"That long? If one of you see her here next time, go straight to my office and tell me." His soldier's words made Kevin's face even darker than it already was. More than an hour? Did Leena leave home early? Otherwise, she wouldn't have waited that long!
"Yes, Major General." To be honest, the soldier was very curious why Kevin cared so much about the woman outside. However, he didn't dare to ask. It was their Major General's business and he shouldn't be putting his finger on this topic no matter what.
"Are you curious about who she is?" Kevin was ready to leave but then stopped at the last minute. He turned around to face the soldiers again as he felt that he needed to clarify things about Leena just in case they had her wrong.
"Yes, Major General." The young soldier answered honestly in a small voice. He didn't have much chance to talk to Kevin since he was the Major General. Thus, he wasn't sure if he would have another chance to know something more about Kevin's private life.
"I knew you'd be curious. She is my wife. So be polite to her when you see her. Understood? I have to go now." After these words, Kevin smiled and walked to Leena.
"Yes, Major General, we understand." The soldier answered aloud. It was his loud voice that pulled Leena out of her trance. She quickly turned her gaze from the sky to the gate. And as soon as she saw Kevin, a sweet smile cracked her pretty lips. She was nothing but a beautiful breath-taking view.
"Kevin, you are here!" said Leena in pleasant surprise. There was not even a trace of anger nor annoyance on her face. It seemed like she didn't mind if Kevin had her waiting for a long time. She was just happy to see her husband.
"Yeah! Why didn't you call me when you arrived? Plus, why are you standing outside the car while waiting for me? You do know that the weather is chilly!" Kevin touched Leena's face and frowned upon feeling how cold it was. Then his hand tenderly tucked a few of her hair strands behind her ear. It was when he noticed the faint wounds on her face. That made him instantly grit his teeth. The wounds didn't look too bad but he wanted to know how Leena got hurt.
"I know that you will come out once you finish your work. So I don't really mind waiting for a while. Look, you are here now and that's what matters. I just wanted to have some fresh air, and that's why I didn't stay inside the car. I'm a bit curious if there's any difference between the air here and the air downtown." Leena lowered her head and let her hair fall. It was her way to hide the side of her that got hurt. She secretly let out a sigh of relief because she had cleaned the scratches beforehand and put a thin layer of foundation on her face. Otherwise, Kevin would surely find out how bad the wounds were. She just had to pretend that it wasn't a big deal so Kevin wouldn't have to worry. Little did Leena know of how Kevin looked at her as a silly but cute girl. She deserved to be cherished for she was a kind and generous soul.
"Silly girl. You should have waited in the car. It's much warmer there. The air here is just a bit fresher, that's all. Come on, get in the car! You are freezing." Kevin opened the car door for her and protectively put his hand on the top of her head. He was aware of how careless Leena could get and he wouldn't let her bump herself on the metal.
"Yeah, so it's different! You said it yourself. The air here is much fresher than the air downtown. That's why I decided to stand outside while waiting for you." Leena lowered her head and got in the car while speaking. Honestly, her legs were starting to go numb because she had been standing in the cold weather for so long.
"Are you still cold?" Kevin looked up all of a sudden and asked her. He caught her staring at him and she immediately looked elsewhere to avoid his gaze.
"No, I feel better now," said Leena. She wanted to tell him that as long as the two of them were together, she wouldn't feel cold even if she was in the freezing winter. It was her bashfulness that stopped her from saying those words out loud though.
"Don't be silly and wait for me outside next time. The weather is too cold. I am worried that you'd catch a cold." Scolding Leena was something Kevin couldn't help himself with. He wanted her to know about how serious he was. As he knew his wife, he was sure that she would do it again if he didn't say anything about it. That was just how Leena was.
"Okay. I won't stay out next time. I promise." In response, Leena nodded her head successively like a little girl who was scolded by her dad. Only she could tell if she would really keep her promise as she said to Kevin.
"Let's go home now! You should have a hot bath after we get home. It will make you warm." Kevin started the car as he spoke. The deep frown etched on his face was getting even worse as it stayed there longer.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: It'll Come Naturally