Unexpectedly Married To You

nineteen

Edlyn watched her husband breathe at a calming pace, sleeping soundly. She leaned back against the couch and stared at the ceiling. She kept asking herself, are her father and brother's words true? Did her mother forgive her? She frustratedly exhaled as she was trying to find the answers.

Jake groaned and yawned as he woke up, stretching himself. He looked at her, "What time is it?"

"It's already 6 in the evening," she looked at him for a while, "Can I ask you something?"

He hummed in response, giving his full attention to her. She sighed and closed her eyes tiredly, "Do you ever feel scared of blood? Or scared of not saving your patients? Do you ever feel scared of being a surgeon knowing the big responsibility you have to save lives?"

"All the time. But I just forget it. It's easier that way."

She looked at him before laughing at herself, "You're right. It's not that scary. Why am I acting like this?"

Her mother's face was still visible in her mind. The way she looked at her with vengeful eyes as blood trickled down from her head. She shivered and shrugged to forget it.

"Grandma's almost done making dinner. You should change," she said before leaving the room.

•

She got bored waiting in the living room so she went out. She saw Mr Sim carving wood at the back of the house. He heard footsteps and saw her, "Is that you, Edlyn?"

Edlyn smiled and nodded before approaching him, "Yes, grandpa."

She watched as he carefully carved the wood into a beautiful design. "This is beautiful, grandpa. How long have you been doing this?" She asked in awe as she picked up one of them.

"I've been doing it as a hobby since I was 55 years old. Jake always watches me carve wood on that small chair that I made," he said as he pointed at the small chair near on the right side.

"What does your father do for fun?" He asked. "He works," she answered, earning a small laugh from the old man. She chuckled awkwardly, "He works a lot so I don't think he has time to find hobbies. That's why I'm worried. He always faints at work and I'm afraid that he'll stress himself more."

"He works hard to be where he is now. I'm sure that's why he wants to work more. So that he could let you and your brother live in a comfortable environment."

She walked around and saw a baby picture of Jake in a wooden frame. She smiled and picked it up, "He looks so small."

"He's always there to see what I'm carving and making. Such a curious little kid," Mr Sim laughed as he recalled the memories, "Is he treating you well?"

"Yeah," she lied, "He's a gentleman."

"Glad to hear that. If he ever hurts you and breaks your heart, just call me. I'll teach him a lesson," he said. Edlyn chuckled, "You promised."

•

Jake took off his clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower. He groaned frustratedly when he forgot to bring the clothes he wanted to change into the bathroom. He didn't want Edlyn to see him wearing only a towel.

She must be with grandma, or maybe grandpa. Maybe if I'm quick, she wouldn't get to see me like this. Should I run? No, it's slippery. Maybe I should just rush into the closet and grab any clothes that are near me.

He slowly opened the door and peeked outside, checking if his wife was in there. He sighed in relief and laughed at himself, "What was I thinking? She wouldn't be here alone with me."

He was about to go into the walk-in closet until the entrance door opened, revealing Edlyn with widened eyes. He jumped in shock and his towel that was around his waist accidentally fell.

She turned around and accidentally hit her head on the door, "Cover yourself! For the love of God, please cover yourself!"

He quickly ran to the closet and changed into a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, "You did that on purpose! You wanted to see me naked!"

"No, I did not! I walked in because I thought you're still in the bathroom! I was just going to take my phone!"

"Nonsense! You saw me naked!" He pointed at her with startled eyes. She scoffed, "Yah! I didn't see anything! It was not worth watching at all!"

"So you did see a thing!"

Edlyn felt annoyed and grabbed his towel from his hand, "You should tie it around your waist better so that it won't fall!" She started showing him ways to tie the towel around the waist. He scoffed and snatched the towel back before running away.

Her knees felt weak and she kneeled on the floor, cursing at herself for barging into the room.

Jake ran to the living room and saw his grandmother drinking tea. She was confused, "What's with all the noises just now?"

He blushed and cleared his throat before sitting across her, looking away, "Nothing."