Take Me Away novel Chapter 44

The next morning, Fiona got up early though she felt sore all over. She hurried as fast as she could to school, even skipping a return to the dorm room and instead going directly to the playground. Spencer was left behind, still fast asleep.

By the time she managed to rush over, some girls had already arrived. She looked around and saw Sophia waving to her. "Over here!"

Fiona ran once more, and finally, as she stood next Sophia, she struggled to catch her breath.

"Where did you go yesterday?" Sophia asked in a low voice.

"I went home." She gulped and took a huge breath. "Thank God I’m not late."

"Yeah, you’re lucky today!" Sophia smiled. "Mr. Cheng hasn’t arrived yet. This is actually the first time I got here before he did."

Fiona replied with a wordless, awkward smile.

Just then, they heard a car zooming over

"Mr. Cheng is here!"

"That’s definitely him, I recognize how the engine of his car sounds!"

"Only he drives to the playground."

Everyone started to speak. It was only until they saw Spencer pull up that all the whispering abruptly stopped.

The car screeched to a halt. He got out, greeting everybody with a scowl. Every girl turned to look at him. The band aid on his left cheek made him look a little softer and funnier, and yet he still seemed as handsome as always.

"He doesn’t seem to be in a good mood today..."

"What’s wrong with the his face?"

Fiona’s face flushed. She immediately thought back and tried to remember if she’d scratched him.

"Silence!" Spencer bellowed. "Everyone, stand upright! Count off from the first row! Now!"

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Four."

"Five."

"Six..."

Spencer walked around everyone with his hands clasped firmly behind his back. "I’m in a bad mood today. Be careful during training..." Anxiety made every minute feel like an hour

and an hour feel like a whole day.

Nobody knew when the practice was going to end until Spencer finally waved his hand. "Go rest!"

"Finally!"

"I’m so tired..."

The girls propped themselves carefully on the ground while Spencer stood still with his hands behind his back.

"Mr. Cheng, may I ask what happened to your face?" one of the girls asked.

"Were you injured in a mission yesterday?"

"Well, I think it was a scratch from some woman."

The team burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Fiona could only muster a weak giggle as she avoided looking at him.

"Not some woman. It was my wife." Although he spoke of it as an unpleasant experience, there was an undeniable hint of acquiescence. "I’ve learned that men shouldn’t offend women unless they‘re okay with not having breakfast."

"You haven't had breakfast yet?"

"What happened with your wife last night?"

"How is she?"

"You should bring her here for a visit sometime!"

Spencer raised his eyebrows. "She’s ugly. I wouldn’t want to scare you."

Fiona scoffed and turned away.

"Mr. Cheng," Sophia chimed in. "Yesterday, why were you excited at the basketball court when you saw Ryan’s necklace?"

"Was I?" he asked coldly. "I was just curious as to where he bought it. I want to buy some and give each of my soldiers one as a gift."

Fiona seethed with anger, scowling. Every word he uttered completely annoyed her.

"That necklace seems like a design work. I don't think you can buy it on the market," Ella said.

Spencer smiled, and without saying another word, proceeded to rest in his tent.

As the rest of the girls chatted, Sophia took out her phone and walked up to Fiona. "Hey, have Ryan contacted you?"

"No." Fiona lowered her head.

"I don't know what he’s thinking sometimes." Sophia shook her head. "You two are both my friends. I really don't know whom I should help."

Fiona stopped herself from talking as she felt her chest ache.

"Look!" Sophia suddenly grabbed her hand and pointed towards the headlines on her phone. "A senior high school girl recently gave birth and drowned her baby in the toilet. My God! That is insane!"

Several girls caught wind of the story and hurried over to watch.

"It’s so weird to have a child while she's still in high school!"

"I wonder why her boyfriend didn’t use condoms. No wonder she was pregnant."

"She’s still so young and reckless."

As Fiona sat beside them and listened to their conversation, she went pale and dizzy. 'Spencer and I... didn't use condoms either. Will I get pregnant?' she thought to herself.

Later on the weekend, she and Spencer went over to the Cheng family residence

to visit Wayne, who seemed to be in a very good mood as he listened to the wedding plans.

"What do you think about holding the wedding here? It’ll just be like Spencer’s parents’ wedding," Wayne suggested.

Fiona swallowed and forced a smile. "It’s up to you, Grandpa."

"Okay, then it’s settled!"

"But you haven't asked me yet!" Spencer protested.

"You?" Wayne scoffed. "You only have my words to follow."

"Of course, Grandpa!" he responded loudly.

A giddy Anna then came in with a photo album in her hands and sat beside Fiona. "Come have a look. These are sample wedding dresses. Some are Chinese dresses while the others are Western ones. You can choose whichever you like."

Looking at all the photos, Fiona felt her eyes sting as she tried to hold back tears. "Thank you, Aunt Anna. I’ll take a look at each of them carefully."

"Of course." Anna nodded. "I understand. Whichever you choose, you will be the most beautiful bride."

As he quietly listened in, there was a hint of disappointment in Spencer's eyes.

Fiona and Spencer were later invited to stay overnight. The day of planning tired them out that even the former had no qualms as they were offered only one bed to both sleep in.

After showering, she walked out of the bathroom to find Spencer sitting leisurely on the bed.

The dim light under which he read a book accentuated his strong face.

He raised his head slightly at the door creaking, and after only a cursory glance at Fiona, he continued reading his book.

Fiona breathed a little sigh of relief. She walked slowly to the other side of the bed and grabbed the pillow. "I’m going to sleep on the sofa."

Without raising his head, Spencer responded, "Sure, I don’t mind huddling with you there."

She stuttered. "You..."

"I’ll be wherever you are." He then finally looked up at her. The fresh smell of shower gel pervaded across the room. As he stared at her, he felt himself getting turned on. Perhaps it was because of the lack of sex.