"I'm useless, Edwin. I fear you might come to regret this one day."

"How could I ever regret being with you?" Edwin gently flicked her nose.

"I'd marry you right now if I could."

A silence settled between them.

Both of them understood that marriage wasn't an immediate possibility.

The rumors and challenges Edwin faced were too burdensome for any hasty decisions.

Laura, empathizing with his plight, pressed gently against him.

“We're almost like a married couple already," she whispered.

Edwin's response was a light laugh.

He leaned close to her ear.

"So, should I stay over tonight?"

Laura knew it wasn't right to let things go too far in her parents' house.

Just then, Lina's voice called out, inviting Edwin for his late-night snack.

Edwin, still close to her ear, teased in a playful tone, "You know I'm too worn out for anything else tonight."

Laura blushed at his implication, biting her lip.

“I wasn't thinking of anything."

Edwin looked at her with a smile, knowing that despite her shy exterior, Laura was quite passionate in their more intimate moments.

He casually draped his coat on a coatrack in her room before leading her out to eat.

Lina had prepared sweet glutinous rice balls for him, some filled with sesame and others multicolored.

Edwin moved comfortably into the kitchen to find a smaller bowl, dishing out two for Laura.