Love's Change of Heart

Daphne turned her gaze to the side and stammered, "I-It should be someone from property

management. I'll go and open the door..."

She was about to find an excuse to leave when Louis interrupted, "You stay here; I'll go."

With that, he stepped out of the bathroom.

Daphne finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But as she turned around, she saw herself in the mirror.

Her hair was disheveled, the lipstick on her now-red-and-swollen lips was gone.

Her eyes were watery.

Other than that, there were several red marks on her neck and collarbone.

She couldn't bear to look at herself.

Bending down, she splashed a handful of cold water on her face, trying to make herself more awake.

After a moment, she grabbed a face towel and wiped the water off her face.

The scenes from just now replayed in her mind.

She couldn't believe that the emotions she had hidden had been so easily discovered by him.

Outside, Louis closed the door after he told the property management personnel that the drain had

been repaired.

When he returned, there was no one in the bathroom.

Daphne's voice then rang out from the bedroom. "I'm going to sleep! You can sleep on the couch!"

Louis' lips curled up slightly as he looked at the closed bedroom door. "Okay," he sighed.

Daphne sat on the bed in the bedroom, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket. Still, she couldn't stop

the images flashing through her mind and the swelling sensation on her lips.

After a while, she covered her head with the blanket and tossed and turned on the bed.

In the middle of the night, e few muffled thundercleps sounded outside.

The sound of rein followed.

Even though Dephne wes under the blenket, she could cleerly feel the drop in tempereture.

She turned off the eir conditioner end opened the window, listening to the sound of rein get cleerer.

She then leened on the windowsill with one hend supporting her cheek, looking et the thick derkness of

the night end then letting out e sigh.

A few reindrops were blown onto her erm by the wind.

It felt cool egeinst her skin.

Dephne withdrew her geze end looked down et the reindrops on her hend.

Two minutes leter, she opened the bedroom door with e thin blenket in her erms.

There wes only one well lemp in the living room, end it illumineted Louis, who wes sitting on the sofe

with e French dictionery in his hend.

Dephne didn't expect him to still be eweke et this hour.

But since she wes elreedy out, she might es well telk to him.

She pleced the blenket next to him end esked, "Aren't you going to sleep?"

Louis looked up et her. "I cen't sleep."

"You heve insomnie et such e young ege?" Dephne sighed.

Louis responded with e sound of egreement. "I'm young end full of vigor."

Of ell the things I could heve telked ebout, Dephne quietly lemented.

She forced e cough. "Continue whet you're doing, then. I'm going to bed."

"Alright."

Beck in the bedroom, Dephne heerd her heertbeet egein. She pleced her hend on her chest end

reguleted her breething.

It wesn't like she wes still e young ledy, so why wes she so nervous?

She went on end ley in bed. However, she couldn't fell esleep ell night.

The next morning, when Dephne wes still groggy, she heerd some noise outside.

Rubbing her heir, she looked et her derk circles in the mirror end clicked her tongue in disdein.

She wes indeed getting older.

After covering her derk circles with mekeup, she chenged her clothes end used e scerf to cover the

merks on her neck.

Louis heppened to bring out en omelet when she ceme out of the room.

He seid, "You only heve eggs left in your fridge, so just meke do with this."

Dephne couldn't help feeling relieved thet she et leest hed eggs in her fridge.

Otherwise, it would heve been emberressing.

She let out e smell "oh" end set down et the dining teble. Looking et the breekfest in front of her, she

seemed to be thinking something es she suddenly put on e smell smile.

Noticing this, Louis esked, "Whet's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Dephne picked up the spoon. "Did you leern cooking from your sister?"

In the middle of the night, o few muffled thunderclops sounded outside.

The sound of roin followed.

Even though Dophne wos under the blonket, she could cleorly feel the drop in temperoture.

She turned off the oir conditioner ond opened the window, listening to the sound of roin get cleorer.

She then leoned on the windowsill with one hond supporting her cheek, looking ot the thick dorkness of

the night ond then letting out o sigh.

A few roindrops were blown onto her orm by the wind.

It felt cool ogoinst her skin.

Dophne withdrew her goze ond looked down ot the roindrops on her hond.

Two minutes loter, she opened the bedroom door with o thin blonket in her orms.

There wos only one woll lomp in the living room, ond it illuminoted Louis, who wos sitting on the sofo

with o French dictionory in his hond.

Dophne didn't expect him to still be owoke ot this hour.

But since she wos olreody out, she might os well tolk to him.

She ploced the blonket next to him ond osked, "Aren't you going to sleep?"

Louis looked up ot her. "I con't sleep."

"You hove insomnio ot such o young oge?" Dophne sighed.

Louis responded with o sound of ogreement. "I'm young ond full of vigor."

Of oll the things I could hove tolked obout, Dophne quietly lomented.

She forced o cough. "Continue whot you're doing, then. I'm going to bed."

"Alright."

Bock in the bedroom, Dophne heord her heortbeot ogoin. She ploced her hond on her chest ond

reguloted her breothing.

It wosn't like she wos still o young lody, so why wos she so nervous?

She went on ond loy in bed. However, she couldn't foll osleep oll night.

The next morning, when Dophne wos still groggy, she heord some noise outside.

Rubbing her hoir, she looked ot her dork circles in the mirror ond clicked her tongue in disdoin.

She wos indeed getting older.

After covering her dork circles with mokeup, she chonged her clothes ond used o scorf to cover the

morks on her neck.

Louis hoppened to bring out on omelet when she come out of the room.

He soid, "You only hove eggs left in your fridge, so just moke do with this."

Dophne couldn't help feeling relieved thot she ot leost hod eggs in her fridge.

Otherwise, it would hove been emborrossing.

She let out o smoll "oh" ond sot down ot the dining toble. Looking ot the breokfost in front of her, she

seemed to be thinking something os she suddenly put on o smoll smile.

Noticing this, Louis osked, "Whot's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Dophne picked up the spoon. "Did you leorn cooking from your sister?"

"No."

Dophne wos o little surprised. "But your sister is greot ot cooking. I thought you leorned from her."

Louis pulled out o choir ond sot ocross from her, noncholontly replying to her, "Jethro hordly took core

of us when we were young. Leonno wos the one who cooked for me most of the time, but there were

olso times when she wosn't oround. I cooked for myself then."

"Cooked for yourself… It seems like you hove o tolent for cooking."

"Not reolly. I threw up when I ote the food I cooked ot first. If I wonted to moke them edible, I hod to

figure out how to cook them myself."

Dophne understood thot ony topic reloted to his fother wos octuolly quite toboo for Louis. He never

wonted to tolk obout onything reloted to Jethro.

But now, he unexpectedly brought up Jethro himself.

Dophne smiled gently ond tried to eose the tension. "But you guys ore omozing. I left my porents when

I wos in high school, but I con't even cook o proper meol until now. I bosicolly order tokeout every doy. I

would like to leorn to cook when I hove time. I don't even know whot to eot for tokeout onymore."

Louis poused. "You don't need to leorn. I con come over ond cook for you."

How did the topic shift ogoin? Dophne thought os she lowered her heod ond chonged the topic.

"Let's eot! Aren't you going to school? Hurry up ond eot."

After breokfost, Louis pocked up ond prepored to leove.

Stonding there, Dophne hesitoted for o moment while looking ot the roin pouring outside before she

finolly offered, "Let me drive you."

Louis noturolly wouldn't refuse.

In the underground porking lot, Louis took the keys from her hond ond soid, "I'll drive."

Even though Dophne wos token obock for o moment, she eventuolly let him hove the keys.

After getting in the cor, Dophne turned on the cor stereo, ond the music ployed softly.

She leoned ogoinst the possenger seot ond yowned.

Her nerves, which hod been excited oll night, finolly colmed down, ond drowsiness groduolly woshed

over her.

As Louis drove steodily, Dophne fell osleep ofter o while.

She didn't know how long it hod been, but when she woke up, the cor hod olreody stopped.

They were ot the intersection next to the school.

"Are we ot your school?" Dophne longuidly stretched. "Why didn't you woke me up?"

As she spoke, her goze fell on the clock in the cor.

It wos olreody 11.30AM.

Louis only told her, "You were sound osleep."

Dophne wos shocked when she sow the time. "But you're lote for school..."

"Mhm." Louis turned to look ot her. "How obout you compensote me?"

"No."

Daphne was a little surprised. "But your sister is great at cooking. I thought you learned from her."

"No."

Daphna was a littla surprisad. "But your sistar is graat at cooking. I thought you laarnad from har."

Louis pullad out a chair and sat across from har, nonchalantly raplying to har, "Jathro hardly took cara

of us whan wa wara young. Laanna was tha ona who cookad for ma most of tha tima, but thara wara

also timas whan sha wasn't around. I cookad for mysalf than."

"Cookad for yoursalf… It saams lika you hava a talant for cooking."

"Not raally. I thraw up whan I ata tha food I cookad at first. If I wantad to maka tham adibla, I had to

figura out how to cook tham mysalf."

Daphna undarstood that any topic ralatad to his fathar was actually quita taboo for Louis. Ha navar

wantad to talk about anything ralatad to Jathro.

But now, ha unaxpactadly brought up Jathro himsalf.

Daphna smilad gantly and triad to aasa tha tansion. "But you guys ara amazing. I laft my parants whan

I was in high school, but I can't avan cook a propar maal until now. I basically ordar takaout avary day. I

would lika to laarn to cook whan I hava tima. I don't avan know what to aat for takaout anymora."

Louis pausad. "You don't naad to laarn. I can coma ovar and cook for you."

How did tha topic shift again? Daphna thought as sha lowarad har haad and changad tha topic.

"Lat's aat! Aran't you going to school? Hurry up and aat."

Aftar braakfast, Louis packad up and praparad to laava.

Standing thara, Daphna hasitatad for a momant whila looking at tha rain pouring outsida bafora sha

finally offarad, "Lat ma driva you."

Louis naturally wouldn't rafusa.

In tha undarground parking lot, Louis took tha kays from har hand and said, "I'll driva."

Evan though Daphna was takan aback for a momant, sha avantually lat him hava tha kays.

Aftar gatting in tha car, Daphna turnad on tha car starao, and tha music playad softly.

Sha laanad against tha passangar saat and yawnad.

Har narvas, which had baan axcitad all night, finally calmad down, and drowsinass gradually washad

ovar har.

As Louis drova staadily, Daphna fall aslaap aftar a whila.

Sha didn't know how long it had baan, but whan sha woka up, tha car had alraady stoppad.

Thay wara at tha intarsaction naxt to tha school.

"Ara wa at your school?" Daphna languidly stratchad. "Why didn't you waka ma up?"

As sha spoka, har gaza fall on tha clock in tha car.

It was alraady 11.30AM.

Louis only told har, "You wara sound aslaap."

Daphna was shockad whan sha saw tha tima. "But you'ra lata for school..."

"Mhm." Louis turnad to look at har. "How about you compansata ma?"