The Devilish Assassin Meets The Angelic Detective

"I am back hubby. Did you miss me?"

Erick heard her but it took him for a while before his mind had absorbed what was happening right now.

'I am not imagining things right? Please… somebody… tell me that I am not.' Erick thought to himself.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds, hoping that his mind was not playing tricks on him. He didn't want to have another disappointment. He didn't want to have false hope.

Then he felt that the arms which were wrapped around his body and the source of warmth behind him had suddenly disappeared. His heart sank once again like a penny on a pond.

But the moment he opened his eyes, he saw her standing in front of him. He couldn't believe it. He blinked several times, surprise and disbelief could be seen in his handsome face. He tried to speak but the words were stuck in his throat.

'Elle is here. She is really here. She is back!' 

He looked at her in shock, mouth agape. After a while, the shock on his face wore off and it was replaced by relief and happiness. It seemed that all his worries and stress that acc.u.mulated for the past few days were washed away after seeing Elle.

"You're back." he croaked saying those words. His voice was hoarse and raspy like he was controlling himself not to cry. His eyes filled with longing and yearning for the girl before him.

"Yes, I am." Elle softly mumbled. It was almost a whisper in which only the two of them could hear it.

She put on a gentle smile as she stared at him with so many emotions in her eyes. Seeing her smile, Erick finally took the initiative to close the gaps between them as he pulled her and engulfed her into a tight warm hug. 

Raymond turned to his wife as he cleared his throat to urge her to tell those two to stop displaying their affection to them and to come over for dinner. 

Sarah let out a soft giggle before she called the attention of the husband and wife who seemed so lost with their own world. 

"Ohmoh! I don't want to disrupt your moments my dears but I think both of you should come here already. Let's take our dinner first while the food is still hot."

Sarah's voice caught their attention. She succeeded in reminding those two that they were not alone in that place. They seemed to forget the presence of Erick's parents. Feeling a little bit embarrassed, both Erick and Elle released each other from that hug.

Seeing them flushed with embarrassment, Sarah let out another giggle. She wanted to tease the couple, that's why she spoke again.

"No need to be embarrassed. We, as your mother and father, understood the feelings of the couples nowadays. Hmm. You both seemed like you've never seen each other for ages."

After hearing her statement, Erick and Elle exchanged meaningful gazes with each other, having the same thoughts in mind: 'Yes Mom, we hadn't seen each other for a week and it seems like ages already.'

"Alright, don't just stand there. Come here and let's eat." Sarah called them again. Erick and Elle complied obediently as they took their seats.

The four of them started to enjoy their meals together. They appeared to be a happy family. They also engaged in a casual conversation while eating. As expected, the topic was all about the newly wedded couple.

Oblivious of the things and the challenges the couple were facing as of this moment, Erick's parent's kept on talking about their married life and their plan for the future.

"To tell you both, I am really happy when I heard the good news from the two of you that you already registered your marriage. I don't think it was very sudden. Both of you are already in the legal age and should start creating your own family. As long as you love each other I will always support you. So I am not upset even if you didn't inform us ahead." Sarah's joy was evident to her face. She sounded very sincere as she said those words.

"Thank you, Mom," Elle replied to her.

"The same with me. You have my blessings." Raymond simply said to them with a smile on his face.

"Thanks, Dad." Erick was the one who responded to his father.

"Oh Regarding your wedding ceremony, have you both decided on the date and the place?" Sarah asked them, her eyes filled with excitement.

Erick was taken aback when he heard it. He didn't know what to say. He and Elle were not yet able to discuss those things. 

Things between them got complicated after their encounter last week. There were lots of things they needed to sort out first.

Elle was also thinking the same thing. She was the one who decided to answer Sarah's questions.

"Mom… about the wedding ceremony. I am afraid we need to postpone it for a while."

The three people automatically averted their gaze to her. She could tell from the look on their faces that they were asking her the reason why. That was not the answer Erick's parents were expecting to hear from her.

Elle felt the awkward atmosphere as the whole dining area was engulfed with silence after she spoke up those words. She knew that she needed a good alibi for that.

"My father is not yet aware of my marriage with Erick. I know he will be surprised when he learns about it. That's why days from now I need to go back to the State and inform him. I need to convince him first and pacify him for not telling him my decision."

Erick had complicated expressions after hearing her while his parents were both slightly surprised. They didn't expect that Elle's father had no idea about the marriage.

"I am sorry Mom and Dad," Elle added as she gave them an apologetic look.

"Oh, dear. No need to apologize. I admit we are surprised that your parents didn't know about your marriage yet. But don't worry, we understand." Sarah gave her a reassuring smile.

"When are you planning to leave?" Raymond asked her. "Why don't you bring Erick with you so that he can personally meet your father," he added.

Sarah nodded in agreement with her husband's suggestion. She also thought it was a good idea for Erick to accompany her. 

Meanwhile, Erick was very silent on his seat. He had an indescribable expression on his face right now. He didn't know if Elle just made up that alibi for his parents or she was really planning to leave for real.

'Did she just return home tonight just to end things with me... officially?' 

Erick had a bad feeling about this. He slowly dropped the fork and spoon on his plate as he clenched his fists. He already lost his appetite. Then after a while, he heard Elle's response to his father.

"No Dad. Erick has so many things to do here. He is working on an important case right now. I couldn't afford to bring him with me." Elle said as she gave them an awkward smile.

"That's true." Raymond agreed with her statement.

Sarah rolled her eyes at her husband. 

"Oh come on! You guys always care about your work! Is work more important than my daughter-in-law?" Sarah ranted on them.

On the other hand, Erick didn't know how long he would be able to compose himself. He was already in a foul mood right now.

Sensing that her son was unusually very quiet tonight, Sarah focused her attention on Erick as she asked him about his thoughts.

"So my dear son, what is your side about this?"

Erick raised his head as he stared at Elle's face intently. As he met Elle's gaze, Erick answered his mother in a very serious tone.

"I won't let her go," Erick mumbled with so much conviction in his voice.

Sarah and Raymond just gave him a confused look. They didn't understand what he meant by saying that. Is he not allowing Elle to leave and meet her father in State?

They didn't know why but the atmosphere became intense after Erick shared his thoughts to them.

'Is the husband and wife having a conflict or misunderstanding about this matter?'

To break the awkward atmosphere, Erick's father decided to end this topic. 

"Alright. Your mother and I don't need to be involved with this. This matter can only be solved by both of you as husband and wife. The two of you should talk with each other and come up with a sound decision. Just like what your mother had said a while ago, we are always here to support you."

Erick and Elle just nodded at Raymond. They took his words seriously. What he said was true. They needed to talk and sort their problems.

After dinner, Erick's parents gave the two of them privacy. They didn't bother the husband and wife anymore. And now, Elle and Erick were alone in his room.

After what happened to them last week, they had to admit that they somehow felt weird to be alone together. They didn't know where and how they would start to confront each other. Are they both ready to talk about it now?

The silence in the room was very deafening. They were both sitting on the opposite sides of the bed, their backs were facing each other's back. 

A while ago, they missed each other and now they felt very distant from one another. What's stopping those two now?

One was very guilty for hurting the girl he promised to protect while the other one was afraid that the man she loved wouldn't be able to accept her because she was a sinner who killed people.

After a long silence, finally, both of them found their voices to speak.

"Do you hate me?"

"Do you hate me?"

Both of them said those four words, asking each other at the same time.