Emma Campbell stretched her head out of the bedcovers, facing James Brown’s gaze with a kind of resolute shine on her face, and said, "Big Brother Brown, I know what I’m doing. I admit I’m motivated by gratitude, but I’m not foolish. If Big Brother Brown weren’t worth my affection, even in the name of gratitude, I wouldn’t choose this method. Being with Big Brother Brown, I can feel that he’s truly a good person, truly someone worth following for a lifetime."
James Brown looked at Emma Campbell’s angelic face and gently caressed it twice before saying, "Lemon, can we take some time then? Don’t rush. Let me tell you a story first."
Emma Campbell knew that James Brown must be about to talk about his past and immediately nodded vigorously.
James Brown’s gaze shifted toward the window, then he said in a deep voice, "When I was a child, I was very naughty and barely made it into the second high school in YODC City. Since I barely got in, I was also one of the last in my class. This made me even less interested in studying. Not only the teachers, but even my parents had given up hope on me. However, there was a girl in my class, she was the class president and a very good student. Yet, she always tried hard to help me. Back then, I found it annoying. Whenever she tried to manage me, I always resisted and even clashed with her."
He turned his gaze back to Emma Campbell and continued, "But this girl was fiery and persistent. She insisted on pulling my grades up. We fought for two years, and my grades improved. Our relationship also grew stronger. At that time, puppy love was strictly prohibited at school, so we didn’t dare let anyone find out. Later on, we got caught by her parents after we ’crossed the line’, and I was beaten up before she transferred schools."
"What happened later?" Emma Campbell asked anxiously, watching James Brown.
"After graduating high school, I enlisted in the military. Seven years passed with no contact at all, until a class reunion a short while ago, where we met again."
"Ah? Did she get married?" Emma Campbell’s body slightly trembled.
James Brown hugged Emma Campbell a bit tighter and said, "No, she was still thinking of me. All these years, I hadn’t been involved in a relationship because of her. We were both very emotional when we met again and wanted to rekindle our old romance."
"Ah! Then... what about you two..." Emma Campbell stammered, unable to complete her sentence, worrying that the happiness that had just arrived might be lost because of James Brown’s first love.
James Brown sighed and said, "But I realized, there’s still too much distance between us. Just today at noon..."
James Brown then retold the events of that afternoon to Emma Campbell. After hearing it, Emma Campbell immediately responded with some irritation, "Charlotte is too inconsiderate. How could she do that?"
James Brown chuckled lightly and said, "If it weren’t for Charlotte, I definitely wouldn’t have broken up with her by now."
Emma Campbell bit her lip and spoke softly, "Big Brother Brown, I can actually feel that she truly likes you. That’s why she got so angry over this. You should go and explain."
"If I explain, what about you?"
"I... I... I’d rather not be your girlfriend. As long as Big Brother Brown, whenever you feel lonely or upset in the future, you can come to me."
"Silly girl." James Brown lowered his head and kissed Emma Campbell’s forehead, saying, "Lemon, the misunderstanding isn’t the point. The point is that we don’t know each other well now, nor do we completely trust each other. Plus, our lifestyles are too different. A moment’s love can’t sustain us for a lifetime. So, breaking up is actually the best ending for us."
Emma Campbell said with a sigh of regret, "Your journey of love has been so long; it should have had a happy ending. It’s such a pity."
Faced with Emma Campbell’s kindness, James Brown didn’t know what to say. If it were any other girl who found out her boyfriend still had an ex, she wouldn’t be regretting it, at the very least, she wouldn’t ruin it.
But James Brown also understood that it wasn’t that Emma Campbell didn’t like him, it was just that her nature was so kindhearted, she couldn’t bear to see anything less than beautiful.
"The reason I’m telling you this is to let you know that having a boyfriend is one thing, but marriage is another matter entirely."
"I get it, Big Brother Brown, I won’t rush anymore. I want to wait until you truly want to marry me before I let you," Emma Campbell said.
James Brown pinched Lemon Smith’s nose and laughed, "You’re really smart. Also, I know you’re a pure girl, and I don’t want to spoil that purity before we’re sure we can get married."
Lemon Smith was stunned, her face flushing red as she stammered, "Big Brother Brown, I...I..."
"Heh, so don’t tempt me, okay? Men are creatures that think with their lower half. If I can’t hold back and take you now, it’ll be too late for regrets later."
"I wasn’t tempting you! And...and I wouldn’t regret it," Lemon Smith said, embarrassed.
James Brown chuckled lightly, "Furthermore, that kind of thing should happen naturally when the feelings are deep and true. I hope one day my little Lemon is bursting with passion and asks for it herself, without a trace of other emotions mixed in, including gratitude."
Lemon Smith nodded vigorously, "I understand, Big Brother Brown. You’re really a good man. I feel that being with you is the greatest happiness of my life."
The two held each other close, said nothing more, and with no further actions, they soon both drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, when James Brown woke up, they were still in the same position as the night before. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Lemon Smith’s bright eyes gazing at him. When he did, she promptly closed her eyes, prompting James to laugh, "Stop pretending to be asleep."
Lemon Smith opened her eyes, her face blushing as she said, "Good morning, Big Brother Brown." Then, she leaned forward and gently kissed James Brown’s cheek.
"Good morning to you too." He responded with a kiss on Lemon Smith’s tender cheek.
"I’m going to head to the bathroom first," James said as he pulled back the covers and got out of bed. But as he did, he still caught a glimpse of Lemon Smith’s uncovered upper body and only a pair of underwear on the lower half, irresistibly alluring. He quickly pulled the covers over Lemon Smith.
In the bathroom, James Brown let the water run and thought about Lemon Smith’s body, mocking himself for not ’eating’ such a beautiful girl by his side, especially now that she was his girlfriend. But because of what happened with Melody Yoody, he still had reservations. If it was about love, James Brown was going to treat it seriously, and not casually like before. This was to be responsible toward Lemon Smith and also not to get hurt like he did with Melody Yoody.
When he returned to the bedroom, Lemon Smith hadn’t gotten up yet, and her loving eyes gazed at him.
James sat at the edge of the bed and smiled, "It’s the weekend, a rare chance to relax. I’m planning on catching some more sleep."
"Sure!" Lemon Smith said excitedly, raising her arm to pull back the cover but stopped herself quickly and put her arm back down.
James burst into laughter, "You’ve already seen it all, no point in hiding now," and then lifted the cover and slipped back under it.
By May, the daytime temperatures were already quite high, but it was still cool in the evenings and mornings. Staying under a thin blanket was quite comfortable.
As soon as James Brown lay down, Lemon Smith snuggled up to him, pulling his arm under her neck as a pillow. She had become quite proficient with this gesture, especially since she and James Brown had confirmed their relationship the day before. That night greatly deepened Lemon Smith’s trust in James Brown.
This was a primary principle in how James lived his life. Lemon Smith was different from Sunny Nguyen; he and Sunny wouldn’t consider marriage, so when they were together, James would do whatever he wanted without any emotional burden.
James wasn’t the impulsive kind of kid; he was a very rational person. Having experienced so much, his understanding of love was quite different from most people. Others might start by wanting to possess, but James wouldn’t try to possess Lemon Smith unless he was sure that their relationship was the true kind that could lead to marriage.