Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
“Am I that bad?” he questioned softly.
“No. Of course, not. You appear right in front of me as a savior will. So, Mr. Savior, could you please give me a ride?” she requested sarcastically.
“Is this how you ask a favor from someone?” He was unwavering.
“Forget it. I know you won’t give me a lift anyways.” A deflated Elspeth reclined in the driver seat with pouty lips like an irritated kitty.
“Yup. I’m here to give you an umbrella so that you can at least walk back home.” He played along.
I knew it! He is not a gentleman!
“You should go now, Mr. Winthrop. Look how heavy the rain is. Even if I return home by foot, I’m going to get drenched anyway.” She was going to wind up the window.
“Come to my car.”
She immediately broke into a smile. “Okay. Give me a moment.”
Her hands were quick. Hugging the important documents, she sprinted to his car, so fast that it surprised Callum.
“You should pay for the maintenance fee. The seat is all wet, thanks to you.” He wanted money from her brazenly.
The corner of her lips twitched. “It’s not that wet, though.”
He barely changed her impression of himself to a better one, yet his gentle side vanished so quickly. He is truly a snake.
“I believe we should be particular about it.”
Elspeth somehow believed there was another meaning behind those words, for he kept staring at her with an ambiguous gaze as if he was going to take every matter between them into account.
Noticing the strange atmosphere, she hurriedly changed the topic. “By the way, why are you here?”
He began driving the car. “I have some business to do here.”
The awkwardness was still evident, so she continued teasing. “Mr. Winthrop always happens to be there when I’m in trouble. Considering how many times we bumped into each other by chance, I would’ve thought you were actually protecting me if I didn’t know you hate me.”
Elspeth almost bit her tongue out of cringing the second she uttered those words. What the hell am I talking about? He’s all quiet. Great. This is getting awkward. I shouldn’t have said that.
A while later, Callum piped up, “Maybe.”
Maybe? What maybe?
She could not follow him and kept looking at the rain pattering against the window to shift her attention. She thought minimizing her presence would be able to mitigate the tension in the air. Maybe? Does he mean he has been following me?
Elspeth did not know what to feel about that assumption. After contemplating, she spoke to him seriously, “Mr. Winthrop, I know we have gone out before, and we haven’t settled things out yet. I might’ve hurt your pure soul, but stalking is wrong. Don’t you think that’s overboard? You’re making me feel unsettled. I feel like you’re invading my privacy-“
In reality, Callum blurted that without thinking, assuming it would give her some hints. She did mistake it as something else, but it was not the kind of misunderstanding he hoped for. “Elspeth.” The veins on his temples protruded as his voice escaped his gritted teeth. “I’m not a pervert.”
His anger lent her more reason to believe her hunch. “Don’t be angry. We’re in the middle of nowhere. I’m worried you’re gonna kill me or something.”
Helplessness sapped him of energy as his grasp on the steering wheel tightened before he took a deep breath. He would have a heart attack if the conversation escalated in that direction any further. “I’ll throw you out of the car if you have any wild guesses again.”
Elspeth behaved upon hearing that, but her mind could not stop turning. So… Is he genuinely worried about me? But he’s going out with Jasmine. Why would he care for me?
Suddenly, her left foot kicked onto something, which felt like a button. A little drawer popped out before her seat to reveal a stack of white cards. Are those… wedding invitations?
“Getting married this soon?” Elspeth muttered involuntarily.
“Yeah. Next month. Will you come?”
Getting married had always been something beyond her plans. They were engaged and made a promise to get married after looking for Helena. However, they ended their relationship upon finding her.
The wedding invitations inflated the sorrow in Elspeth. “No, I won’t.”
The fact that I’m wondering if he’s protecting me a second ago is embarrassing. They’re getting along so well. Why would he have the time to be worried about me? Wake up, Elspeth. You’re getting pathetic.
“Okay.” Callum ended the conversation.
Soon, they arrived at Azure Corporation. She alighted from the car as soon as he stepped on the brake, and her hasty movements caused a nuance in his expression. “It’s pouring. Take the umbrella.”
“It’s fine, thanks.” She shook her head before dashing into the building while hugging the documents.
…
At the same time, Aldea followed behind Jethro like a chick trailing its hen, yet her slow speed irritated him. He glanced back at her, looking all gloomy because of the shade from the umbrella. “Hurry up. Are you a snail?”
It was not her first time hearing such mockery. Instead of retorting that, she replied in a hoarse voice, “I know, I know.”
It felt like they had turned back in time. The subsequent awkward atmosphere smothered his urge to say anything as he still held the umbrella for her.
While they were in the small space in the car, the tension between them surged in full swing.
Before entering the vehicle, the rain wet Aldea’s shoulder and hair because she wanted to maintain the distance between them.
Jethro could not bear the sight of the lady staying drenched beside him, so he grabbed a piece of cloth from the back seat for her. Despite the frustration sitting upon his brows, she was touched by his action. “Thank you.”
“I just don’t want you to rise in temperature before we get there.”
“Are you worried about me?” She blurted and regretted it immediately. It sounded as if she was narcissistic.
As she had expected, he became surprised. “What are you thinking? Elspeth told me to take you home. If you catch a cold and hinder the schedule, that’ll get in her way.”
“So, it’s for her…” She hung her head low in sorrow.
“I know I should stay out of your life since it’s over between us, but our encounter today is a mere coincidence. Just forget about what happened today.”
Her eyes became teary. “Did you fall out of love with me back when we broke up?”
He was stunned, for he had not expected that question from her. “That is for sure.” There was another reason that he could not bring himself to tell her because it would only add salt to her wound.
She lightly hummed in response before falling into silence. She stared out of the window, watching the rain pour without any inkling of stopping.
The rain was so heavy that they could not see anything. Hence, she chose to close her eyes to take a rest. Meanwhile, Jethro’s mind was in a mess.
Aldea was currently sitting beside him, and he could not focus on the road at all. Due to the downpour, the car skidded off the road and bumped into the fence.
Bang!
A loud thud resounded. Inertia pushed their body forward, and he banged his head into the steering wheel. Blood began dripping from his forehead, and she only had a scratch on her arm because she managed to cover her head in time.
Once the dizziness faded, she turned her head sideways to check on the unconscious man. For some reason, the airbag did not pop out. After seeing how blood painted the man’s face, she hurriedly called the ambulance before screaming for someone to save them.
There were not many vehicles on that rainy day, but a few cars stopped to check on the situation. The kind onlookers saved them from the car and reported it to the police.
Half an hour later, the ambulance finally arrived. The medical team carried Jethro away with a stretcher. Before they left, they confirmed Aldea’s identity. “What’s your relationship?”
“I’m his girlfriend,” she answered on the spur of the moment.
“Come with us, then.”
She nodded gratefully and followed them. Once they arrived at the hospital, Jethro was pushed into the operating room for emergency treatment. In the meantime, a nurse tended to Aldea’s wounds, after which she ran straight to the operating room to wait quietly while sitting on the bench.
Fortunately, Jethro only suffered from a concussion without any side effects. The simple operation ended, and he was sent to a ward.
Soon enough, Aldea received a phone call from Elspeth. “What happened? How did you get into a car accident?”
The news shocked Elspeth. Who knew the two would get into a car accident when they seemed fine a few hours ago?
“I’m not sure either. Something went wrong with the car.” Aldea lowered her head, feeling guilty.
Knowing that additional questions would only add burden to Aldea, Elspeth took a deep breath. “Where are you? I’ll be there right away.”