170 Uncle Tomato

Seeing that even, Luke, himself, was shocked, Liz didn't know what to think.

As her gaze shifted between them, Will gently touched her back, calming her down and letting her take a deep breath.

Unknown to her, 15 seconds had already passed due to the shock, and although Luke seemed frozen, Mary had an expression of realization on her face, and Will had already gotten over his shock.

All right, let's be cool. Maybe they just became close friends?

'Ya, right. Since when do close friends hug like that? The only thing missing is them kissing.'

As her inner voice echoed her inner thoughts, Liz pressed her lips into a tight line and descended the steps from the plane.

As soon as she stepped onto the tarmac, Derek ran towards her and hugged her tight, but she could only absent-mindedly pat his head because she was still looking incredulously at the implausible pair.

Luke, also, seemed to have come back to his senses, but what he did startled Liz.

Instead of pushing away or something like that, he actually stood his ground and got an awkward half-smile on his face, which a gentle pinkness started to show in his cheeks.

She knew each and everything about him, so she could tell that it was because he was feeling a little uncomfortable, but he was telling himself to overcome it.

This made her press her lips even further, before glaring at Keren.

Indeed, she had hesitated to talk much with Luke regarding exactly what was going on on the island, as she didn't know how he would take it.

However, whatever was going on between them didn't change the fact that he was one of the most important people in her life.

Right now, it looked as if he was being forced to do something he didn't like, and this made her very, very angry.

Keren noticed this, and a little doubt appeared in her mind, making her wonder whether she had gone too far.

Will was also glaring at her, as he knew exactly how his sister handled relationships. So, he didn't support this at all.

However, when Liz walked toward Luke, it seemed that it was Luke's turn to shock everyone.

"Hey, Liz, how have you been? I guess you aren't the only one who's in a new relationship…"

It was said in a hesitant tone, but its content was enough for everyone except Keren to do a double take.

As Liz gaped at Luke while forgetting what she was going to say, Mary came to the rescue.

"Welcome back, Liz and Will! I hope you two had a lot of fun on the island! Let's go home and talk! We don't want everyone here to Watch the family drama, right?"

Hearing this, Liz looked around and realized that they really were being stared at by the flight crew and the chauffeurs waiting for them.

Among the latter was Rao, whom she hadn't spotted in many days.

Nodding and deciding that she would handle these two later, she caught Will's hand and marched to the car, slightly indignant that Luke had possibly taken such a big step without even telling her.

But wait…had she told him before starting to date Will?

Oh, yes, she hadn't.

Still, that didn't stop her from feeling left out from the person she had spent most of her life with.

'This is probably exactly how he felt when you didn't talk to him properly on your trip…'

The truth was apparent, but it was also a hard pill to swallow. Yet, Liz had never been someone to shy away from such things and ignore them, just because they were bitter.

Now, she fully understood that she had been wrong in doing what she had done, and she knew that Luke owed her an apology.

However, that didn't mean she had to apologize right now.

There was definitely nothing wrong with letting herself feel 'angry' for a while, so that she could vent and let him know that she was displeased.

Turning back at the car, Liz humphed at Luke before getting in, all while poor Will was being dragged along for the ride.

Seeing this, Luke was bewildered, but Mary chuckled.

"Don't you remember that this was exactly how she behaved when you went and confronted a bully alone? She still has that anger that rises up whenever you do something important without telling her. I know what you two are doing, by the way. It was a good act."

Hearing the first part, Luke had just been about to smile, as he did remember the tantrum that Liz had thrown at that time. However, the second part made his ears go pink, even though Keren managed to keep a composed expression.

Of course, this was enough for Mary to confirm her suspicion.

Laughing heartily like a wise old lady who had caught her children doing a naughty deed, she walked in front of Luke and Keren, who were still holding each other, as everything was happening too fast.

Laying one hand on each of their shoulders, Mary smiled at them both and said, "You do make a cute couple, though. Don't worry, I won't tell Liz. But Luke, come on, don't act like you're 11! When a pretty woman hugs you, you should hug back!"

"Yes! Hug back! Just like me! Uncle Luke, I saw you going red like a tomato just like the 5-year-olds at school! I'll call you Uncle Tomato! Uncle Tomato who's shy around girls!"

"Why you little-"

As Derek chimed in and teased Luke too, he finally snapped.

As an expression of mock anger came on his face, he extracted himself from Keren, who naturally moved to the side, all the while smiling slightly and feeling really happy seeing the genuine emotions that this family had.

She had seldom seen such things in her childhood, thus, she knew their exact value.

As Luke began to chase after Derek, who continued calling him by his new moniker, Mary and Keren watched on and chuckled while making their way to the waiting car.

Yet, on the way, Mary asked Keren a question in a dead-serious tone, that startled her and made her feel a little nervous.

"Do you really like him, Keren, or is he just another casual boy to play with, like the other relationships you've had? If it's the latter, I want you to stop this immediately."