Chapter 412 - Not Then, Not Now

With bated breath, Ethan Lee gravely held Xia Ruo Lan's blank gaze while his heart drummed incessantly against his ribcage. Loud and clear. Even Ethan Lee's hands enclosing Xia Ruo Lan in the narrow space tightened revealing the throbbing veins on them.

The anticipation killing him silently.

"I.. I can't give you the status like them.. I can't call you my girlfriend, fiancee or wife.. Will you be okay with that?! Hah?.. If you want to back out.. You can.."

The time seemed to cease for Xia Ruo Lan when the broken words tumbling down the flustered man's mouth finally registered in her head.

Bamboozled, Xia Ruo Lan couldn't make out head from tail, her ears buzzing with a random dinging sound. Ethan Lee's hot breathe landing on her goose fleshed skin was the only thing that Xia Ruo Lan could feel.

The feeling was the only thing that made Xia Ruo Lan realize that she was alive, alive in that moment.

Pushing herself up, Xia Ruo Lan clamped herself onto Ethan Lee's mouth seizing his sentence lest he tells something hurtful like asking her to leave him.

She'd rather die than let go of this man whose love she's been craving since forever!

The mere thought agonizing Xia Ruo Lan, tearing her into a trillion pieces of raw blood and flesh, painfully. Especially after living apart for more than five years from the love of her life, Ethan Lee. When Ethan Lee was hurting alone, when he was fighting the darkness and loneliness in his life single handedly. It pained Xia Ruo Lan.

Xia Ruo Lan was guilty.

Her remorse greater than the feelings of love and adoration that her heart possessed.

Knowing where Ethan Lee was coming from, Xia Ruo Lan felt the need to comfort him, love him, and care for him selflessly. It was something that she'd always felt from within her, involuntarily, confounding Xia Ruo Lan greatly!

Even if her love isn't reciprocated, Xia Ruo Lan doesn't care.

In fact she'd never cared. It was Lucifer who'd stopped Xia Ruo Lan from acting rashly and other times it was her own fear stopping her from ruining their cherished friendship, which she soon realized was meaningless.

In short, Xia Ruo Lan was forced to keep herself from baring her feelings due to a lot of factors.

That's also why Xia Ruo Lan fled away, to live abroad, away from Ethan Lee, Mia Chung and their eternal love.

The only thing that ever mattered for Xia Ruo Lan was being together with Ethan Lee, being able to love him, to care for him, to make him happy, to touch him, to feel him close to her, to confess her feelings freely, to breathe the same air and see the same sky as him, Xia Ruo Lan was content. Albeit the suffocatingly painful prickling in her chest, Xia Ruo Lan was okay with that.

Naturally, Xia Ruo Lan wouldn't dare mind whatever silly or substantial conditions Ethan Lee were to propose, given how much she loved her.

Not back then, not now!

The moment Xia Ruo Lan's softness hit his lips Ethan Lee's tense body relaxed like a scoop of hardened icecream melting under scorching sun. As though his sucked soul was tossed back into his body, Ethan Lee felt both relieved and revived.

Grabbing onto Xia Ruo Lan's squishy body with one claw and her flushed face with the other, Ethan Lee pried her mouth open with his slick tongue to dig deeper and retrieve her sweet nectar. Breathless, Xia Ruo Lan clung onto him like a baby koala on a tree trunk in the woods.

The blue halter crop top wrapped around Xia Ruo Lan was disheveled revealing her fair shoulders, her collarbone and enticing sides. Her bare midriff was toned and fair, smooth to Ethan Lee's touch. The man's eager hands roamed unrestrained, roughly prodding her flesh as she moaned breathily against his skin.

It was a torture for Ethan Lee who couldn't take Xia Ruo Lan then and there!

Reluctantly peeling away from the addicting sweetness, Ethan Lee breathed in deeply the citrusy scent of Xia Ruo Lan's jet black hair as he hugged her close to his raging body. She buried herself in his chest blissfully.

The faint smile lingering on Xia Ruo Lan's swollen pink lips was the most mesmerizing sight.

On the other side, Adrian, Lucifer, Sera and Su Yin were waiting for Xia Ruo Lan and Ethan Lee under the gazebo. Almost half of the dishes on the table were feasted on delightedly.

Bored, Su Yin yawned against Adrian's arm like a sleepy cat after gobbling up food to her heart's content. Chuckling lightly, the man reached to gently pat Su Yin's head affectionately.

Smiling softly with stars in her gaze, Sera was having a great time observing Su Yin's spoiled behavior in front of Adrian. It was foreign to see her bestfriend like that and she felt quite happy seeing Su Yin's pink face.

*ring* *ring*

Just then, the chiming of her mobile phone startled Sera and she glanced at others on the table before excusing herself.

"Just a minute.."

The moment Sera stood up, Lucifer's eyes flashed and he watched her receding back with a smile in his gray orbs. Pushing his feet up, Lucifer silently followed after her.

"Ah~ I'm so full.."

Like a lazy little cat Su Yin purred rubbing her face on Adrian's arm earning a throaty chuckle. He pulled her up and against his chest.

Atypical to her usual reaction, Su Yin didn't reject Adrian's advances this time and even cuddled up to him. She had a soft smile on that was hidden from the man's eyes.

"Lately, I've been wanting to eat only sweets and I'm afraid that I'll put on weight.."

A mild frown formed itself on Adrian's handsome face when Su Yin's voice fell out of nowhere. It was unlike Su Yin to share such trivial things with him, especially after their separation. Surprised, Adrian kept his silence while listening to Su Yin with waxing interest.

"..I want chocolates!"

Raising her head, Su Yin smilingly returned smouldering Adrian's as she whispered in a childlike manner. His heart melting in a puddle at the fascinating sight.

Coincidentally, Adrian had a couple pieces of Hershey's kisses in his pocket. His gaze deepened.

Today, before coming to Xia Ruo Lan's place Adrian decided to drop by Lillian's cafe real quick. There, a little girl in a cute little pink frock waddled to him with a big smile. She looked like a mini version of Su Yin, and his gaze instantly softened. Adrian calmly looked at the girl as she demanded his hand, the next second she dropped two pieces of wrapped chocolates on his palm and fled away. Laughing, he pocketed the chocolate before striding to his car and drove away.

What Adrian didn't notice was the dreamy smile on Amelia Qin's face as she hid the chocolates in her palm.