The road leading into the village wasn't very wide, just enough for two cars to pass. At this moment, Jamie's car was parked on the roadside. On the other side, several people were sedan at the car impatiently. A red sedan didn't drive in further, slightly veering to park behind the black luxury car.
But before the car even came to a complete stop, the back door swung open, and a blur of light blue shot out, holding something in their hand. They took a couple of steps and then, bam, dropped to their knees on the scorching hot pavement with a clean, swift motion.
The onlookers were stunned, still processing what had happened, when they saw her holding a trash can, lowering her head, and vomiting.
Everyone,"..."
An aunt close to the Rose Family exclaimed, "Is that Sara coming back?"
Sara, holding the trash can, her brain turned to mush, responded instinctively to the greeting without realizing she was still vomiting.
So, the crowd saw Sara kneeling on the ground, hugging the trash can, and saying, "Yes, ugh...
The crowd: "..." Alright, let's wait until she's done.
Sara felt like she might vomit to death. Even though she'd taken two pills that were supposed to be miracle motion sickness cures beforehand,but
they hadn't worked. Ever since she got into this car at 1:20, she had to get out and vomit every ten minutes, then rest for twenty minutes before getting back in.
So, what should have been an hour-long journey was dragged out to over two hours. For this, she had to pay the driver triple the fare.
Her throat was sore and sticky, the unpleasant feeling making her want to vomit more, creating a vicious cycle.
A somewhat cold male voice appeared like a lifeline: "Water."
Sara's dazed brain still retained some instinctive reactions, thinking, what a nice voice.
But the next second, the nausea surged again. She didn't even have time to look up at the person speaking. She took the water they handed her with one hand but didn't drink any, still clutching the trash can as she vomited.
"Th-thanks, ugh... thank you."
Jamie frowned, the hand holding the water hovering in the air, fingers curling slightly, seemingly hesitating whether to pat her back.
After a few breaths, he bent down slightly, changing the direction of his hand.
"Hey, where should I put your stuff?" The driver of the red sedan called out.
Jamie snapped back to reality, quickly withdrawing his hand as if it were electrified, straightening up, and walking towards the driver.
When Sara finally started to recover from the overwhelming motion sickness, her knees were killing her from kneeling. She wobbled to her feet, squinting under the blazing sun at the faces across from her. They looked weirdly familiar yet not quite..
She couldn't tell if it was just her imagination, but why did everyone have the same... expression?
Sara squinted again to confirm she wasn't mistaken. She was sure she wasn't mistaken, they all had the same expression.
That weird upward curve at the corners of their mouths, eyes full of mockery—that expression was on everyone's face across from her.
She paused, figuring they probably hadn't seen anyone get out of a car and puke like that before. A bit embarrassed, she scratched her head and said, "I get really bad motion sickness... sorry about that."
"Look at you, honey. What are you apologizing for? Feeling pretty rough, huh?"Must be feeling awful, right? come over to my place. I'll make you some lemonade. You used to love that when you were little."
"Sara, it's been a while since you've been back, huh? Do you still remember Grandma Ally? Haha, I used to hold you when you were little!"
Everyone started talking to Sara at once, their familiarity not diminished by the twelve years apart. This warmth shattered any anxiety she had about returning home. Her heart filled with warmth, and she felt a lump in her throat, on the verge of tears.
But the next second, someone said, "Sara, are you here to take your future husband to the city for the wedding?"
Sara's s tears hadn't even started to fall before they were instantly scared back.
She hadn't expected to face this question right after returning and couldn't help but wonder if she'd be teased about this for the next six months. To make matters worse, if Jamie heard about it while she was being teased... just thinking about it made her want to die of embarrassment.
Fortunately, she had anticipated this on the plane and had prepared a perfect excuse to avoid any potential trouble.
"Dear folks, please spare me. Those were just silly jokes from my childhood days, and I didn't really know better. Let's not bring those up again, alright? Wouldn't want to upset Jamie's girlfriend if she were to hear them."
The crowd was silent for a moment. Sara felt proud, thinking they must agree with her reasoning. After all, no matter what, a kids' stuff shouldn't affect current relationships.
As for whether Jamie actually has a girlfriend or not, it doesn't matter. He wasn't here to refute her, so she could pretend he did.
She had perfectly solved this issue! Hahaha!
Sara almost couldn't help applauding herself.
The aunts across from her looked at her in surprise. Sara guessed they were amazed by her maturity, remembering her as a notorious village bully when she was a child.
Just as her aunt opened her mouth to say something, Sara braced herself, ready to be praised.
"Jamie, do you have a girlfriend?"
Sara's smile froze, feeling a bad premonition.
Everyone's gazes seemed not just on her.
A terrible possibility dawned on her, and she stiffly turned around like a wound-up robot.
The blazing sun was suddenly covered by a cloud, dimming the harsh light. Sara saw clearly the man standing a few steps behind her.
A man dressed in elite fashion, exceptionally tall and handsome. His striking features and compelling presence drew her gaze to his lips, lingering there until they curved slightly. She finally looked up, meeting a pair of deep, calm eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses.
The pleasant male voice reappeared, lightly answering the aunt while staring at Sara, "I don't know when I got a girlfriend."
