Can’t Win Me Back

Julien beamed from ear to ear. "Hi, Aunt Mandy, Madam Lyla and Madam Colene. Hey, Taty."

"Where are you going, Jul?" Tatiana's eyes were wide with curiosity.

"There's a famous brand of desserts at Bernardia. I wanted to buy some back for everyone to have a taste."

"Yay! We get to have desserts, thanks to Jonah." Tatiana clapped her hands in joy.

She really didn't treat him like an outsider. She simply spoke her thoughts.

A sheepish smile flashed across Julien's face. He waved and headed off while humming a tune.

When he brushed past Mandy, her sharp senses detected that peculiar scent from Julien.

As she lifted her eyes, she caught a glance of his chest underneath his V-necked T-shirt. The faint, red marks on his chest made her blush!

Mandy exhaled and remarked, "Young men are physically fitter indeed." She picked up her cup of tea and took a sip. She let out a cryptic smile.

"What did you say, Mandy?" Lyla looked at Mandy with a confused look on her face. She didn't catch Mandy's comment.

"It's nothing. Have

Jonah mentioned that there was a local, award-winning dessert shop with delicious desserts.

to buy their desserts tonight so that he could give Jonah a small surprise when they got up

Julien was in a foreign land. He had to brave the chilling wind for a long

entered the shop, his ears had turned red from

his heart's content and settled the bill. Then, with

"Ah!"

into a man who just walked through the door. The paper

"I'm sorry, so sorry..."

man apologized continuously while he knelt to help Julien

and their eyes met. It was as if that man was struck

was publicly recognized as the

caught in a daze.

his paper bags and stood back up. He curled the corners of his lips upward and spoke in sweet-sounding Grunslandish, "Please stop

suddenly grabbed his arm. In a trembling voice, he asked, "Blake