with Kevin, because why else would his voice change so suddenly? However, he said that he was driving, so she didn't want to call him back and ask. She guessed they would talk about it later. For now, she needed to send her e-mail address to him.
Kevin felt better after taking the pills. It seemed that the irregular meals had upset his stomach again. He must pay more attention and take good care of himself. It could cause serious trouble if it grew into a bigger problem when he was out on a mission. Suddenly, his phone chimed. Somebody had sent him a message. He picked up the phone to see that it was Leena. Her message included her e-mail address and a few words of concern. The sudden change in his voice must have worried her.
Smiling secretly to himself, he started the car again and continued driving toward his house. There was still enough food in the fridge, so he didn't need to go grocery shopping. He could still feel a trace of the pain in his stomach. Perhaps it would get better once he reached home and took a nap. He hadn't slept much last night at all. Much to his surprise, his nap extended for a few hours. When he woke up, it was already ten o'clock in the evening. He didn't bother to cook a proper meal for himself and prepared himself some noodles.