Although Charmaine stayed too late that night, she still woke up feeling lively and refreshed early the next morning. She got up from the bed and glanced outside the window; it was a sunny day, no signs of the heavy rain that poured yesterday. She went to the bathroom and washed up before going downstairs to prepare a simple breakfast. When she's done, she went upstairs again to check upon Luke.
When Charmaine reached Luke's room, she was surprised to find Leo lying next to Luke. Did he stay in Luke's room all night? She came closer to wake him up first but she stopped and she saw his sleeping face. He has that captivating manly charm when he's sleeping. She just can't find the heart to wake him up.
Charmaine sat on the edge of the bed. Just when she's contemplating whether she should wake up Luke first, a hand reached for her wrist and pulled her to Leo's arms. She was instantly startled. She looked up to see his face but saw his eyes were still glued shut. Was Leo having a dream?
Afraid of waking him up, she didn't dare move. Instead, she silently rested her head on his chest. Somehow, her heart felt comfortable being trapped in his arms. She felt good basking in his body's warmth. It's been a long time since she last felt this longing in her heart; the desire the be close to him; wanting to feel him, enjoy his scent; it was a creepy obsession she used to have. Has it began to be awaken?
Last night, she and Leo exchanged text messages until late; something they didn't use to do. She actually enjoyed it, as if she entered a new version of her life and everything just changed. He said the real reason why he requested for the dissolution of their engagement was not to break his connection to her but to give her a choice instead. He wanted her to marry him because she wants to... not because she needs to.
"Mommy, why are you cuddling with dad?" Luke suddenly asked.
Startled, Charmaine raised her head and turned to where the voice came from. There, she saw Luke kneeling on the bed and looking at them with curious eyes. Her heart panicked and she tried to push Leo at once but his arms quickly wrapped around her waist. "Good morning Beauty!" he greeted. "Happy birthday!"
Charmaine met his eyes. How long has he been awake? She looked away in embarrassment and placed both hands against his chest. "Let go." she mumbled. "You should both get up now... The breakfast is ready." she added.
Leo smiled, kiss her forehead and then let her go. Charmaine quickly got up and run for the door, making a quick exit. He kind of miss the young and bold Charmaine, but this little rabbit wasn't bad as well.
***
"Leo... I still have things to do so... I think we should leave after breakfast." Charmaine mentioned while they were having their meal.
Quickly, Luke raised his head and turned to her mom. "But I want to stay with dad for a while more..." he protested.
Charmaine paused, and then nodded. "Alright. You can stay here for a few days." she replied. "But I have to go back to Chelsea to deal with some matters so... I'll just come get you another day."
Luke frowned. He wondered if his mom really has important things to do or was she just trying to get rid of them, father and son? Noticing his pout, Leo patted his shoulder and nodded his head. "Don't be sad. How about we send your mom to Chelsea and then we pick her up when she's done with her stuff?" he suggested.
"Alright." the boy relented. The truth was... he was a bit anxious. He has always been with Charmaine and hearing that she's letting him stay with Leo for a who-knows-how-many days, he felt worried. What if she doesn't come back for him again? Losing her mama Jienna once, he has developed a mild case of separation anxiety. He still feels the knot in his heart every now and then.
After breakfast, they left the house. They only made a quick stop for the supermarket before hitting on the long drive. After more than an hour, the car finally stopped but it surprised Charmaine that Leo didn't send her to her parents' home. Instead, they stopped in a nature park.
Leo helped her with her seatbelt before pulling out a paper bag from somewhere. "Happy birthday!" Leo told her again as he gave the woman the bag containing a black carry case with a red ribbon tied around it. She said thanks to him before opening the gift.
Charmaine didn't think much of it since it's just a small bag, only it's a bit heavy. She untied the ribbon and opened it up but to her surprise, inside it sits a brand-new DSLR camera. A camera!
While Charmaine was busy checking upon his gift, Leo alighted and went to the other side of the car to open the door for her. "Come on! Let's celebrate a little before I send you to your parents' home. It's your twenty-third birthday after all!"
Charmaine went down and looked around. That place... she's been there before. She watched as Leo took out a picnic basket from the back of the car while Luke carried a picnic blanket. "Last time we've been here you told me you want to be a nature photographer some day. I don't know if you still want to be one but you can still play with the camera during trips like these...Oh, and I wanted to bring you to the Netherlands but things came up so I could only bring you back to Holland park. I hope it's alright." Leo explained.
Charmaine placed a hand over her mouth as her eyes rimmed red. That was just too thoughtful of him. She really did say that when they visited Holland park during a date once and she told him she wanted to take pictures of tulips in the Netherlands someday.... well, someday!
"What? Was it too shabby?" Leo worriedly asked when he saw Charmaine covering her eyes. She was actually just trying to hold her tears.
Charmaine turned to Luke and held the little boy's hand, and then linked her right hand to Leo's left arm. "No. I'm just too surprised. Let's get in."she replied with a smile.