Ryan stared in the direction where Violet had escaped until his niece, Lily made a noise.
As he looked at Lily, Ryan heaved a breath of relief, knowing that Lily was too far away and would not be able to witness the accident earlier. Ryan was mostly concerned that his niece would spout some nonsense to Hannah. Then, he would be in trouble.
Taking a deep breath, Ryan walked over to Lily's side to check on her.
The little girl was still admiring the variety of sprinkles in the bottle. The sprinkles comes in many shapes and colors. Lily thought that the edible glitter looked like fairy dust.
"Uncle." Lily looked up when she heard him approaching. "Where's Auntie Violet?" She tilted her head to one side and shot her uncle an inquiring look.
"She went to check on the food." Ryan patted Lily's head. A faint sigh escaped his lips as he recalled the way Violet had left earlier.
Ryan knew well that things would be awkward between him and Violet now. Perhaps, it would be better if he left. They both should take time to calm down before they can pretend that nothing has happened.
"Lily, should we go and find your mother now?" Ryan asked. "You have been staying here for too long. Let's not disturb Aunt Violet while she is at work."
"Okay. Uncle, I'll listen to you." The little girl naturally did not have an objection.
"Good girl." Ryan rubbed the girl's head. He carried his niece and was on his way to find Violet when they bumped into her at the door.
"That…" Violet quickly looked away and tried not to meet Ryan's eyes. "Abby hasn't returned. I think it will be a while before we can eat."
"It's alright." Ryan glanced at his niece. "I think Lily and I have stayed for too long. We better leave." His lips pursed into a thin line as he saw the relief in Violet's face. "Just now, it was an accident." Ryan cleared his throat. "I was worried that you would fall and I... It was reflex. I did not expect that you... I mean, we..."
"I know." Violet raised a hand, motioning Ryan to stop speaking. "You don't have to explain. I understand. It was an accident."
The memories made her face turn brighter red.
Violet wished tht Ryan would shut up.
This man usually did not speak too much. When did he became very talkative?
Ryan opened and closed his mouth. He wanted to say something but was unable to come up with anything. He was a bit disappointed when he noticed that Violet refused to look at him. He wondered if Violet dislike him that much.
"That…" He pointed at the entrance. "I should go now."
"Mhm..." Violet tried to smile. "Then, I won't stop you."
Lily raised her hand and waved. "Bye, Aunt Violet. I will see you again next time."
xxx
Ryan winced as he watched his younger sister, Marina laughing non-stop.
It felt like someone had drugged her with laughing gas and she just can't stop laughing.
And Ryan can't stand it anymore.
He felt stupid for telling is younger sister what happened.
But then again, Ryan did not have much choice.
Marina had decided to surprise him with a visit to the hospital when he refused to have a conversation about his date over the phone. She threatened to tell their mother his secret if he decided not to spill anything to her.
And he had to succumb.
"Marina," he said indignantly. "Stop it."
"I can't!" Marina said between her laughs. "This whole damn thing is just too funny!"
"Keep your voice down. You're in the hospital," He said and pursed his lips into a firm thin line. "If you don't stop it now, I'm afraid that I have to haul your ass out of here," he threatened.
"Hold on! Give me a minute," Marina said, taking a deep breath and exhaling a few times, imitating a pregnant woman who was practicing her breathing exercise. "Okay, I'm good," Marina said with an awkward smile on her face.
Ryan buried his head between his legs.
"You're an idiot," Marina said with a smile. She adjusted her position and studied her brother's expression to read his thoughts. "Why would you run away? You should stay there and think about your feelings. And maybe, figure out what Violet is thinking."
Ryan brushed his fingers through his hair. "I shouldn't have listened to you," he said exasperatedly after a moment of silence. His head shook curtly. "This is your fault, you know," he accused.
"How is it my fault?" Marina scoffed. "I did tell you to flirt with her a little bit. But, I never said anything about kissing!"
"Well, that's exactly what I did," Ryan said. "I flirted, held her gaze, then the next thing I knew… Wait. No. I didn't kiss her. It was an accident."
"Hmm..." Marina said and smiled. It was clear that she was having fun teasing her brother. "Raging hormones... What are you, teenagers?"
"I can't face her after what I did," Ryan sighed and shook his head. "I'm screwed!"
"You're not screwed," Marina convinced him. Then, she frowned and pursed her lips. "Okay, maybe you're a little bit screwed—you kissed her. That means you've violated the agreement."
"You're not helping!" Ryan said, raising his voice a little. He ruffled his hair and buried his head between his knees. "What am I going to do now?"
Marina giggled. She had never seen her elder brother this agitated before. She couldn't help but think it was cute that he was behaving this way. "Alright. Calm down. Focus.
"I'm done listening to you," Ryan muttered.
"You can't just avoid this issue forever!" Marina slapped her brother on the shoulder. "First thing first… Ryan, what do you think about that accident? Has anything changed? What I mean is your feelings. Did you feel anything? Did your heart skip a beat when you think of kissing Violet now?"