Flirting With My Ex-Husband

In the dark, Scarlett flushed.

The hum of insects could be heard from all sides. Scarlett was just about to ask Raymond why he had brought her to this spot when he suddenly put his hand over her eyes and, drawing her along with his other hand, said, "Cwith me." Then he added in a low voice with a chuckle, "I'm not going to sell you, babe." Color suffused Scarlett’s face at the sound of the word "babe". She felt lucky that despite the bright moon, Raymond couldn't see her face clearly due to the darkness of night.

"Okay." She made a response and obediently let him draw her forward.

After progressing for another two minutes or so, Scarlett felt that they had walked into a wood. Raymond who had been leading her along halted and removed his hand from her eyes.

Having been blindfolded for a while, Scarlett needed stto let her eyes adjust, but even so, she still saw the spots of light in mid-air.

Soon Scarlett's vision returned to normal. Looking at the swarm of lightning bugs in front of her, she felt incredulous. "Fireflies." "Yeah." Raymond had discovered this place by chance, but that had been almost a decade ago. In fact, he had been uncertain as to whether or not this meadow teeming with fireflies still existed, which was why he didn't tell Scarlett where he was taking her on their way to this place.

He had feared that Scarlett might be disappointed if the fireflies had gone.

This was Scarlett’s second tseeing so many lightning bugs. The first thad been when she was seven years old. Her father had taken her to a woodland near the factory he worked, where she saw a similar scene.

But afterward her father had left the countryside factory to seek his fortune in the city, and Scarlett had never seen anything like that since then.

After her parents passed away, she had once gone back there to look for the fireflies only to find that the factory had been demolished, and tall buildings had been built in the vicinity. The place where her father had taken her to see fireflies had been turned into cement roads. Not even a patch of weeds could be seen there, let alone fireflies.

She hadn't seen any fireflies since she'd reached adulthood, but now Raymond had brought her to a place like this.

Touched, Scarlett stood there wordlessly for quite a while.

It had been so many years, but she still missed her parents somewhat.

Having perceived her silence, Raymond said concernedly, "Scarlett?" "Raymond, you see, when | was little, my family was actually impoverished. My parents worked three shifts a day in a factory, but they still could barely make ends meet. Whenever one of my family members fell ill, all our savings would be gone.

Actually, she didn't quite like sharing these things, for people might suspect that she was trying to gain sympathy, but now, faced with Raymond, she had an urge to let him know about her past. "My first tseeing so many fireflies was when | was eight. | had a high fever and wouldn't stop crying. My father's colleagues in the factory found my crying annoying, so my father wrappedup in a small quilt and tookout at midnight.

Carryingin his arms, he walked for a long time, and | cried just as long, but when | saw the flying ‘stars’, | was so happy that even the discomfort caused by my fever seemed to be alleviated.

"But afterward we moved into the city, and our living conditions gradually improved, but I've never seen that many fireflies again.

"Later still, my father leftforever." Scarlett had scarcely finished speaking when Raymond swept her into his embrace. "Sorry. | shouldn't have brought you here." Resting her head on his shoulder, Scarlett smiled, "One day | wondered how my father had discovered that place seething with lightning bugs. | asked my mother and she toldmy father had promised to get her sstars, but he couldn't reach the stars, so he'd given her slightning bugs instead." At that tScarlett had been too young to understand, but afterward she had realized that was probably the only romance his father could offer her mother.

And now, by a strange quirk of fate Raymond had created a romantic moment in the sway.

Having finished the story, Scarlett looked at him. "Thank you, Raymond." Raymond lowered his head to look into her charming eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing. He was just about to kiss her when his cellphone in his pocket rang inopportunely.

The ringtone ruined the moment completely, and Raymond's face darkened in the dark.

The call was from Alexander. Raymond answered his phone. "What's up?" Raymond decided that he should teach Alexander a lesson unless this call was about something urgent.

"Your car's here, but where are you and Scarlett? I've arrived, but | can't see you guys." Alexander, after returning home, had promptly gotten into his car and driven here as fast as he could. The instant he arrived, he spotted Raymond's car, but its owner was nowhere to be seen.

He had looked everywhere but failed to find Raymond, so he had no choice but to call him.

But Raymond's tone of voice seemed to suggest that he was not in a very good mood. Alexander stroked his nose. "Am | calling at a bad time?" "Beat it!" Raymond didn't answer the question, which was synonymous with an affirmative reply.