Calm afternoons were so rare these days. Sebille had always enjoyed them more than anything, but the past three years she had barely had any. And Before that so much had been happening that she'd never had the time to relax. Drama always surrounded her, didn't it.

She was so absorbed in her text messages that she didn't notice the little girl approach.

And neither did her friend, Hati, who was reading a cook book. Sometimes, Sebille wished she could be like her; absorbed into what interested her and not worry of other things on the side.

"BANG!"

!

"Camille! How many times do I need to tell you guns aren't toys?"
"But..."

Hati's attention was finally pulled away from her book and she watched amusedly at the two.

"No buts. And that necklace is even less of a toy. Give it to me before it breaks or gets lost."
Camille had an extraordinary talent of losing almost everything she played with.

"Yes mama..."
"I wish Null wouldn't keep giving it to you..."

"Mama... Why aren't you married?"

Sebille froze.

Wha? Where did she get this things from?

"A marriage isn't something that should be rushed into, Camille. It's an important decision that needs to be thought about carefully, okay?"

Not that she really believed any of that herself.

"But mama would be thiiiiiiiiis pretty in a big white dress!"
The girl spread her arms as wide as they went.

"Right, aunty?"

"That's right." Hati smiled, though a smite amusedly.

"Where did this come from now?"

"Heh-hee~ Uncles talked about it."
And then she ran off again.

Sebille wished Camille had someone her age to play with so that she'd stop eavesdropping on everyone else's conversations. The small woman was always the one left to explain her the things others let out of their mouths.

Hati crossed her legs; "So?"

"So? What 'so'?"
"Why aren't you married? It's not like he hasn't asked..."

"Oh that..." Sebille turned away and leaned her elbow on the arm rest; "I'm just waiting for him to do it right."

In reality she did want to get married, because she'd finally found a man to love. She'd wanted it for years.

He friend seemed stunned: "What kind of an extravagant proposal are you waiting for?"

Hadn't he already done it everywhere and any way he could possibly think of: a restaurant, a garden, a hotel, a party...?

"It's not like that. I don't care where he does it..."

Sebille flailed her arms and then lowered her tone, which spoke of dissappointment; "I just want him to answer my question right..."

"A question? You can't possibly expect him to know what you want the answer to be?"

"It's not like that either. I just want him to tell me why he wants to marry me."

"Isn't that easy? He wants to marry you because he loves you."

Sebille wasn't sure Hati believed what she had just said, though.

"...I wish he just said that."

Yes, Null was too rational for his own good. Sebille wasn't interested in how much easier it would be to just combine their assets and have them registered as a couple. She didn't care if her friends and their friends talked about her behind her back and judged her decisions. She didn't care that they judged Null, either.

She'd struggle with their current situation forever if need be. Sebille was not going to marry a man just because it'd make things easier, or because she got pregnant, or because she should.