"Don't worry, just believe me when I say I'm a good driver," answered Claire proudly. She caught the key and dashed to the garage, beaming with delight.
"Let's go, babe," said Kevin, reaching out his hand. He waited for Leena to put her small hand in his, only to find that she walked past him without even looking at him. Kevin was stunned by her reaction -- he didn't expect her to turn her back on him. The surprise made him freeze and gape at the petite figure as she walked away. It was not until then that he realized that she had been distant from him recently. He tried hard but couldn't figure out the reason.
Though Leena appeared to be calm and comfortable ignoring Kevin, she felt no better than he did. But she steeled her nerve, and did it. She was afraid that she'd get too used to his tenderness until she couldn't live without it. The more she was in love, the harder it would be to let him go. That was what she was doing, trying her best to protect herself.
Hurry up, you two. What's taking you so long?" asked Claire impatiently. She had already taken her place in the driver's seat and could hardly wait to try out the new car.
"Coming," replied Leena with a smile. No matter how much Claire disliked Leena, Leena would smile brightly as a reaction. She did it not only out of politeness, but also out of habit formed from years of education. But Claire wasn't buying it. She rolled her eyes with a sneer as a response.
"What's all the hurry?" Kevin said to Claire while he caught up with Leena. "Easy does it, Claire. The car's brand-new -- drive carefully," he added. Making sure Leena was comfortably seated in the back of the car, Kevin quickly chose a spot beside her. But he paid close attention to Claire's each and every move at the same time, and kept reminding her to be careful. After all, the car was a wedding gift for Leena given to her by her brother Duke. It must mean a lot to her, and was too precious to be damaged. And while there were a lot of words that could be used to describe Claire, reliable was not one of them.
"Alright, alright. Stop nagging me like an old woman. I don't need a backseat driver, bro," exclaimed Claire with a grimace, scarcely able to hide her impatience. She found it incredible that Kevin could be such a weenie. If they weren't brother and sister, she'd have found it impossible that he was a major general.
"Pipe down, troublemaker. I'm just making sure that we're all safe, including you. Now, if you're done arguing, just start the car," said Kevin a bit harshly, and you could see both annoyance and melancholy on his handsome face, which were caused mainly by Leena's sudden cold attitude towards him. He thought maybe things had gotten better. She was more comfortable around him, and they even made love recently. So why wasn't she happy? Why had their relationship taken a turn for the worse? Now he could sense the same kind of estrangement between them as he felt when they first met. No sparks, no nothing. It felt as though they were back where they started. Or even before that.
"No problem, I'll be careful. So, wanna swap cars? asked Claire with a flattering smile while looking back over her shoulder. She was working on a plan to make the car hers.
"Well… sorry, not this car," Leena answered hastily, fearing that Kevin might say yes. She would agree if Claire meant her Ferrari. But since this car was a present from Mr. Cold, she had to cherish it.
"Did I ask you? No, I didn't. I was asking my brother," said Claire coldly, and her mouth twitched. She hated it when Leena meddled in their affairs. It irritated her more when Leena tried to prevent her from having the car. 'It is my brother's car, not yours!' she thought to herself, 'when will you learn to keep your meddling mouth shut?' "I say no too. Your car still works well, why would you change it out?" Kevin echoed. He might have actually given in if she wanted his car. But he wouldn't give her this one! It wasn't even his to give -- it was Leena's.
"Come on, you are so stingy," Claire complained, pouting in disappointment. She now blamed Leena for all of this, thinking that Kevin said no because Leena made him. Why did she have to be so mean? Claire was thinking of a trade, she didn't want something for nothing! And above all, she was Kevin's sister, his only sister. He should give her whatever she wanted if he could.
"I'm sorry! If you really want a new car, I can buy one for you soon," Leena suggested. She hadn't the heart to let Claire down, and offered to buy another one for her. After all, she was easily able to afford a car.
"Save it. I'll have to wait forever if I depend on you. I might as well get one myself. And just stop bragging, liar! You can't buy me a new car. No one has that kind of cash laying around!" scoffed Claire contemptuously. Not for a moment did she believe that Leena could swing such an expensive item.
"Watch your mouth, Claire! She's your sister-in-law. You need to respect her anyway. Now I want you to apologize," snapped Kevin. He shouldn't have indulged her so much, he thought. It was all his fault that she became way too snooty, and kept talking to Leena with biting sarcasm, time and again.
I am sorry. I was only shooting from the hip," Claire said with resignation. Not wanting Kevin to get angry, she made the half-hearted apology merely to cool him down. Otherwise, it would be impossible for her to use polite words around Leena, let alone apologize to her.
"Mind your manners from now on, Claire. You are a girl, you can't be so rude," said Kevin sternly, and his face darkened with displeasure. Like their mother, he was now rather disappointed in Claire, but felt that he couldn't do anything about her. 'Man, she really is a piece of work,' he thought. It seemed that the education she received these years had failed to teach her basic manners. Where could they have gone wrong?
"Okay, I know I have a problem. I'll change, happy?" answered Claire, who was pulling a long face. Being a fearless and spoiled person from her childhood, Claire had only regarded Kevin with reverence, for he was the only person who never coddled her.
"It's alright, Kevin. She's still young, just don't take it personally," comforted Leena. She meant to mediate in the quarrel between them, hoping that Kevin could be less strict with his sister. She had nothing against Claire personally, but her words were almost an insult to Claire, for she thought that Leena was showing off her sense of superiority by putting her down.