Sparks

Chapter 7... Can love forgive everything?

The past six months had been bliss. She and Derick had started dating and being with him was great. Although an ocean separated them, they commuted regularly and had set a steady pace in their relationship. They had decided to keep their relationship private for now. Lian remembered the conversation she had had with Derick soon after they had become a couple.

'I have to fly to Seoul next week,' Derick informed her as he helped her prepare their dinner in her kitchen. 'I was thinking since it is a holiday weekend maybe we can make it a getaway weekend as well.'

Lian put down the bowl of noodles she was draining and turned to look at Derick who was chopping the cucumbers.

'Aren't your parents living in Seoul?' she asked him her mind not wanting to accept his implication.

'Yeah, it would be great to meet my family and visit the other part of my heritage at the same time.' Derick sounded so nonchalant about the whole thing but Lian was petrified.

'You want me to meet your parents?' Lian said in shock. She finished draining the noodles and separated it into two bowls before adding pickled radish, bean sprouts and other light seasonings. They were making Bibim Gooksu, a spicy Korean cold noodle dish. Derick used to make it all the time when they were at university and she had secretly fell in love with the dish since then. Derick was quite handy around the kitchen and had taught her many more Korean dishes during the past couple of months.

'I would love you to meet my family Lian.' Derick told her as they sat down to eat. Lian paused feeling very uncomfortable.

'Derick maybe we should hold off for a while.' She said tentatively as he looked at her in disbelief.

'I can see your brain working in overdrive Lian, there is no harm in meeting my family.' Derick was trying to be polite. 'It is perfectly fine for you to meet my family as I will meet yours soon.'

'Derick, I am still new to this thing between us and frankly I will admit I don't know where we are going. I just want us to wait for a while before we broadcast anything.' Lian was being truthful to herself; she was unsure what she had with Derick. It felt real good and she just wanted it to be more stable before she delved into the next stage.

Derick smiled. He knew that Lian must not be rushed; she had taken a long time before accepting him so he was willing to take it slow for now. He did not want her to bolt off course at the first corner.

'Fine we hold off until you are ready.' Derick agreed and she reached out to hold his hand. They intertwined their hands as he kissed the back of hers. Derick was in love but he knew he had to take it slow. Lian was still finding herself.

Lian knew that if things got more serious she would need time to break the news to their families and friends but she was just not ready to face that music yet. Fortunately, Tania and Lucas were expecting their first child so that overshadowed everything and their close friends did not suspect anything.

Their friends were too wrapped in their impending change in status to notice anything untoward between Derick and her. Although they met with their friends a couple of times she and Derick had tried to remain aloof with each other which was getting harder and harder as their relationship progressed. Derick had tentatively set a time for them to go public. Although, Lian wanted to wait after the birth of their godchild, he wanted her as his wife way before then.

Derick had been a dream boyfriend and Lian was so happy she had decided to trust him. Although, they still had their arguments which was great for the makeup sex, their relationship was strong. Each respected each other's work. Derick worked hard to ensure his company was profitable and Lian worked hard to ensure she was the best at her job.