PINKY carefully sipped the hot coffee and placed the cup back on the table before throwing her gaze outside the restaurant. She had been in New York almost a month now, and she had not been in touch with Mike since the day she left San Francisco. It was difficult decision to leave but she needed the break and space from Mike to think about their relationship.

            They had gone through so many things together for many years now, but this time she did not know where did they do wrong. The only thing she could remember that one day Mike suddenly had changed. He suddenly became secretive and distant from her, and the constant fighting they had since few months ago had forced her to take a break from him.

            A heavy sigh escaped from after she swiped the phone screen, and the wallpaper of her and Mike appeared afterwards. In this one month period where they did not see or talk to each other, Pinky admitted that she did miss him. Should she call him to talk about their problems? Suddenly her phone vibrated with a call, and it was not from Mike but her older sister, Amanda.

            “Hello?”

            ‘Why you didn’t tell me that you guys have broken up?’ that was the first thing came out from Amanda’s mouth.

            “Sis, I’d told you that we haven’t broken up. We just need some times alone,” she explained and sighed later.

            ‘Really? Then why your friend Damian just dropped by at my house to send all your stuffs here? He even told me that Mike had returned to Thailand last week,’

            “What?!” said Pinky quite loud until few customers around her gave her weird look. Did she mistakenly hear about Mike’s return to Thailand? Wow, she was so surprised over Mike’s sudden leave. He left without informing anything to her. Then what about her? What about them? Did that mean they are over now?

 ************

AOM startled on her couch the moment the sound of ringing doorbell echoed inside her apartment. She looked at Aaron who was so into playing with his truck toy on the soft mat and did not bother to stop for a while.  The bell rang again, and this time Aom quickly left the couch to get the door. However her pace was slowing down as she got closer to the door, and she ended up standing there while looking at the door knob with doubt inside her.

            Did she make the right decision to let Mike live with them here? She thought that he must really have lost his mind to make such a crazy decision, but he was serious about living together. So she had asked him to give her some times to think about it. She then went to her parents for advices.

           Mr. Somboon did not say much about it, but she knew he did not against when Mrs. Manee asked her to give a second chance to their marriage. After giving a careful thought about this matter, she had said yes to Mike few days ago. After all she did this for the sake of Aaron. Aom took a deep breath before she opened the door for Mike.

         “Hi,” that was what he said after he saw her face. Aom just smiled awkwardly, and she knew she could not take back her words when Mike had brought along his suitcase and a big shopping bag with him.

            “Hi, please come in,” she opened the door wider for him while trying not to look so nervous in front of him.

           “Where is Aaron?” he asked while pulling the suitcase inside.

           “He’s playing in living room,” she replied as she followed him from behind. Aom noticed that his steps halted at the sight of Aaron, and Mike left his suitcase behind and only brought the shopping bag with him as he approached Aaron.

          “Hello boy! Look what I’ve brought for you,” he said cheerfully which Aom just smiled as she noticed how confident had he became compared to the last week. Aaron did not pay attention to him as usual but not until Mike had placed the bag on the floor and started taking out several car toys inside it.

         Aaron dropped his truck toy and crawled closer to Mike but he did not touch it as if he knew that toys were not belonged to him. That was something that Aom really proud of with her son. Even though he was still a little kid, her boy did not go around and steal other kids’ toys.  

        “Go ahead. They are all yours,” Mike pushed those toys to him. He smiled in delight as he picked red car and started playing with it.

        “Mommy!” he exclaimed with joyous while showing his new toy to her. Aom then approached them and went down on her knees beside Aaron.

       “Oh, what should you do after people gave you the gifts? You should thank them right?” she reminded her son. Aaron was quiet for a while before he stood up and climbed on Mike’s lap which Mike immediately guarded his son with both arms as he afraid that kid might fall backward later. He wondered what Aaron wanted to do, but then the kid surprised him with a peck on lips.

        “Thank you, Daddy,” both Aom and Mike were surprised by the last word that Aaron just uttered. He had been taught to address Mike so since last week, but Aaron refused to acknowledge Mike’s right on him. Aaron wanted to move down from his lap, but Mike immediately hugged his son tightly with tears already filled in his eyes.

        God, he should have bought these toys sooner if he knew that this miracle moment would happen to him. His feeling was indescribable but probably he could say it was like the woman that you had waited for years finally accepted your proposal. Aom looked away as she wiped the tears on her cheeks. She felt as relief as Mike because Aaron did not take too long than she had expected to accept Mike in his life.

 ************

AARON immediately fell asleep on Mike’s lap after they had lunch, and Aom just observed them from the kitchen. She just finished with the dishes, and she had few hours to rest before going out to do the groceries later. Mike’s suitcase was still in living room, and she thought this was the best time for him to unpack his bag and get some rest too.

            “Mike, let’s just put Aaron inside the room so you can get rest,” Mike lifted up his face after he heard Aom’s voice beside him.  If possible he wanted to have Aaron in his arms all day long, but he knew the limit because he could not sleep with his son in Aom’s room. Yeah, that was what Aom had requested before she allowed him to move into her place.

            She had asked him to give her the time to adapt with his presence in her house, and he immediately agreed because Aaron was his main concern at this time. Mike carefully moved Aaron from his lap and carried him to Aom’s bedroom afterwards.  

            “Just leave him without blanket. It’s quite hot today. I’ll cover him later after turning on the air-cond. I think you can rest in your room now,” Mike put the blanket aside and moved out to get his bag at outside. Because this was going to be his first day living here, Aom still kindly showed him the bedroom although it was just next to hers.

            “This room of course is much smaller th