Chapter 64
Jason kept his eyes on the road, his gaze calm as he looked ahead. "I know."
Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, Jason unhurriedly added the second half of his sentence, "But so what? The relationship between us now isn't up to you. It's up to me."
The breath caught in my chest, stuck there, making me incredibly frustrated.
I frowned, feeling somewhat troubled as I thought about how to explain things to Jason so he would understand.
The feelings between us had completely fallen apart from the moment we reunited.
I stared at Jason's profile for quite a while.
Then I withdrew my gaze, feeling somewhat powerless.
Forget it. If this could be explained so easily, Jason and I wouldn't have been entangled for so long.
Looking at the scenery constantly retreating outside the window, something suddenly occurred to me.
"Jason, is my car still not fixed?"
It had been several days now. If the car couldn't be repaired, it would be really inconvenient for work.
"It just got fixed. There was a part that's not very common, so they had to get it shipped from out of town, which delayed things a few days," Jason explained. "Tomorrow I'll go with you to pick up the car."
I wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but considering Jason definitely wouldn't listen, I changed tack. "How much did the repairs cost? Let me transfer the money to you."
Jason, who had been looking straight ahead while driving, finally reacted.
He turned his head, looking at me with slightly furrowed brows. "Sue, do we really need to keep such clear accounts between us?"
I lowered my eyes to avoid his gaze and answered softly, "I don't want to owe you."
If we couldn't settle accounts clearly, how could we stop contacting each other in the future?
"I want you to owe me, preferably something you can never repay in this lifetime."
Jason's thin lips curved into a determined arc, his well-defined fingers rhythmically tapping the steering wheel.
The sound seemed to fall on my heart.
"Sue," he said, "don't even think about leaving me."
My breathing tightened. I bit my lower lip, forcing down my chaotic heartbeat.
No one in the car took the initiative to speak again.
I had thought I wouldn't get the car back until tomorrow, but when we arrived at the apartment complex, the repair shop had already driven it back.
I immediately felt relieved.
Now that the car was back, I wouldn't have to spend time with Jason tomorrow.
Jason, who got out of the Alfa with me, glanced at me, and his expression immediately darkened considerably.
I had wanted to drive the car to the underground garage myself, but Jason beat me to it and got in first.
After parking, we went upstairs together.
When Jessica saw Jason arrive, she immediately came over happily. "Uncle Jason!"
"Jessica, did you miss me?" Jason asked with a smile, quite naturally crouching down to pick up Jessica.
"Of course I did!" Jessica affectionately wrapped her arms around Jason's neck.
Watching the harmonious scene between father and daughter, warmth rose in my heart, too.
Fine. For Jessica's sake, since she liked him, I wouldn't hold against Jason the annoying things he did today. I'd cook dinner for him tonight, too.
I was about to ask Jason if there was anything special he wanted to eat tonight when his phone suddenly rang.
He didn't avoid me when answering the call.
I vaguely heard that there seemed to be a problem with a project, and Jason's expression grew increasingly grim.
After hanging up, Jason looked at me deeply, then rubbed Jessica's little head. "Sorry, I can't have dinner with you guys tonight."
I glanced at him.
I hadn't even said I was inviting him to dinner, yet he was already talking about it himself.
That evening, Jason sent me a Facebook message: [Emergency business trip. Wait for me to come back.]
I stared at my phone for a while, didn't reply, and just closed it.
It seemed the project problem was really serious, requiring Jason to make an emergency business trip to handle it personally.
But we didn't have any relationship to begin with, so he didn't need to report to me.
The next day.
I went to work at the company as usual, but received a call from the front desk. "Ms. Wilson, Grandma Cooper is downstairs looking for you."
Grandma Cooper?
I was startled. Not daring to make Grandma Cooper wait, I hurried downstairs.
After all, Grandma Cooper had underlying health conditions—what if she fainted on the street again?
As soon as I got downstairs, I saw Grandma Cooper, standing outside the company from a distance.
When she saw me, her smile was warm and kind.
"Sue, it's been so long since I've seen you. Grandma has missed you."
Grandma Cooper held my hand tightly, her eyes full of joy as she looked at me.
I was rarely looked at with such eyes, and for a moment my heart softened even more.
"I'm sorry, Grandma. Work has been very busy lately," I apologized softly.
"It's okay. It's good that young people are ambitious and serious about work, but while work is important, personal matters are important too!"
Hearing Grandma Cooper say this, I suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next moment Grandma Cooper asked with a smile, "Sue, when are you and Jason planning to get married and have a wedding? Once you're both settled, you can have a baby, right? I'm still waiting to hold my great-grandson!"
I was so shocked by Grandma Cooper's words that I couldn't speak.
After a moment, I finally opened my mouth helplessly. "I'm sorry, actually Mr. Cooper and I aren't..."
Although I really didn't want to hurt Grandma Cooper, this rumor had to be properly explained.
Otherwise, if it continued, people would probably start saying Jason and I had gotten married and pledged ourselves to each other five years ago!
"I know." Grandma Cooper gently patted the back of my hand, her tone gentle.
I suddenly looked up, staring at Grandma Cooper in disbelief.
Grandma Cooper still had a kind smile on her face, looking at me with soft eyes. "I not only know you're not together now, but I also know you were Jason's girlfriend five years ago."
Huge waves instantly rose in my heart.
If Grandma Cooper knew, shouldn't she hate me and think I was a vain woman?
For a moment, I didn't even dare to look up at Grandma Cooper.
"Sue, this old lady doesn't know the details of what happened back then, but I trust my judgment. You're a good girl."
Grandma Cooper spoke softly, gently smoothing over the panic and timidity in my heart.
"But we've already broken up..." I gathered my courage to meet Grandma Cooper's eyes.
Grandma Cooper gripped my hand and answered with a smile, "You can get back together after breaking up! When has love ever been smooth sailing?"
"Sue, don't think I'm being nosy, but the biggest advantage of the men in our family is their devotion. Once they've set their heart on someone, they won't change for the rest of their lives. Since Jason chose you, it means he's decided on you. In the five years you've been apart, no woman has been able to get close to him, and he hasn't thought about actively looking for anyone else."
Grandma Cooper said seriously, "I don't know what happened between you two, but I can also see that you're not without feelings for Jason. Whatever the problem is, talk it out. Both sides need to communicate—that's how relationships get better through compromise. Why don't you consider giving Jason another chance?"