Chloe looked at Adrianna intently, trying to find an answer to the question that had momentarily frozen her.
"Marriage is not an easy matter that I can decide quickly," Chloe replied softly.
Adrianna quickly swallowed. "Quickly? You've been close for over a year, Chloe. Do you think a year is a short time? Put yourself in Darren's position, and he's been patient, Sa. Remember, he must have mentioned marriage or wedding at least once."
Adrianna's words reminded Chloe of what Darren had said two days ago about their marriage. She had remained silent and seemed unwilling to discuss the sacred topic. Chloe looked at her friend with a melancholy gaze, took a deep breath, and crossed her arms. "I don't know myself, Adrianna. I admit Darren is a good person; I enjoy being with him. But I'm still afraid when it comes to marriage; I still have doubts. If I could prolong it even further, I would still want to be like this, in a relationship without marriage status."
"Think about Darren's feelings, Chloe. As your friend, as someone who has witnessed your pain with Leonel, I understand how you feel now. But how long are you going to stay like this? Don't you want to avoid getting trapped in the past and being unable to move forward? I'm not trying to lecture you; I want you to live a happy life, Sa. Look, yesterday you went on vacation with Darren and looked so happy. I want to see you like that every day; I want to see you happy." Adrianna spoke with a melodious voice. Her lengthy statement left an impression on Chloe, who tried to follow her advice, even though it might not be immediate.
Around noon, Adrianna left after having lunch with Chloe at the beautiful single woman's café. It didn't take long for Darren to arrive with a charming smile.
Chloe returned the smile with a charming one, which caught Darren's eye. "You look so beautiful today," said the doctor as he sat beside Chloe.
Chloe widened her smile even more, delighted to see Darren looking happy that afternoon. It meant that their impromptu vacation from the day before had been successful and left many pleasant memories for both of them. "You're coming here so often; what do you want for lunch this time?" Chloe teasingly asked.
"I want to have a special lunch, which is eating while admiring a beautiful woman, so the satisfaction lasts longer." Darren didn't hesitate to utter words that made Chloe blush.
"What do you want to order?" Chloe asked, trying to change the subject. She didn't want to dwell too long on the embarrassment caused by the handsome doctor's flattery. She immediately stood up, wanting to prepare the food and drinks that Darren wanted by herself.
Darren seemed to think for a moment, but not for long. "Anything, as long as you accompany me for lunch here. I'm sure whatever I eat will taste delicious."
A playful pinch landed perfectly on Darren's arm. "Oh, now you're good at flirting. Fine, I'll bring you the remaining food and drinks."
Darren winced in pain before laughing while watching Chloe go to the kitchen, leaving him alone. He sat there observing the café, which was soon filled with customers within minutes. During lunchtime, Chloe's café was always bustling with visitors; some were willing to wait for an empty table to dine there.
Seeing how busy Chloe was, Darren felt sorry for her and suspected that she was tired. He planned to invite Chloe on another vacation, like the one they had before, even if it didn't have to be out of town. Darren believed Chloe would agree as long as they could take a short break from their hectic routines.
After a few minutes of waiting, Chloe returned to the table where Darren sat sweetly, carrying a tray with food and drinks for both of them. They enjoyed their lunch together eagerly while having small conversations about the taste of the dishes prepared by the chef at Chloe's café.
"Does Tia also cook here?" Darren asked when he found out that Tia, who had been working as a cook at Chloe's house, was helping out at the beautiful single woman's café.
"Not every day, Darren. She only wanted to do it when it was busy, like now, although I didn't ask her to. But I'm happy to have her here. It makes the work faster, and customers don't have to wait long because someone is assisting the cook." Chloe spoke with her mouth still chewing.
Darren nodded. "That explains why I didn't see her when I came here the other day. But now she's here."
"Yeah, she asked earlier if the café was busy, so I sent her a picture, which was indeed busy. So she said she would come here, and I asked Budi to pick her up from home."
"You're lucky to have people who are loyal to you," Darren said sincerely.
"Except for my ex-husband, the people who have been by my side, they're still there for me." Chloe smiled sadly, recalling how Leonel used to be by her side but was no longer there.
Darren fell silent momentarily before responding to Chloe's words, which depicted her sadness. "Whatever happens in your life, it's for the best, Chloe. Don't dwell on things that only make you sad because life is too short for that. There is still happiness that needs a place in your life."
Darren's words made Chloe smile widely, and she nodded. "I'm not sad anymore, Darren. I'm happy and grateful now. I can see who are genuinely loyal to me and who are not."
Darren nodded, and he and Chloe fell silent, busy finishing their remaining food. After eating, Darren mustered the courage to ask the woman he liked.
"Do you want to go out again? We don't need to leave the city; we can explore Beverly Hills. There are many great attractions in Beverly Hills."
Chloe wiped her lips gently with a tissue to not remove all her lipstick. She pursed her lips and appeared lost in thought for a moment. Then a slow shake of the head and a guilty expression appeared on her delicate face. "I can't, Darren. I'm sorry, but you can see how busy the café is now. Just yesterday, when I wasn't here, they were all overwhelmed. It doesn't feel right to leave them again, especially since I just went on vacation yesterday."
Chloe looked uneasy, knowing that Darren was disappointed.
Darren had sacrificed a lot for her, transferring his job from New York City to Beverly Hills just to be able to see her. Even during lunch, he would come to her café. Chloe knew that Darren did all of this for her. However, she had just gone on vacation yesterday, and it didn't feel right to leave the café in such a busy state. She didn't want to be an irresponsible boss and didn't want her employees to feel uncomfortable working with her.
Darren showed his disappointment because his invitation was rejected by the woman he admired. However, he wasn't angry. Darren knew that Chloe's reasons for declining weren't just excuses. He had seen firsthand how busy the café managed by the beautiful widow was.
"I'm sorry, Darren," Chloe apologized with a furrowed brow, looking uncomfortable.
A long sigh could be heard from the doctor. But then he showcased his charming smile again. "Okay, then. No need to apologize, Chloe. Just because you declined my invitation to go out doesn't mean you've committed a grave sin." The disappointment on his face was no longer visible.
Chloe was happy to see that and grateful that Darren was so patient with her. He had been there for her, helping her in every way, sacrificing a lot, and patiently waiting for her to open up and discuss their plans for the future.
Chloe smiled with pure happiness. After the pain inflicted by Leonel, it turned out that there was a good man who could help her forget that pain, albeit slowly.
"I'm fortunate, just like you said earlier. Good and loyal people surround me. Peni, Brad, Tia, and you, Darren. You've all helped me overcome difficult times, and now I've risen above them. It wasn't easy, but I've reached this point thanks to all of you. I never imagined I could even have such a bustling café. I never expected to experience this kind of luck." Chloe said all of this emotionally. Her eyes even appeared teary.
Remembering when she first learned that Leonel was involved with another woman, Chloe felt that her life had crumbled. She felt like her world had collapsed, and she thought her life had ended right then and there. But now, things were different. Something she never imagined or anticipated, success was now within her grasp, along with the people who had always supported her, both morally and materially.
Darren gently held Chloe's hand, not too tight, but the touch made Chloe feel warm.
"You're a good person, Chloe. Only good people will be with other good people. God will keep evil people away from good ones. What you have now is because you are also good. Have you ever heard the phrase 'you reap what you sow'? Well, that's what you're proving now. Only good people are around you."
Chloe nodded with a feeling of emotion, biting her lip to hold back the tears of joy that seemed to compete to escape from her eyelids. "You're good too, Darren."
"That's why you're by my side now."
Chloe chuckled, and the emotional atmosphere quickly dissipated due to Darren's seemingly playful remark.
As time went by, the distance between Chloe and Darren grew shorter. Their closeness became more intimate, even though they weren't husband and wife. Darren believed that one day Chloe would be able to forget all the pain from her past, and someday she would become his wife.
Hopefully, his efforts all this time would yield the desired results.
Although his attempt to get Chloe out of her routine had failed, Darren didn't mind and even intended to help if he had free time. He wanted to be with her for as long and close as possible.