Mr Grant, Please Be Gentle

Blanca and her Granny got in the car. Through her film of tears, she looked at the young man sitting in front. He didn’t say a word, his lips tight, as cold as the weather outside.

But the boy’s hand had been warm when he pulled her up. His heart must be warm as well.

Just like how warm it had just been…

Blanca snuggled her face closer into Matthew’s palm, like a kitten.

The soft touch on his skin softened Matthew’s heart even further. “Blanca. Blanca.”

She finally opened her moist eyes and looked at Matthew before her.

The image of the boy in her memories slowly overlapped with the person before her.

She sat up sharply and leapt into Matthew’s arms, hugging his neck tightly.

“Thank you…”

Both she and her grandmother had been saved that day, but she hadn’t seen that boy again. She’d been too young and in too much of a panic to even say thank you.

Matthew, though, didn’t know what Blanca had dreamed, and didn’t know why she’d suddenly thanked him. He thought she was thanking her for saving him.

He stroked her back lightly. “What are you thanking your own husband for?”

Blanca jolted and managed to extract herself from the muddy waters of the dream.

She wiped her tears off hastily and let Matthew go.

“I … I had a dream.”

“What did you dream of?”

When she hugged him, she seemed to have mistaken him for someone else, he’d actually felt a bit jealous. But since Blanca had been through so much, and she was sick, he didn’t put her to the question.

Blanca was about to describe her dream when she looked at Matthew’s face and froze.

She didn’t quite remember that boy’s appearance. All those years had passed, after all. That dream back there, though, seemed to awaken her memories.

The young man had resembled Matthew somewhat…

“About twelve years ago, do you remember helping an old woman? It was a snowy day.”

When Blanca finished, Matthew couldn’t help but narrow his eyes. “You were the little girl back then?”

Blanca hadn’t even told him that the old woman had a granddaughter, but Matthew had just up and asked her if she was that little girl back then – which meant that he was really the boy back then!

“So it really was you.”

Matthew smiled. “Seems like we’re fated to be together.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Blanca blushed. She did feel that way at this moment.

Only, Matthew had been so kind back then!

And now…

Well, how was she supposed to put it – he wasn’t a bad person and he’d treated her to meals and put her in nice homes. Every time she asked something of him, though, he set terms and conditions, and he’d even had her do the food delivery job! That was too far!

“What, so moved you don’t know what to say?” Matthew chuckled.

He was quite happy at the moment. The girl he’d saved back then had left a strong impression on him too. He’d just gotten second place in an exam, not first, and his father had chewed him out for it.

He’d been devastated back then, but the girl made him feel like he wasn’t so bad. When she looked at him, her eyes had sparkled with pure gratefulness and liking. He remembered that look even now.

He finally knew why he felt so special with Blanca. It was probably those familiar eyes.

“I’m not moved! I just feel like it’s really surprising how much people can change.”

Matthew squinted. “You mean I’m not as good a person as before?”