976: Burying The Hatchet (part three)

"I hope so. But why do I feel that the possibility is so slim?" Kevin flashed a bitter smile. He knew his sister's temper. And that was why he had qualms about marrying Leena. He worried that he would marry a woman a lot like Claire. If he did that, he wouldn't have a moment's peace ever again. It wasn't really that he hated his sis. More, it was that he didn't approve of the way she behaved most of the time. More puzzling to him was his father's attitudes towards her. The man had lavished all his affection on her, even slavishly. So most of the time, Kevin felt it difficult to call her out, because everyone in the house took her side. So she became a spoiled brat.

Lee's lips trembled, but nothing eventually came out from his mouth. He still focused on the road ahead and drove carefully. It suddenly became very quiet in the car, and Kevin began to lose in his thoughts.

The car zoomed over the expressway. Leena slept for a very long time. But it was a torture to Kevin. He had been holding her in his arms for hours. Staying in the same posture for so long, he almost felt that his legs would cramp.

"Major General, there's a service center ahead, how about we stop there and have a rest? You can get out and stretch your legs." Lee broke the silence as he saw Kevin finally opened his eyes. He had been resting all the way with his eyes slightly closed.

"Okay. We probably need to grab a bite. There's still about two or three hours' ride ahead of us. A break is a good idea. Safety first. We've got time." Kevin slightly moved his numb legs. But he didn't expect that he would wake Leena up with his move. Leena suddenly opened her sleepy eyes. She looked around, still in a daze.

Where are we now?" Leena asked, her face blushed. She was surprised to find herself on Kevin's laps when she woke up. And she felt a little embarrassed.

"Leena, you're awake? That's good. There is a service center ahead. We can eat something and continue our trip." Kevin helped her to smooth her messy hair, his gentle movements being much different from his usual stern, brusque manner in the army base.

"Oh! Now that you mention it, I do feel a little hungry. But what are you doing back here with me?" Leena sat up and asked doubtfully.

"I came to the back seat when you were asleep." Kevin smiled mischievously. He thought it was a clever answer. But to Leena, it was such a crap. Of course, she knew it was when she was asleep. If she was awake, she wouldn't have asked.

"Thank you Captain Obvious. Any more brilliant observations?" Leena looked outside through the car window. She saw the car slowly driving into the service center. The first thing she wanted to do after she got out was to find the bathroom, not the restaurant. That was why she was casting furtive glances up and down the road. She really needed to go!

"Are you mad at me?" Kevin was surprised to get such a response. Because Leena seemed to always have an even temper, and it was not like her to get agitated so easily.

"No, I'm busy now." Leena gazed around firmly, anxiously looking for the bathroom. And the only thing on her mind was to rush to the bathroom as soon as the car pulled over.

"What are you looking for?" Curious at Leena's strange behavior, Kevin followed along her gaze and looked outside.

"The bathroom, silly!" Leena blurted out without hesitation. When she realized what she was saying, she unwittingly flushed. The words just tumbled out of her mind and onto her lips. More worse, she said it loudly. That was so embarrassing.

"Don't worry, I'll take you there later." Kevin was dumbfounded at her reply. On a second thought, it was natural for her to look for a bathroom. They had driven for hours, and it was reasonable that she felt nature's call after a long nap. But what surprised him was that she would say that so loud out in public. She had always been a graceful lady and that did not sound like her.

"No, I can go there by myself. I know where the bathroom is, there are signs, okay?" Leena said with her head down. She still felt a little embarrassed because Lee was also here.

It's okay. I need to go too," Kevin grinned and teased. It was true that he also wanted to go to the bathroom. So really, he was telling the truth and not mocking her.

Oh? That didn't sound right. I'm going to the lady's room, are you sure you want to go with me?" Leena looked at him with her eyes wide open, as if he were a freak.

"Look whose mind is in the gutter. Don't you know that in public place like this, the men's room is usually next to the lady's room?" Kevin tapped her head with a sullen face. He figured out how she saw him from the expression on her face.

How should I know? You didn't explicitly say you were going to the men's room." Leena touched her head and mumbled with grievance. She just woke up and her mind was still in a daze. And she didn't think too hard about what he said.

"Okay, my fault. Mea culpa. Let's go, I'll take you there." Kevin opened the door helplessly. He didn't plan to continue to argue with her. Because he knew, no matter what, he was the one to lose in the end. Women were not easy to deal with when they got angry and he knew it.

Okay." Leena reluctantly sniffed. Taking her bag with her, she pushed the door open and got out of the Quattro. Kevin considerately held her hands as soon as she stepped out. He worried that she wasn't completely awake and might be bumped by other people or worse, get hit by a car. There were so many cars passing, so it was safer to hold her hands.

"Kevin, are we near the capital city yet?" Leena raised her eyes and looked around. She felt the place was very cold like it was in winter. While in her home city, it was still very cool and comfortable.

Yes, about three hours' drive. Are you cold?" Kevin took her into his arms. Only then did he find that she was not wearing the right set of clothes. She was not like him, he was weatherproof. And he regretted that he had forgotten to make her wear a coat before getting off the car, and maybe bring along some heavier clothing with long sleeves.