Chapter 175: Start Fresh
"Oh..." Daisy pointed a wavering finger at the man who stood before her, eyes glassy but wide with recognition. "You look so much like my husband..." She gasped, covering her mouth with both palms dramatically.
Theo froze in the doorway, his tall frame stiff, caught completely off guard. For a moment, he stood still, her words striking far deeper than the drunken exaggeration they seemed to be. His eyes lingered on her flushed face, the softness in her unfocused gaze, before he quickly forced a smile and strode toward her.
He crouched down in front of her, his voice low but teasing. "Nice to meet you, my wife. I guess I’m lucky... marrying my first love—"
Before he could finish, Daisy instantly cupped his mouth with both hands, her cheeks puffing in mock outrage. "Tchh... how dare you talk about your first love in front of your beautiful wife?"
Theo blinked at her, then let out a muffled laugh against her palms. When she finally loosened her hold, he leaned closer, eyes glinting mischievously. "First love? What are you saying? I don’t remember anyone else but you."
Daisy hiccupped, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Liar..."
"I’m serious!" he insisted, puffing his chest a little like a proud kid. "If my wife is this pretty, why would I even bother looking at someone else?"
Her lips twitched, trying to hold back a smile, but the drunk flush on her cheeks betrayed her delight.
Aurora suddenly shot up from the couch, swaying on her feet before pointing dramatically at Liam. "Why did you suddenly pull away?! Why?!" Her voice rang through the room, startling everyone. "You really are a bad, bad man... specialized in playing women’s hearts!"
Theo blinked in surprise, while Daisy burst into giggles, clapping like Aurora had just exposed the biggest scandal of the century.
Liam, however, only sighed, rubbing his temple. He didn’t plan to answer, too tired. Without another word, he leaned down, scooped Aurora over his shoulder like a sack of flour, and turned to Theo.
"I’ll wait in the car." His voice was flat, as if this whole thing was routine for him.
Aurora kicked weakly in protest, her words muffled against Liam’s back. "See?! Bad man! Carrying me away without permission... such a villain!"
Suddenly, Daisy shook her head, her finger wobbling in the air like she’d just solved the greatest mystery of life. "No... no... the bad man in the world is here..."
Before Theo could react, she grabbed his cheeks with both hands, squishing them until his lips puckered like a pouty fish. "The man who promised to protect his wife before the wedding... and then crawled into his cave when things got hard!"
Theo froze, her words striking deeper than she intended. For a beat, he just stared at her, taken aback. Then, slowly, he let out a quiet breath, his voice softer than before.
"I guess... there’s a reason for everything," he admitted, a faint, almost wistful smile tugging at his lips. "If I hadn’t crawled back into that cave... I wouldn’t have stumbled across the memory of my first love... the one I threw away out of guilt."
Daisy blinked at him, her drunken haze making it hard to fully grasp the weight behind his words, but her heart still gave an odd squeeze.
"I guess the future me really is bad..." Theo held onto her hand that was still cupping his face. "I never knew I would forget about you, even after I told Julian how hard I fell in love at first sight..."
Daisy frowned, her words slurring slightly. "What are you talking about? My head... hurts... I couldn’t hear you..." She pouted, then suddenly pulled him closer, resting her head on his shoulder. "I miss you... husband..."
Theo froze, his eyes widening slightly. "Hmm... I miss you too..." he muttered under his breath. Then, almost shyly, he added, "Let’s... go back home."
Before Daisy could respond, he wrapped her in a warm embrace, holding her close. His voice dropped, soft and earnest: "Let’s... start dating and get to know each other. There’s a lot about you that I need to relearn..."
Daisy blinked, swaying slightly, and mumbled, "Who... who wants to date you?" She tried to pull away but stumbled into his chest, sticking her tongue out lazily. "I... I didn’t sign up to date a nineteen-year-old boy!"
Theo chuckled, leaning in conspiratorially. "My mind may be acting nineteen... but my body is still twenty-nine," he whispered, eyes sparkling.
Daisy, swaying slightly from the alcohol, responded with a hard pinch to his cheek.
"Aww—aww!" Theo was not expecting the pinch.
"Naughty boy... who teaches you such a thing?" she squinted, lips forming a long pout, her words slurred just enough to betray her drunken state.
Theo yelped, rubbing his cheek, a grin breaking through despite the sting. "I might need to be punished more often, then..."
Daisy tilted her head, eyes hazy and lips curling into a slow pout. "Hmm..." she hummed, nodding weakly. "Your first love... are you sure she’s prettier than me?"
Theo shook his head, a shy smile tugging at his lips. "No... you’re prettier," he murmured, his tone soft, almost hesitant. His fingers brushed hers unconsciously, as if to emphasize the sincerity behind his words.
Daisy blinked, her cheeks flushing hotter, completely unprepared for his words.
"Let’s go home..." Theo murmured, gently rubbing her cheek. A soft smile spread across his face as he leaned closer, closing the distance between them. "It’s... it’s time we start fresh, just the two of us."
Daisy shook her head, still clinging to him, her fingers curling around his neck. "I’m too dizzy to... flesh?" she slurred, mishearing his words in her drunken haze.
Theo blinked, momentarily taken aback, before bursting into a quiet laugh. "No, no... not flesh, Daisy. Fresh. We’re starting fresh, okay?"
Her lips twisted into a sleepy pout, still half-dazed. "Fresh... huh... okay..." she mumbled, nuzzling against his chest. Theo wrapped his arms tighter around her, careful to steady her unsteady balance, a warm grin tugging at his lips as he murmured, "That’s my girl. Let’s go home."