Emily Lopez was sitting in the living room with her parents, ears perked up, listening for any sounds coming from Gina Lopez’s room, but it was quiet for the most part. Occasionally, she could hear the two seemingly whispering inside, but suddenly she clamped her legs together, and her facial expression turned bizarre.
"Sandra, what’s wrong?" Mrs. Lopez casually glanced at Emily and noticed her odd behavior.
"It’s nothing, nothing at all." Emily chuckled lightly and popped a cherry into her mouth.
Emily’s mother didn’t think much of it, as her heart was solely focused on James Brown and Gina Lopez; she was eager to have a grandchild soon.
"Mmm..." Emily suddenly let out another muffled sound.
"What’s the matter again?" Emily’s mother furrowed her brow.
"I accidentally bit my tongue." Emily covered her mouth, then jumped up and said, "I’m going to take a shower first, you all continue listening. This isn’t suitable for children, so I’ll excuse myself."
"You’re no child. After your sister, it’s your turn. Don’t think you can escape."
"Escaping for a little while is still escaping." Emily giggled and scampered off to the bathroom, where she quickly turned on the showerhead. After swiftly undressing, she stood under the water and began to shower, yet her facial expression remained extremely weird. Her skin flushed red as if coated in thick rouge, inexplicably charming and enchanting.
Eventually, Gina’s parents outside finally heard the sounds and exchanged glances, both sporting smiles. By acting this way, they had been skeptical, suspecting that Gina’s temperament might be too dominant and always preventing James from touching her. Now, it seemed the two were harmonious in that aspect, which meant their desire for a grandchild might be fulfilled soon.
"Eh? Why does it sound like there are similar noises coming from the bathroom?" Mrs. Lopez suddenly remarked.
"Sandra is showering in there, it must be the sound of water," Jonathan Lopez casually replied.
"Oh, let’s also go to sleep early then."
Finally satisfied, the old couple went off to bed while Emily took a while longer to emerge from the bathroom, her face still flushed. Glancing at the bedroom, she pouted and muttered something unintelligible, then darted to the living room couch.
The next morning, Gina woke up early and said, "Hurry and get up, don’t laze around in bed. My parents are still home; it wouldn’t look good."
"Your parents are probably hoping we sleep in a bit longer. I bet they’d scold you if you got up too early."
"I don’t buy it," Gina huffed, as she got out of bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up and tidy herself.
James Brown, however, stayed in bed and soon heard Mrs. Lopez’s voice: "Why are you up so early? Couldn’t you sleep a bit more?"
"Oh, I just couldn’t sleep anymore," Gina replied uneasily.
"What do you mean you couldn’t sleep? Young people love to sleep in, and besides, the morning is the best time to cultivate a relationship. If you wake up this early every day, how can you develop a good bond? When will you give me grandchildren?"
"Alright, alright, I’m going back to sleep," Gina, seeing her mother about to launch into a lecture, quickly dashed back to the bedroom.
As she entered, she saw James’s smug grin and glared at him, saying, "What are you so smug about? Happy that my mom lectured me?"
"I’m smug because my prediction was dead on, and I’m happy because someone has to admire my judgment."
"Admire my foot." Gina glared at James, grabbed her laptop, and sat on the bed. Since going out meant facing more nagging, she might as well work from the bedroom.
It wasn’t until nearly 7 a.m. that James and Gina left the bedroom together, and Mrs. Lopez looked at James with a beaming, appreciative eye, saying, "James did well."
This comment left James feeling awkward; intuitively, he knew this was about last night, but to hear such words from his mother-in-law still seemed a bit too much. However, James wasn’t about to judge Mrs. Lopez; it was just the outburst of an elderly woman anxious for a grandchild.
After freshening up, James made his way to the living room where he saw Emily sitting huddled in a blanket, yawning widely.
"Sandra, didn’t sleep well last night?" James asked with concern.
Emily rolled her eyes at James and replied, "How could I sleep with all the noise you two were making last night, and then getting up so early this morning, preventing anyone from sleeping in."
Just then, Gina happened by, overhearing her sister’s words and instantly feeling sheepish. Noticing their parents in the kitchen, she promptly said to Emily, "That was fake, it wasn’t really like that."
Emily looked at Gina confusedly, "Fake? Impossible."
Gina knew that Emily was aware of her and James’s pretend relationship as a couple. Seeing Emily’s misunderstanding, Gina became somewhat anxious. Even though she was apprehensive about Emily and James being together, hence her claim on James, she didn’t want to admit to such an act.
Sitting down beside Emily, she then said to James, "Go help my parents."
Knowing the sisters needed to talk privately, James tactfully left, and after he did, Gina quickly said to Emily, "You see, mom is just dying for me to have a child early on. If we didn’t make some noise, she would definitely hover around me and James all the time. So last night, we were just putting on a play, intentionally making those noises to fool mom."