"Here drink this," Gavin said with a hot chocolate in his hand.
"Thanks," Thea accepted it. Gavin was a sweet guy who often looked after her at work and would assist her every now and then, like a real gentleman.
"It’s nice that you are back. I’ve asked the production team to get a replacement for me soon since I want to focus more on writing from now on," Gavin explained to which Thea creased her forehead.
Gavin had mentioned before that he was considering quitting the anchor position, however, she was still surprised to hear his words just now because she had never thought that he was serious about it. "Are you sure? I mean, you have a great career as the prime news anchor, and people love seeing you on television... I think you need to rethink this."
Gavin sighed. Thea was right, but he needed a break from his current job as it was starting to stifle him, and so far writing had been something that was helping him go through his current situation. So he would rather take a break to focus on it while traveling around the world.
"Hmm, something looks different about you," he commented as he stared at Thea. "What?" Thea asked and fixed herself, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.
"Hmm, I don’t know, but you look brighter... perhaps beautiful?" Gavin said with hesitation, as though he was still thinking of the most proper word to describe it. Thea lifted one eyebrow and said, "Are you saying I was not beautiful before, Gavin?"
Gavin laughed and said, "Of course not. You know you are beautiful, it’s just that you look more stunning... Ahh yeah, right, I think glowing is the right word."
"Glowing?" Thea asked. Gavin nodded as he added, "Yeah, you look more relaxed now. Before, your eyes were always soulless but now they’re bright and it makes your face glow. I’m really glad to see this change. I can feel that something good has happened to you..."
Thea had always felt comfortable around Gavin and she considered him a good friend, so without a second thought she told him that she got married to Jeru Liu this morning and they were already expecting a baby.
"What?!" Gavin blurted out in disbelief and Thea confirmed it with her sweetest smile. "Since when were you close with him? Do you know what a terror his grandmother is?" Gavin asked because his family knew the Liu’s and he personally knew how forceful and harsh the Old Madam Liu could be.
"How do you know her?" Thea asked out of curiosity.
"Well, every year we have this event... Do you know the history of the legendary ruler King Yuren and his wife Xianyi?" asked Gavin.
Thea nodded... Of course, she knew them as a part of their country’s history. He was the only King who fought to marry just one woman and was faithful to his wife his whole life. Not only that, during his ruling, the country was known to be prosperous. He was one of the most beloved rulers of their country.
"Well... My family comes from that line... The same with the Liu’s... So all descendants of King Yuren and Queen Xianyi would all gather yearly to commemorate our great ancestors. That’s how I know the Old Madam Liu and how demanding she could be. She’s a real pain in the ass, that’s for sure..." Gavin explained, and since it was still a while before their break ended, he ended up telling Thea everything he knew about the Old Madam.
Seeing Thea’s pale face, Gavin laughed and said, "Don’t worry. I’ll be here for you in case you need any help. I want you to contact me first and ask me for help if you hesitate to ask Jeru about it."
Thea pursed her lips and wondered if she would be able to survive Jeru’s grandmother’s wrath after hearing Gavin’s story, but she was glad to have found another sincere friend like him.
She was now officially Mrs. Liu. Jeru would introduce her to his dad first once she felt comfortable enough for it. She was too nervous to do it soon and had managed to convince him that she would tell him as soon as she was ready.
Other than that, Jeru told her that it would be best to keep their marriage a secret from his grandmother, at least for now, and she agreed. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy her pregnancy and her life as Jeru’s wife before she would be confronted with another trial.
Her phone beeped and it was Chin sending her all the important details on Jeru’s father and grandmother. She wanted to know about them in advance so she could make an effort to please them somehow.
Her cheeks reddened when she read another message which was from Jeru...
[Do you think it would be possible to pick you up early from work? I want us to celebrate our wedding outside...]
There it goes again... The thumping of her heart. She smiled and typed her reply. Yes, she could leave work early.
There were butterflies in her stomach and she had accepted and acknowledged the fact that she was starting to like Jeru. She thought it was still too early to describe it as love, but she knew that she would also soon fall in that category. Especially if Jeru kept treating her the way he did now. He was always so kind and thoughtful toward her.
Jeru was definitely someone whom you could easily fall for...