Opening up

In most cases, when lovers have conflicts or arguments, if the guy accidentally raises his voice a bit, no matter what they're arguing about, the woman has to counter with an even louder voice. That's how it's often portrayed in television dramas.

But life isn't a drama.

Under the overcast sky,

Since Lyman had uttered those words, the atmosphere had become somewhat subtle.

Between the two of them, it was remarkably quiet, almost oppressive.

Eva lifted her head and stared at the man in front of her.

The yellowish light from the streetlamp shone in her eyes, making them appear even darker.

"You really are a jerk," she said calmly.

Her voice broke the silence that surrounded them. Lyman stood frozen in place, rendered motionless.

"I don't understand you, but have you ever given me a chance to understand you?"

She stood tall, as if making a proclamation, her responses slow and deliberate.

"Whether or not I become an actress is none of your business. If I love acting, I'll do it. If I don't want to, can't I quit? Who do you think you are to control me like this?" As she spoke, her voice became choked with emotion, but she persisted. Her mother had told her that she should always be strong; no one could take care of her forever, so she had to live her own life well.

"Do you really not trust me?"

"What do I have to trust you with? Am I worthy? Do I have the qualifications? Ah, you come and tell me how I should trust you. The gap between us, the gap..." Her voice grew even more mournful.

The extreme gap in their social status and even their circles had left the girl deeply frightened.

The more she didn't want to lose, the more afraid she was of losing.

In the end, it was her lack of security that troubled her the most.

Time seemed to slow down, perhaps because the oppression had lasted too long. The girl opened her mouth wide and breathed a little heavily, her small body appearing even more fragile. Her eyes, however, remained stubbornly fixed on him.

"I don't want us to drift further apart," she continued, "I don't want that."

Lyman looked at her and suddenly wanted to embrace her. So he did.

Being forcibly embraced by him, she felt a surge of anger and tried to break free.

"You really are a jerk."

"Yes, I'm a jerk. But does it do any good to be so wronged?"

"It's none of your business."

"You're just too naive and love to overthink things." Lyman grabbed her hand and looked at her seriously. "Can you feel the warmth of my body? I will love you forever."

"You big liar," she suddenly became a bit irritable.

Lyman burst into laughter, thinking she was a little silly. She liked to keep everything to herself, and her emotions were sensitive.

"Laugh all you want."

Eva, being forcefully embraced, grew angrier as she gazed at him. Eventually, she stopped struggling and decided not to break free. She even raised her fist and hammered it against his chest.

"You jerk."

"You're still laughing."

"You heartless person, you don't even know how to comfort someone."

Lyman listened to her and continued to laugh.

When she grew tired, he said, "I'll comfort you, so be prepared."

"Prepared for what?"

Before Eva could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt a strong force from behind, lifting her off the ground.

Lyman leaned in as if to kiss her.

In her panic, she subconsciously wanted to scream, but Lyman stopped her with a kiss.

Today's inexplicable fear, after experiencing the initial outburst, gradually subsided.

She was a woman who easily lacked a sense of security but hoped for care and attention.

At this moment, she felt extremely secure.

Nothing proved it more than actions.

That kind of affection, pressed against her chest, feeling the warmth emanating from the beating heart, could drive away all doubts.

Eva passively accepted the kiss. Lyman's arms were strong, and because he held her too tightly, it hurt a little.

But she enjoyed it; this novel experience warmed her heart.

They kissed for what seemed like an eternity before Lyman finally released Eva, who was now panting heavily, looking somewhat like a little pig.

"What are you looking at?" she said, raising her hand as if to strike him.

"Why are you still hitting me?" he dodged.

"What's wrong with hitting you? You deserve it." Eva followed up, making threatening gestures.

Lyman took a couple of steps back and said, "If you keep this up, I'll have to administer some domestic discipline. I will fight back."

"You dare to fight back."

Eva went all out with her attack, using both of her hands.

"Hey, you little girl."

Lyman quickly picked up Eva, turned around, and ran into the house.

Upstairs, in the bedroom.

After running for a while, Lyman placed Eva on the bed and looked at her. "Do you want to take a bath?"

"Of course, I do."

Eva was covered in sweat. She hadn't noticed it outside, but now her clothes felt uncomfortable sticking to her body.

"Then go take a quick bath. There's hot water." Lyman said, taking out her bathrobe from the closet and tossing it to her.

"Aren't you going to take a bath?" She caught the robe and asked.

"Of course, I'll take a bath with you," he chuckled, taking out his own sleepwear.

"Who's taking a bath with you?" Eva grumbled.

"We've been married for so long, why are you still shy? I can help you wash your back. It'll be very comfortable," Lyman said without any embarrassment, continuing, "I can give you a nice back massage."

"Let's go."

Lyman carried Eva and headed to the bathroom.

The bathroom was quite spacious, a feature they had considered when buying the place.

"Shall I help you undress?" he asked.

"No."

"Why not? You said you wanted a bath. What are you planning?"

"You big liar."

"Mm-hmm."

After some struggles, they finally got everything sorted out.

Eva finally settled into the bathtub comfortably.

The water was pleasantly warm, but at this moment, she didn't care about that.

"Why are you still staring at me?" Lyman noticed her glaring at him and couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm telling you, this isn't over," Eva grumbled.

"It's not over yet? Didn't I take good care of you?" he asked.

Talking about this made Eva's face turn slightly red, but it was impossible to see under the rising water vapor.

"Hmm, it's not over."

"Shall we continue?" he seemed to be asking.

But Lyman had already placed his arm over Eva and turned her around.

"What are you doing now?" she asked.

"Can you cooperate a bit?" Lyman sounded somewhat exasperated.

Eva pursed her lips and carefully arched her body into a graceful curve.

Outside, it was now late at night.

The moon hung silently in the sky, and at some point, the sky had cleared up, no longer as overcast.

The brilliant moonlight broke through the clouds and finally spilled onto the earth.

Under a certain test, they had reached a kind of unspoken agreement.

As some say, "After a couple's quarrel, they often make up in bed."

There was some truth to that saying.

Sometimes, when communication dwindles, cracks start to appear. That's when you need deeper exchanges to smooth out those crevices.