Paper Rings (English)

Chapter 18

“I miss you!” Her best friend’s frantic voice filled the four-cornered room. Although she was only seeing her on the small laptop screen, the worry in her visage was apparent. “Are you alright? How are things out there?"

Primrose drew a small smile on her lips. The heavens and the whole wide world could go against her, but just a glimpse of Wednesday's face could easily bring peace to her troubled mind.

"I'm fine," she said in a reassuring tone. "It's been two weeks since I moved in this residence, so I'm slowly getting used to it."

"Is he treating you well?"

"Treating me well…" she paused, realizing who her friend was referring to. Her hand reached for the back of her neck. "Ah, you mean Sander? Yes, we're getting along. H-he's treating me just fine."

It wasn't a lie, but for some reason, she couldn't keep a straight face. Although they have been cohabiting together for the last two weeks, she still couldn't explain the tingling in her limbs whenever his name would come up or his presence was anywhere near her.

"Anyway, how are you coping with this lockdown situation?" She managed to divert the topic and shrug off the thought of Sander in her head. "It's a shame we couldn't meet up to prepare for your wedding."

"I'm staying with Lowell for now," Wednesday sighed and skimmed a hand through her jaw. "If I only knew these restrictions will happen, I would've asked Mr. Mortel to wake you up so we could meet that night."

"That night?"

Her best friend clapped her hands in the air. "Oh, yeah. Didn't he tell you? I was so worried after Nicolas barged in at your wedding, so I begged Lowe to find you two."

Her brows furrowed, "You and Lowe went to the hotel after the wedding? And you met Sander?"

"Yes, I asked Mr. Mortel if you're okay and he said you're already asleep."

"In the hotel lobby?" she asked.

Wednesday nodded in confirmation. "If I remember correctly, he was walking back inside the building when we saw him. He even looked a bit dazed."

The red-haired lady rubbed her chin as her eyes narrowed amid her careful recollection. Did Sander leave the hotel room that night? Her memories were still not that clear. All she could recall was their exchange of words while drinking and Elisha's arrival.

"Maybe he just forgot to tell me. He's quite busy with the company nowadays," she explained and bit her lower lip. "You didn't tell him about Nicolas, right?"

Wednesday's brows pulled in as she heaved a deep sigh. "I wanted to, but I know you should be the one telling him about it."

"Thank you, Wendy." She held a hand to her chest as if relieved by what she heard. "I'll tell him when the time is right."

"You should do it soon," her friend's pleading voice made her throat dry. "Messi Sander Mortel is a meticulous man. Even if you don't tell him, I'm sure he'll know soon enough."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Who are you talking to?" It was Lowell Sebastian's voice in the background. When the man appeared on her screen beside Wednesday, her face immediately turned sour. "Oh, isn't that the new Madam of Mortel Malls Incorporated?"

"Scoot over, dog-face. I'm having some quality time with my Wendy." Her scowling was only responded with a snort from the SMU Publishing CEO. She rolled her eyes at him and folded both arms. "What are you two doing together anyway? Shouldn't Wendy be at home with her family?"

"Since the guest in your wedding tested positive, we're required to isolate until our test results get released," Wednesday explained and cleared her throat. "We decided to self-quarantine together."

"Besides, we're also getting married soon. So, this is a great opportunity," Lowell smirked and leaned a bit closer to the camera. "Speaking of that, why don't you give us some tips? You're a married woman now, after all."

"Lowe, stop teasing Rosey."

"Shut your trap, Sebastian." She traced a finger to her eyebrow to ward off the slight irritation toward her bestfriend's fiancé. "Make sure to take care of Wendy or I'll hunt you down."

"You don't need to tell me that," he intertwined his fingers with Wednesday's and raised it in the air for the camera to see. "I'm not letting go of this hand."

There was a sudden lightness in her chest while watching Lowell kiss the top of Wednesday's hand. Despite her dislike for this man, she was relieved that he was giving this much affection to one of the most important people in her life.

"Ah, my eyes." She pressed a hand to her eyes jokingly and sneered at them. "I should go. Clearly, I'm the third wheeler here."

"If you're jealous, you should ask your husband to cuddle you like this." Lowell wrapped an arm around his girlfriend to tease her more. "I'm sure Sander wouldn't mind."

"Shut it," Primrose frowned. "I don't need your opinion, dog-face."

"Cut it out, you two," Wednesday exclaimed in a firm tone. "Anyway, I'm glad you're doing well. I'll call you later, Chael and Avery are calling on the other line."

"No worries, I have to prepare for a meeting a bit too." She glanced at her wrist watch briefly before reverting her gaze back at the couple on her laptop screen. "Tell Avery and Chael that I said Hi."

"Oh, you're meeting with the Museum director today right?" When she nodded, Wednesday raised a fist mid-air. "Wishing you good luck. I believe in you!"

"Thank you, Wendy. Talk to you again soon."

After waving goodbye, she clicked the End Call button and the video call window disappeared. As if on cue with the conclusion of her call, she heard a loud thud and a few splashes outside her slightly opened bedroom door.

Alerted by its sound, she rushed out of the room. No one was in the living room, so she proceeded to walk toward the path leading to the kitchen. As she got closer, traces of smoke hindered her vision. The sound of sprinklers going off also made her halt her steps.

When her sight cleared, all she saw was the flustered face of Messi Sander Mortel while trying to put out the smoke coming from the pan. After the man blew out the last of the small flames, their eyes finally connected.

"W-what happened?" This was all she could say while her gaze was pinned on the man with a drenched shirt. The sprinklers stopped pouring, leaving a huge mess in the kitchen. "Are you alright?"

He didn't answer her right away. It was the first time she saw him panicking. The man tilted his head from side to side while holding an empty cup. And then, he swallowed hard and shook his head before looking back at her again.

"I was trying to cook lunch for us," he said in a low tone and a downcast expression on his visage. "Then, it started to flare up."

Primrose pressed her lips to a thin line while scanning the burnt meat in the pan. She wasn't even sure what it was because it was too black in color already. Her gaze circled to the wall clock at the corner of the kitchen.

"It's only 10 AM," she exclaimed.

"Yeah," Sander placed the cup on the countertop and ran his fingers through his wet hair. "I don't usually cook so I tried doing it early to give myself time."

"Well, you sure gave it time to burn," she finally spouted and burst into a wide grin. Her amusement slipped through her eyes as she tried hard not to laugh.

His gaze flicked upward, eyes narrowing at her. "Are you amused?"

"No. I'm sorry," she swatted a hand in the air to dispel his comment. However, a smile kept appearing in her lips. "I just didn't expect that you were this comical."

"This is the first time it happened," Sander firmly insisted and squeezed the water out of the tip of his shirt, revealing his toned abdominal muscles. "It worked fine the last time I used it."

She paused at that sight for a second and immediately lowered her gaze to the ground. "Really? When was the last time you used it?"

Luckily, he was too caught up with what happened to take notice of her reaction. Thanks to this, she regained her natural composure and continued to dart him a suspicious look.

"It's your first time cooking, am I right?"

He exhaled and pulled an ear. "Everytime you speak, a rainbow somewhere gets murdered."

This sulky statement brought a low chuckle out of her throat. She beamed at him teasingly amid taking steps forward.

"Don't get yourself wet, it's slippery in here. I'll call someone to clean…"

"No, it's okay," she cut him off. "You should go change your clothes or you'll get sick. I'll clean up here."

"You sure?" He blinked as if reminded of something. "Didn't you say you have a meeting today at 11? You should prepare, don't mind this mess. It's my fault, anyway."

"They can wait."

"Huh?"

A glint of mischief glowed in her doe-like pair of eyes. "How can I go when my husband needs me here?"

As soon as her tracks stopped in front of him, she held the drenched man captive in her gaze.

I must be crazy. She thought. Her hand, as if with the mind of its own, reached to touch his ruffled hair. The widening of his eyes indicate how she caught him off guard.

"Go change," she mouthed. "I'll make lunch in thirty to forty-five minutes."

Sander clamped his lips into a knowing smirk and leaned closer to her. "You know this is a dangerous little game to play, right? Rosey?"