Blue With You

In the slowly rolling twilight, Noah and Lea walked side by side by the beach. No one spoke; they were just enjoying the beauty of the beach and savoring its salty aroma. Happy smiles were on both their faces. Noah then invited Lea to sit on the dry sand, looking up at the increasingly beautiful sunset sky. Noah bent his legs and opened them so Lea could sit across from him. Lea sat with her back to Noah and immediately rested her head on Noah's chest, hugging her beloved man's affectionate arm. "Lea, let's get married," Noah said suddenly. Lea didn't look surprised; instead, she laughed amusedly. It wasn't Noah's first invitation. "Why, is this another rejection?" asked Noah. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's not ruin our last day of holiday here." Lea smiled at the horizon and stroked the back of Noah's hand with her fingers. "Ruined? I'm offering the thing all girls want, at the right moment, or even this is romantic from my side, and you say I'm ruining a moment?" "Why are you silent?" Noah gently stroked Lea's head, playing with her glossy brown hair. "You should already know what my answer is," Lea replied lazily. Noah sighed. There was a look of disappointment on Noah's face that Lea didn't see, but the girl could feel. "We're three years in, Bell. How many more years do we want to stay like this?" asked Noah. "A relationship between a man and a woman doesn't have to end in marriage, does it?" Lea asked again. "But our relationship is special, darling." Lea didn't answer, making Noah uneasy. "Is our relationship not as special as I thought?" asked Noah. Lea remained silent. This time, her fingers moved to play with the white sand. She grasped the sand and let it escape through her fingers. "Is love gone?" Noah asked again. He was getting impatient with Lea's silence. "Love and marriage are different, Noah." Lea finally spoke. "I love you, but, when it comes to marriage, that's another question." "I don't understand. "I want to be serious with you, Bell. The seriousness of love is marriage." "Marriage is a lifelong commitment, Noah, and I'm not ready for it." Does this mean you don't want to live with me forever?" Noah's tone of voice began to sour. His posture was also stiff, with his eyes fixed on the distant end of the beach. "Ayola, Noah." Lea twisted her body. Making them face-to-face. "We've been over this many times, haven't we? Marriage is about the future, just as marriage is about money. Look at you. You're just an ordinary manager. Your salary is great, but only if it's for yourself. When you marry, it's not just about you; it's also about me and our children. Their education. Their health. And my personal life too. All of that necessitates substantial living expenses. "In short, it's all about money, isn't it?" Noah asks sarcastically. "Yes," Lea replied bluntly. "It's everything we should be able to work on together. It's not a problem or a burden." "But when I get married, I want to be a housewife. Not work outside." "Okay. That's not a problem. Actually, I'm in favor of it. I prefer it that way. I do the work, and you look after our kids later." "Not a problem for you, but a problem for me." Lea snorted in annoyance and stood up. The beach in the twilight was beyond her enjoyment, and Lea decided to return to the inn. "Come on, Lea. Don't have to run like this," Noah, who was walking behind Lea, shouted irritably. "I'm tired of this conversation!" Lea screeched. "You're always misunderstanding what I want, which I've made very clear!" "I understand, Lea!" Noah walked hurriedly over to Lea and stood directly in front of her. He held Lea's upper arms with both hands. Despite her irritation, Lea stopped her steps. "What if I'm not who you know me to be?" asked Noah. Noah's face looked excited with a wide smile that displayed his neat rows of teeth. Lea looked at her lover with confusion. "I don't understand," Lea said. "What if I'm not as simple as you see me?" Noah corrected his question in hopes that Lea would understand. "What are you talking about? I don't understand. Speak clearly." Lea shook his shoulders, disengaged himself from Noah's hand, and took another step. Noah again blocked Lea's path, his face still smiling seductively. "What if I am someone who can give you whatever you really want? What if I could guarantee that your life as my wife would be perfectly fine? Not lacking anything. Even our children, I can make sure, will live a prosperous life." For a while, Lea was silent, not giving any reaction. As she stared at Noah with a deep frown on her forehead, her expression was flat. After that, Lea laughed amusingly. "Why are you laughing?" asked Noah with a changed look on his face again. Lea's laughter intensified. She then pinched Noah's cheek in excitement. "You're so cute, honey," Lea said. Noah's long hair, which reaches below his ears, flutters in the beach breeze. He looked both boyish and sexy. This is what makes Lea both happy and in love. "I don't think I'm being funny. And I'm serious, Lea." Noah's face was no longer cute. He was completely serious. Lea's cheerfulness faded fast. She turned her face to stare at the dusk horizon, moving away from Noah's gaze. "I'm not ready to get married, Noah, and I don't like to presume. In reality, all this time you've been giving me diamonds and cars, they've all been on loan. I don't want to mess up my future by taking on your debt." "But that's all..." "Noah!" Lea turned to face Noah. Seriousness was clearly etched on her beautiful face. "Please don't feel it again. Marriage is something I'm avoiding right now," Lea continued. Lea's hands reached out, caressing Noah's cheeks fondly. Moving down, she reached for Noah's hand and grasped it firmly. "Let's live our romance like this first. You settle all your debts, and then we build our palace together," Lea said softly. Lea pressed her body closer, pulling Noah's head with her right hand and bringing their faces very close together. For good measure, after the commotion, Lea kissed Noah hot on the lips. On another part of the beach, an older woman was watching Noah and Lea. Her eyes kept narrowing so that her pupils could see more clearly. She was approached by a man and a pregnant woman. "What are you looking at, Mom?" the young man asked. "That's Noah, isn't it? Noah O'Connor?" asked the woman with short hair that was mostly white. The young man squinted and then answered quickly, "Yes, that's Noah. Shall we go there, Ma?" "No, we're not. It looks like they have a problem. But who is this woman? Why didn't Sophie tell us that Noah has a girlfriend?" The white-haired woman muttered. ***