Ah, damn! Kendra cursed silently. He had no choice but to grant Alissa's request and sit across from her, clearing his throat once to dispel the awkwardness.
“How’s your wife? Is she doing well? Where does she live now? Oh, right, how many kids do you have now?” The woman immediately bombarded him with questions the moment Kendra sat down across from her.
“Thank God, my wife’s doing well. But God hasn’t entrusted Maura and me with a child yet.”
Alissa’s eyes lit up at Kendra’s answer. Though faint, he still caught the knowing smile tugging at her lips. Was she happy?
“Oh, I see. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Her words should have carried sorrow—at the very least, sympathy for the delayed blessing Kendra and Maura had been waiting for. Then why did Kendra sense a hint of happiness in Alissa’s words?
“It’s okay. What about you... how many kids do you have?” Kendra asked in turn, raising a hand to summon one of the employees.
“Forget kids. I’m not even married yet.” Her slender fingers covered her full red lips as she let out a coy laugh. The vivid red of her lips contrasted sharply with Alissa’s smooth, porcelain-white skin. She was laughing at herself.
“I’ll have lychee tea and cheese-fried bananas,” Kendra said when a restaurant server approached their table.
“Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment.” The girl in an all-black uniform with a maroon apron then walked away.
“A woman as beautiful as you isn’t married yet? Why? Don’t tell me you can’t find anyone. I wouldn’t believe that.” Kendra stared intently at Alissa’s pointed chin.
Alissa’s chin was the third most beautiful thing Kendra loved about her, after her eyes and lips. Then there was her long, jet-black hair, her graceful neck, the sharp tip of her nose, and her delicate fingers.
Ah, I still love everything about you, Al. You’re almost flawless, Kendra praised her silently.
Her asymmetrical eyelids, with the left one a millimeter narrower than the right, only made Alissa look more unique. She really was different from most people. To her, strengths were beauty, while flaws were uniqueness. She knew how to polish every one of those features until they blended together perfectly. There was no way no man had fallen in love with her.
“How can I get married when you’re still the only man in my heart?”
The answer was brief, but it left Kendra choking on his breath. His tongue went numb, leaving him unable to say another word. For several moments, silence stifled their conversation and ruled over them both. Alissa was far too honest about her feelings.
“By the way, is Maura infertile?” the angel sitting across from Kendra asked, sounding hopeful.
“No. She’s healthy. God is only asking us to be patient. That’s all,” Kendra replied, forcing a smile.
“If you want, I can be the mother of your children.”
“What do you mean?” Kendra wasn’t pretending; he genuinely didn’t understand where Alissa was going with this.
“Why don’t you just divorce Maura and find another woman who can give you children? Me, for example.” She shrugged.
“There’s no need. We’re both perfectly healthy. Maybe the timing just isn’t right yet. If there’s nothing else to discuss, I’m going back to the office.” Kendra prepared to stand.
“Oh—sorry, sorry.” Alissa quickly stopped him.
Kendra sat back down. As luck would have it, the lychee tea he’d ordered arrived right then. He hoped his reaction had been enough to discourage Alissa from saying anything else so outrageous, especially about Maura.
They talked for quite a while, almost two hours. Throughout the conversation, Alissa kept slipping in stories from the past. It seemed that old love truly wasn’t over yet. There was happiness in remembering, along with a tenderness that brought their smiles back. It was intoxicating and utterly disarming.
Kendra found himself cornered by a conclusion he kept trying to deny, though it was difficult. Alissa still made him feel incredibly comfortable. Whether he liked it or not, he had to admit it.