To the Love of My Life

The room falls silent, and even Hillary, skilled at defusing tense situations, doesn’t know how to break the awkwardness.

Just as the atmosphere becomes almost unbearable, the door to the private booth is pushed open, and the man who went to call Edric Reat, along with Edric, returns.

Seeing this, Hillary immediately stands up, jokingly saying, “Edric, I thought you’d pass out in the bathroom after just three drinks!”

With that, Hillary pulls Edric to the couch, sits him down, and tells everyone present, “Now that Edric and Ruby are here, let’s quickly think of questions to ask them.”

Steve Burton can tell that Hillary is trying to alleviate the tension. He glances at Maya, whose eyes are clouded with a misty haze and hooks the corner of his lips. Silently, he leans back on the couch.

After a brief moment of silence, the others start asking questions to Edric Reat and Ruby Gregory.

Everyone in the room is aware of Ruby and Steve’s engagement, so out of respect for Steve, they refrain from teasing Ruby too much. As a result, their questions are noticeably toned-down.

For instance, the first person to speak up is Edward Woods, who asks, “What’s the most embarrassing thing you did as a child?”

Not until the last question does it become somewhat juicier: “Will your other half be your lifelong love?”

Upon hearing this question, Edric’s gaze drifts towards Ruby.

He looks at her quickly and briefly.

Still, he can’t escape Steve’s watchful eyes.

Edric then smiles discreetly and says, “I hope they will be my lifelong love.”

For Edric, he has no plans to marry anytime soon, and the notion of an “other half” doesn’t even exist. Thus, this answer is a perfect way for him to pass the test.

However, for Ruby, it’s the complete opposite.

On the tenth of this month, she is getting engaged to Steve. He is her other half.

So, the question she faces is, ‘Is Steve her lifelong love?’

All this time, Ruby has only thought about marrying Steve, never considering the existence of love between them.

Now, this question is suddenly thrown in her face, causing her to feel slightly dazed. After hesitating for half a minute, she glances at Steve beside her, lowers her eyes, and says, “Yes.”

Ruby’s “yes” is tantamount to a confession, causing an uproar in the room.

Even someone, emboldened by alcohol, dares to shout, “Steve, Ruby said you’re her lifelong love. Don’t you think you should do something? How about a kiss?”

“Kiss, kiss,” the others chime in, some even whistling.

Steve puts down his wine glass, looking completely at ease. In front of everyone, he holds Ruby’s head, sealing her lips with a kiss.

A deep, passionate kiss.

As it ends, the atmosphere in the room hits a high point.

Ruby’s face flushes red as she looks down, too shy to meet the gazes of the people around her.

Amid the teasing, Steve sits on the couch with his arm around Ruby, appearing as calm as ever. However, there is a hint of coldness in his eyes.