Three weeks later…

 

I sat silently on my living room couch. My eyes were alternating between the blank television screen and the empty front door. It was currently three in the afternoon, and usually, at this time, I would be busy coding or attending a virtual meeting. However, I did none of that today.

 

In fact, I specifically took a day off in preparation for what’s to come. I checked my long-sleeved shirt one last time, ensuring that there’s little to no creases. My long black pants were also dust-free and completely neat.

 

I still have time… Should I add a blazer and tie?

 

No, Althea said that would be too much. The clothes that she picked out for me should be more than enough. My hair, which I hardly ever cared for, was adequately groomed as well. Althea made sure of that when I visited her hairdresser earlier this morning.

 

Everything should be in place. All I need to do is wait for my girlfriend to return.

 

Why?

 

Because this was the day that Althea’s parents were visiting.

 

To prevent them from suspecting that she had been practically staying over at my apartment for the past month, Althea returned to her apartment and waited for her parents’ return. It was hard work, cleaning up the unused residence that had been infected with dust mites and spider webs. But eventually, through days of cleaning and hard work, we managed to make it seem like Althea had never abandoned her condo at all.

 

It was imperative if I wanted to make a good first impression.

 

After all, which parent would be happy to hear that their beloved baby girl had been sleeping over at a guy’s house all this while?

 

According to the plan that Althea and I concocted, I would appeal to her parents through conversations and cooking exceptional meals for them. Let them know that I’m harmless and that I’m someone that they could trust. If all goes as planned, we would reveal our relationship in a few weeks when they had a favourable impression of me.

 

… It should be about time.

 

I glanced at the clock as my heartbeats synchronised with its ticks. They should have arrived thirty minutes ago. Althea would spend some time reuniting with them before finally bringing them to my apartment.

 

And as if on cue… The dreaded time came.

 

Bzzzt!!! Bzzzt!!! Bzzzt!!!

 

My doorbell rang, snapping my mind back to reality. Althea had the password to my door, but if we wanted her parents to believe that nothing was going on with us, she had to act a little bit. Taking some time to regain my bearings, I resolved myself once more before heading towards the front door.

 

Now, it was my time to act.

 

“Althea, you’re here.”

 

“Hi, Desir!” Althea acted out her lines with a refreshing smile. If it were any other day, Althea would have leapt into my arms or snuggled by my side the moment we saw each other again. However, today was no ordinary day. Today, a handsome couple was standing right behind her.

 

“Yesterday, I mentioned that my parents were coming home, right? I would like to introduce you to them!”

 

Althea stood to one side, giving me a chance to thoroughly scrutinise the two people behind her. The male was wearing gold-tainted glasses, which amplified his cat-like emerald eyes. His height was a little above average, and his body physique was on the leaner side. Based on his looks alone, I could tell that he might seem effeminate when he was younger.

 

But that didn’t take away from his sophisticated look. Even though he was only wearing a polo t-shirt and khaki shorts, I could feel the class ooze out from his demeanour. I didn’t need to know his occupation to tell that he was an affluent and influential man. His presence alone screamed nobility, and his confident gaze would make the average person lower their heads in inferiority.

 

The same could be said about the woman by his side. She was wearing a long black skirt and a beige blouse, the epitome of simplicity. There were hardly any jewellery on her, other than the gold ring earrings and her wedding band, which made her seem like an average auntie on the street. But that didn’t mean that she looked cheap. Rather, it had the opposite effect. Her simple clothes just amplified her elegance.

 

By looking at her posture and commanding presence, I could tell that she was used to being a leader. That kind of habit couldn’t be trained overnight. She must have been in a leadership role for quite some time for her to emit that kind of aura.

 

It was something that neither Althea nor I could compare to. Fortunately, the woman didn’t seem to be in her typical environment, and her sharp, assertive gaze was toned down by quite a bit. With her sublime, long black hair and body shape that seemed to ignore the passage of time, I could see the stunning resemblance with Althea.

 

Naturally, I’ve seen the two of them before in pictures that Althea had shared. I’d even talked to Althea’s mom before! But seeing them in person was a whole different story.

 

I finally understood how Althea had gotten her transcendental looks.

 

“Hello, you must be the young man that saved my daughter! I’ve heard a lot about you from Althea!” Althea’s mother was the first to break the conversation. “My name is Maya Kong, and this here is my husband, Harper Kong.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” Althea’s father added while pulling my hand into his. “I’m glad to finally meet my daughter’s saviour.”

 

“Haha, I’m nothing of the sort.”

 

“No, it’s not an exaggeration.” The middle-aged man shook his head. “We have failed Althea by leaving her all alone. If not for you, who knows what would have happened that night?”

 

“I just did what was right,” I smiled from the bottom of my heart.

 

There was no need for deception on this. Even if it was someone else, I would have done the same that Christmas night. I mean, which sane person would let their neighbour die at their doorstep?

 

Althea’s father’s eyes perked up just a little before falling into a deep nod. Evidently, he was satisfied with my answer. I looked at the mature woman beside him, and she was also flashing a satisfied smile.

 

“Ah, where are my manners? Please come in! We can talk over tea.”

 

It wasn’t that cold yet, but it was the start of Autumn nonetheless. Besides, it didn’t sit well for me to have my girlfriend’s parents stand outside my apartment when we could be having a pleasant conversation with tea.

 

“Haha, that’s sound lovely!” Althea’s mother clapped her hands and said: “Dear, we shouldn’t talk about these matters in the corridor.”

 

“Mmmm, I’m fine with it.”

 

“Then it’s settled! Please, come in!”

 

Smiling, I lead the couple into my apartment, with Althea trailing not far behind. When the pair had their backs turned while I was closing the door, Althea looked back, and her left eye fell into an encouraging wink.

 

Phew, looks like I’ve safely passed the first hurdle.

❖❖❖

“So what do you do, Desir?”

 

After inviting Althea and her parents in, I sat them down on the couch and served them my finest tea. Funnily enough, it was Althea’s father who liked the Ice Lemon Tea that I normally brewed for my sweet-tooth girlfriend. Althea’s mother, on the other hand, preferred the regular Green Tea that I usually brewed.

 

“Missus Kong, I’m a programmer working at Isia.” Perhaps it was my nervousness or her unconscious commanding presence. My voice fell a few octaves lower as I replied.

 

“Ah, you don’t have to be that formal!” The mature lady laughed softly. “Please, just call me Maya.”

 

“Same here,” Althea’s father added. “Just call me Harper. You’re our benefactor, so don’t mind the formalities.”

 

Great! Like Althea mentioned, the two of them seemed to have a favourable opinion of me. That would make our bonding session go much more smoothly.

 

“Haha, if that’s the case...”

 

“But Isia, huh?” Harper’s face betrayed a hint of surprise. “Isn’t that a Fortune 500 company? The one specialising in software development.”

 

“Oh? You’ve heard of it?”

 

“Yes,” Maya interrupted with a nod. “Many of my company’s vendors use Isia. I’ve even heard that the government might be considering Isia as an independent contractor in the future. To work at such a prestigious place… You must be really good at coding.”

 

“Haha, nothing of the sort...”

 

“You don’t have to be humble! I’ve heard that even the most junior positions earn far above the national average. Given the fact that you can afford such a nice apartment at such a young age, it is a testament to your skill!”

 

I acted abashed just to prevent myself from looking too arrogant. I knew how hard it was to get into my current position, after all. Even experienced individuals with ten years under their belt failed to pass the preliminary tests that my company used. It was only through a mixture of hard work and luck that I managed to land this job.

 

Meanwhile, Althea looked at me funnily. After staying together for over eight months now, I could tell what the girl was thinking just by the movement of her brows. It was accusing me of withholding vital information about my job.

 

It’s not my fault that you didn’t ask! I wanted to retort. But alas, I had to deal with one problem at a time.

 

Fortunately, Althea’s mother came to my rescue. “Come on, Dear. You should respect the young man’s privacy.”

 

“Ah, my mistake.”

 

“No, I’m not offended.” I waved my hands in disarray. Though, that brief moment did bring a slight air of awkwardness into the room.

 

“Alright, let’s talk about something else, shall we?” As if she was used to these kinds of situations, Maya naturally pivoted the conversation away. “How was our little Althea during these few months? Did she cause you any trouble? I tried to raise her well, but she’s still a klutz at this age.”

 

“M-Mom!”

 

“Yes, she was a klutz through and through.”

 

“D-Desir!”

 

It was meant to be a serious conversation, but I couldn’t deny my desire to tease the adorable creature. It was basically ingrained in my bloodline by now.

 

“Hoh...”

 

Maya raised her brow, seemingly happy that she found a kindred spirit. The professional smile that she seemed to wear slowly melted away, and I could see pieces of her true self beneath that mask.

 

“I heard that she’s been helping you with cooking, though?”

 

“Yes, she’s fine now. But there was a time when she somehow made charcoal in my oven. I was surprised that chocolate could taste so… crisp?”

 

“Althea...”

 

Maya and Harper shot a sympathetic look at their daughter, who was just one tease away from finding a rock to hide under.

 

“Hah… That reminds me of the time that Althea tried to feed us the clay pizza that she was making.”

 

“M-Mom! I-I was five years old then!!!”

 

Oh? That kind of thing happened? Looks like I have something to add to my daily records journal. I’m sure that Grace and Sienna would love to hear this.

 

Following that revelation, Althea’s parents began going down memory lane as they told recollection after recollection about Althea’s childhood blunders. From the first time she wet her pants in school to her maiden attempts to put on makeup.

 

Needless to say, Althea was blushing furiously throughout all of their stories. For her parents, it was a chance to reminisce about the past. For me, it was learning more about my girlfriend’s childhood. But for Althea… It was just pure torture.

 

The entire tea time was spent with a barrel of laughs. Unlike their commanding presence, Harper and Maya dropped their defences when they were around their cherished daughter. Which allowed me to join into their conversations in an affable manner.

 

“Hah… I must apologise for my wife and daughter’s actions.” Harper jokingly bowed down to me as the conversation slowly got out of hand. “It has been a while since we’ve seen our daughter, so my wife is going overboard with her teasing.”

 

“No, no. I completely understand.”

 

“Haha, I’m really glad.”

 

“Glad?” I raised my brow, not sure what Althea’s father meant.

 

“Yes,” the man nodded while adjusting his spectacles. “When I first heard that Althea’s neighbour, the one that saved her when she collapsed, was a young man… I didn’t know what to think.”

 

That was understandable. In a father’s mind, his young daughter would always be the jewel of his life. If I had a daughter and a man that I’d never met lived next to her and was constantly taking care of her as well… I would have my reservations as well.

 

“But meeting you today, I can finally put my heart at ease,” Harper remarked with an elegant smile. “You’re an exemplary young man, Desir. Thank you for looking after my daughter all these months. It’s rare to see such a nice soul in the younger generation.”

 

“Harper...”

 

Damn it. I wasn’t just taking care of her because of my goodwill, you know? I had ulterior motives as well. Even this whole meeting with the two of you was orchestrated by Althea and me.

 

No, if I really want to put their hearts at ease… I should tell them the truth.

 

“Mister Kong, Missus Kong...”

 

“Haha, I said that you don’t have to be that formal!”

 

“No, there’s something important that I have to say.”

 

I straightened my back, adjusting my posture so that there was nothing but confidence. My tone dropped sharply, echoing the seriousness of my thoughts. Sensing the change, the three Kongs in the house paused. There was no room for hesitance now.

 

Bowing my head, my voice boomed out:

 

“Althea and I are dating! Please give us your blessing!”