AFTER heavy rain fell over the night, now the sun appeared proudly to shine the earth. It was such a beautiful morning, and the sound of birds chirping outside the one-storey bunglow was such a sweet melody to Nichkhun. In such early morning, he stood near the window to enjoy the outside view after washed up, but Victoria woke up earlier than him. The empty bed greeted his sight as soon he opened his eyes from sleep.

     'It feels so nice and calm staying at this place,' he inhaled deeply with eyes closed peacefully. All the sadness and unpleasent things he experienced throughout his life, everything about it seemed disappear for a while when he was here. Then his eyes landed on his phone on the nightstand beside the bed, which it reminded him that he hadn't turned it on since yesterday. There must be a lot of missed calls from his wife since she scolded him for turned it off in such important day.

     “Oh, I forget to turn it on back,” when he wanted to reach for his phone, his hand accidentally hit Victoria's handbag which was next to it and caused the contents inside it dropped out on the matress after fell on it. Among the stuffs, a small-sized cubic box with card attached on it caught his attention the most.

     “It looks like a gift,” without hesitated, his hand reached for it and read its card, which its content surprised him.

     'Happy 28th birthday to my beloved husband, Nichkhun,' this was meant for him, wasn't it? He read again with disbelief until his lip finally curved a small smile.

     “Oh, today is my birthday. Usually on this day, a wife will give present to a husband. Is there no present for me?”

     “No, you are not my husband, so you don't deserve to get any present from me,” recalling the memory of last night, Victoria lied to him about it. She did buy him a gift, and Nichkhun chuckled when he found this side of her was quite cute. All the stuffs, he collected and put it back inside the handbag and placed it on the nightstand before he left the room. The voice of people talked in the kitchen told him that both Victoria and Auntie Ling were there. Nichkhun quietly made his way and saw they were preparing the breakfast.

     “Usually at home, what did you cook for Khun?” Nichkhun hid behind the wall when Auntie Ling mentioned about him, which it made Victoria flustered when she asked about it. What should she answered her mother? Since they lived together, she cooked him nothing. Nichkhun only smiled as he anticipated to hear her answer.

     “Er..I rarely cook for him because we usually eat together at outside,” she boldly answered her as she was backing Auntie Ling who was peeling the onions on the table  at that moment. Listening to her answer, her mother could only sighed and it made she suddenly felt that Auntie Ling was disappointed with her.

     “Qian, you shouldn't live like that. You become a wife now, not a single woman anymore. Taking care of your husband is your priority now despite you're busy with your work. You should spend more time with him after this,” Auntie Ling adviced her, which it made a warm smile appeared on Nichkhun's face when heard Victoria said 'yes' as the response. Although he knew that she insincerely said that, but he didn't know why he felt slightly happy at her answer. After few minutes hid behind the wall, he silently showed up. He immediately place the index finger on his lip as the signal to stay silent when Auntie Ling noticed him.

     'Mom, just stay quiet. I want to surprise Victoria,' just by using body language, Auntie Ling seemed understand him and nodded her head as the response. Victoria who was too focused slice the meat, didn't realize the situation behind her.

     'She is too focus slicing the meat. I'll leave both of you here,' Auntie Ling pointed at her daughter, and Nichkhun grinned widely when she slowly stood up and quietly made the way out from the kitchen. Now, only Nichkhun and Victoria left, and he stood about 1 meter behind her.

     'She looks so lovely even from behind,' as he was staring her back, his legs stepped forward until their bodies only few inchies away, but she still didn't notice him. At that moment, he really wanted to hug her and a small scream escaped from Victoria's mouth when a pair of muscular arms sneaked around her slim waist.

     “Oh my God, you scared me! What are you doing?!” she hissed in surprise after realized his presence here, and he quickly tightened the hug when she tried to free herself from him.

     “Stay still. Mom is watching us right now,” her body immediately froze as soon he mentioned about Auntie Ling, and he restrained her from looked backward when she was about to do so. Victoria tried to distant herself from him when he rested his chin on the shoulder but the kitchen counter at the front blocked her from do so. If Auntie Ling wasn't here, she already kicked him for acting excessively right now.

     “What are you going to cook?” he asked almost in whisper tone which made she extremely uncomfortable after heard it. The fresh peppermint scent in his breath could be smelt by her, and his voice seemed too close to her ear.

     “I'm going to make beef over rice. Anyway, why do you wake up so early today? Why don't you just rest in the room?” Nichkhun tried to hold his laugh when she asked him nicely because she thought Auntie Ling was watching over them. Yeah, why he didn't take rest and wasted his time to act such a lovely couple out of Auntie Ling's sight? Victoria could felt electricity all over the body until her hand stopped working when a light kiss from him landed on her creamy neck.

     “Because I miss you,” he whispered softly in her ear, and his kiss reminded her about the night they had shared together. What he said just now, it wasn't a part of acting. He really meant it! He didn't know since when this feeling developed inside him, but he truly missed her.

     “Mom..Mom is here. It's inappropriate for us...to act this way,” she stuttered a bit as she tried to remain calm, and Nichkhun bit his lip in guilt when she said so. What would she react if she find out that Auntie Ling wasn't here?

     “It's okay. She doesn't mind at all,” he knew it wasn't appropriate for taking grant on her but this was the only way and the chance he had to get close to her. Victoria never gave him the chance to know her better if they were alone. From the waist, now his arms changed the position around her shoulder.

     'Please don't avoid me anymore. It's really torturing me when you run everytime I want to talk to you,' he wanted to say that but unabled to do so. Being inside his embrace, she wanted to free herself from it but every part of her bodies froze and unabled to move. Then the sudden cough from behind startled both of them, and he immediately let go of her after realized Auntie Ling had returned to kitchen.

     “Ehem, please keep your lovely moment later because if you guys continue doing it, all of us are unable to have breakfast today,” Auntie Ling teased that couple as she continued peeled the onions, which it made Nichkhun grinned widely but not for Victoria. Both of her palms were on kitchen counter to support her weak body after she freed from his embrace.

     “Mom, please understand us. We are still newyleds couple,” he joked and sat next to his mother-in-law to lend her a hand for help. Even he was no longer embracing her, but the weird sensation inside her hadn't settled down, which it made she felt suffocated at that moment.

     “Qian, are you okay?” Auntie Ling noticed she pressed her chest, but Victoria immediately acted well by turning around and smiled at her.

     “I'm okay,” without looked at Nichkhun, she quickly returned to old position to continue her job although she felt extremely hurt inside her. Honestly, his touches brought her back to the night that she extremely wanted to erase from her mind, especially when his soft lip touched her skin.

“WAH, it looks really delicious!” liked a kid, he clasped the hands in excitement after saw the delicious meal on the table. Besides desserts and cakes, this was the first time he ate the meal cooked by his wife, and Auntie Ling enjoyed saw his joyful expression after he cried in sadness last night.

     “Is this the first time Qian make this for you?” Nichkhun undoubtedly nodded as the response, and Victoria unabled to lift up her face when Auntie Ling threw her sharp look. What was the use to tell lie about this when Victoria already admitted that she rarely cooked for him? Correction, actually never cooked for him!

     “Qian, you need to cook for him more often after this. He is your husband and you should take care of his needs,” Auntie Ling started babbling again about the marriage life, and she only pretended to accept all her advices. Anyway, there were about ten months to go before the termination of their contract marriage, and she absolutely couldn't wait for it.

     “Don't worry, Mom. I'll make sure she cooks for me thrice a day after this; breakfast, lunch and dinner. You will do it for me, won't you, Yeobo?” she curved a fake smile when he hugged her shoulder and pulled her closed to him. As usual, it was worthy enough to act as long she could see the happiness on Auntie Ling's face.

     “I will do my best, Yeobo,” the last word, she almost couldn't utter it and Nichkhun gladly to hear she called him such way. Few minutes after they started had breakfast, Auntie Ling took out something under the table whi