I’ll Sing To You, Mr. CEO

CHAPTER 19:HANDBOOK

After that long night of their performance, Dunce took Lhan home. However, they did not alight from the car right away. Dunce asked her to stay for a while.

Dunce unbuckled his seatbelt and Lhan’s afterwards. “Lhan, don’t do that again.”

“Don’t do what?” Looking at Dunce, Lhan didn’t know what he was talking.

He held her face with both hands and look at her eye to eye. “Smiling while you’re on stage.”

“You don’t like it?” Lhan asked, felt a little disappointed, she bowed her head looking unconsciously at the gear shift.

She read from a book she just recently purchased that singing and giving a smile would make your boyfriend’s heart flutter. However, it seemed Dunce didn’t like it at all.

Contrary to her thoughts, Dunce found it sweet and was quite pleased. But seeing the audiences’ reaction along with his friends’ starstruck face especially when she smiled, for some reason he was alarmed. He felt like any moment someone would snatch her from him.

He leaned back to his seat held her hand and kissed the back of it. “I love it for goodness sake but I want you to remain aloof and intimidating in front of others. You can only smile at me like that when we are alone.”

Lhan’s eyes lit.

“Okay!” She felt happy by his confession that she heedlessly smiled at him.

Lhan’s smiling face was a very rare occurrence, seeing it, for Dunce was truly captivating. He couldn’t help but get entranced.

Instinctively, he drew Lhan closer by holding her nape and gave her long, breathtaking and gentle kiss.

Between the kiss Dunce whispered, “Breathe…” and he continued kissing her longer. Their heads would tilt from left to right alternately.

For Lhan, this was the third time Dunce kissed her, the first one was almost similar but a little short and rough, the second was just a touch of lips. This time she seemed to like it more even if her heart beating was so intense than the first two ones.

“Love, that’s what you call torrid kissing…” Dunce softly whispered after their lips parted.

Lhan gulped.

“Uhm. I know. I read it from novels. I should go up now.” Lhan felt shy.

She demurringly avoided his eyes and tried to reach the car door lock but Dunce held her chin. “You are still not calling me love.”

“I still feel uncomfortable to call you with that endearment.” Lhan tucked her few strands of hair behind her ears.

Why is her every movements so cute, Dunce thought.

“Fine. I will not impose. But I least call me Dunce.”

Lhan nodded. “Uhm. I’ll go upstairs.”

“Yeah! Goodnight, Lhan.” Dunce scratched his head and thought, ‘I didn’t scare her, did I?’

“Dunce, take care!” Lhan said and she walked fast.

When she reached the hand grail of the stairs, she stopped for a bit patted her chest lightly and gently hit her knee cap with her fist subsequently.

The guard, who knew her and Fleur well because of Aljun, asked in a worry. “Are you okay Ms. Lhan?” Lhan looked at her and said that she was fine.

She climbed the stairs up to third floor to where their flat was located. She knocked Fleur’s room as soon as she arrived.

Fleur was nonplused as Lhan hugged her. “Did something happen? Your face is so red.” But Lhan didn’t speak. “What’s up…?” She asked again.

“Just let me hug you for a moment. I think my heart will jumped out of my rib cage and my knees are getting weaker.” There was excitement in her voice that trembled a little.

“Did Dunce do something?” Fleur posed for another question seeing how weird her friend reacted.

“He kissed me. It was a torrid kiss, you know kissing longer tasting each other’s saliva and it was sweet and…” Though Lhan’s voice was soft Fleur heard them clearly.

“Stop! Stop! You don’t have to describe it I understand. Calm down. Later you will go back to normal. You are such a baby. Didn’t you write that in your novels?” Fleur didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. ‘Naivety is surely scary.’

“But you only said you were nervous. You never said it will weaken your knees. The degree of heart beating is so intense that I think I have heart problems.” Lhan pushed her gently and looked at her seriously, “Or do you think I have heart problems and Calcium deficiency?”

Fleur laughed out loud. She freed herself from Lhan’s arms and held her on both shoulders. She knew that Lhan’s brain worked differently from normal individual, but this time she thought she’s a complete nuts. “I told you that’s normal. Your heart is totally fine. That’s just a common reaction since it was your first time to be kissed…”

“This is the third time.” Lhan corrected her with straight face to which Fleur answered “Oh.”

Lhan continued. “I also felt nervous at the first two, but this is different.”

“How was it?” Fleur asked as she ushered her to the dining area and got a glass of drinking water and gave it to Lhan for a gulp.

Lhan emptied the glass before she answered, “It was gentle, sweet, pleasant, but nerve wrecking. I felt my head spin a little.”

“That’s good. It just means that you really like Dunce. Just sleep now you will be fine when you wake up.” Fleur convinced her. She checked at the wall clocked and it was already almost four in the morning.

Lhan nodded and headed to her own room.

When she was gone Fleur shook her head amusingly.

‘What’s with Dunce? He knew that Lhan still have classes later. Why did he let Lhan stay longer outside?’ Fleur asked herself in silence. But the smiles on her face was still there.

Her curiosity was filled with answers when she saw his boyfriend’s message as she checked her phone upon entering her room. Aljun was quite detailed as he reported what happened at the Muzic House.

“Aghhh! I wish I was there!” She felt twitterpated.

Lhan took a quick bath, blowered her hair dry and lied down. It’s already past four but she couldn’t sleep. The memory of the kiss was still vividly stuck in her head. Every time she looked back at what happened, her heart beat faster. It was past six when sleep visited her.

Lhan was almost late for her morning class, thus she wasn’t able to eat anything. Right after her class she and Gideon went to the canteen. She bought milk and a sandwich.

“What’s with you? You hate pure milk.” Gideon asked her thinking that she picked the wrong drinks. Lhan would only choose either coffee or juices with pulp.

“My knees felt weaker this morning. Later I will buy Calcium supplements.” She answered normally.

Gideon frowned. “You are too young to suffer from osteoporosis. You exercise often. Instead of Calcium supplements you should buy an eye cream. Look at your eye bags. It is puffier than usual.”

Lhan just ignored him and pulled her ringing phone.

“What are you doing now?” It was Dunce who called.

"My morning class just ended. I'm about to eat my lunch. You? Did you eat lunch?" She answered while following Gideon to their seats, who stopped questioning her as soon as she answered her phone.

“Not yet. Maybe a little later. I am still in the middle of something important. I just want to hear your voice.” Dunce answered as Lhan sat down.

While both were talking on the phone, Gideon was prepping Lhan’s food.

“You are not going to eat lunch again?” Lhan worriedly asked. She remembered what Leif told him before. Dunce was so meticulous and sedulous at work that mostly he had no time to eat.

“Will you bring me something to eat?" Dunce jestingly requested.

“In your office?!” She asked back.

“Yeah!” Dunce was not hoping much.

“Pass!”

“What?”

“I don’t think I want to go there now.”

“Why? I won’t eat unless you bring me the food.” He kidded. But was half meant hoping now.

Lhan contemplated for a second before she agreed. Dunce was joyous and even raised his voice because of excitement when he said, “I’ll wait for you!”

After their phone conversation Lhan ate her sandwich.

Suddenly someone hit her head a book. “Ouch! What was that?!”

“Stupid lovestruck. After the show last night, you went home without saying goodbye to me.” Elise angrily nagged.

“Dunce told me to come at him fast. I forgot.” Still caressing her head, she explained.

Elise huffed and puffed out of anger. Her hands were rested on her waist. “Yeah, you forgot. How about the exclusive show you did last night?”

“What exclusive show?” Gideon curiously stares at Lhan.

But Lhan kept mum.

In the end it was Elise who told what happened. “This fool, sang last night. She suddenly strummed a song that we didn’t rehearse. At the pre chorus and chorus she sang it acapella, then he pointed at Dunce.”

Gideon’s eyes were like big balls as he gaped and covered his mouth. “An exclusive performance for Dunce?! You did that in front of a lot of people?”

Lhan nodded unconcernedly.

“Where did you get your braveness?” Gideon almost shrieked because of surprise.

“Is it something to be embarrassed?” Lhan pulled a red pocket book, not too thick but not too thin either. She pushed it closer to them so they could see. “The Handbook for Successful Relationship that I bought said smiling sincerely and sweetly at your mate is a good start. Doing unusual stuff like singing a song for your partner is considered romantic.”

Gideon took and read it. Then he laughed. She’s so innocent. Who would read a book like this nowadays, he secretly asked.

“But you should do that privately not in front of a lot of people.” Elise flicked Lhan on her forehead.

Instead of concerning herself about Elise’ anger, something hit her with realization.

“Is that the reason why Dunce said never to that again?” Lhan wondered.

“Ah, His reason may be different. Judging from his character, I guess his possessiveness just taking over him.” Gideon clarified.

“Are you done eating? I’m going home.” Lhan crumpled the sandwich plastic, picked her empty tetra packed juice including Gideon’s trash and stood up to throw them.

“You still have a class.” Gideon stopped her by holding into her arm.

“I’m skipping. He hasn’t eaten lunch yet. I’ll cook him lunch. The Handbook said prioritizing your partner will result to a more harmonious relationship.” She said, still impassive of emotion.

Lhan’s figure faded as she walked away while the two were both stunned with their mouth wide opened. ‘Lhan was never truant.’ They both shared the thought.

Fleur brought their senses back. "What happened to you and where's Lhan?"

"Our innocent Lhan was turned into a fool by a warlock." Elise said and she started complaining to Fleur about what Lhan just said including the Handbook for relationship that she was reading as guide. After hearing everything, Fleur pacified the two for overacting. She thought that the two, especially Elise, were not ready for Lhan's sudden chaanged.