Hoy had thought it would be very easy to continue acting like a guardian to Joreen Joreen they were ready to tell the world about them but boy, how wrong he was!

He was fine acting like a bossy uncle all this while so why was it suddenly difficult for his brain to remember they were not officially out?

At first, he had tried to hold her hand while they entered the driving school. If she hadn't pulled back and gave him a surprised look, he wouldn't have realised what he was about to do. Then when she was filling up her form and the manager came to greet them and introduced Hoy to the other workers as her guardian, he had glared daggers at the man and asked if he was that old, then he said he was her— and that was where he ended. He had almost said 'boyfriend' before he came to his senses and shook the whole thing off.

He also noticed Joreen seem really uncomfortable and it made him slightly worried that maybe she didn't want to come out today.

"Are you okay?" Joreen asked as they drove out of the driving school's premises. "You seem... not... okay." She stressed.

"I'm fine. Sorry." He said awkwardly and continued to drive.

Joreen didn't push it since she could tell he didn't want to talk about it. The next place he drove them to was the company. G–GLOBAL.

He stopped the car in the parking lot but didn't get out so she also didn't make any effort to leave.

"Are you alright?" She asked again. He was simply staring ahead and she couldn't tell what he was thinking about.

He sighed and turned to look at her. "Sorry." After a full minute, he spoke. "I didn't want to mention what happened yesterday, but I really would have let you to rest properly at home before you start relating with the world again. I thought maybe letting you come out and spend the next few hours unwrapping your gifts would make you feel better. But maybe I was wrong? I probably should have let you rest today? Or maybe I should have asked Reen to come with you? I guess that would have made you feel better?" He stopped to catch his breath and looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

She simply blinked at him before saying, "Wow!"

"Wow?" He asked, creasing his brow in confusion. He had said those things only to get a wow?

"Wow!" She repeated. "I haven't heard you say so many words at the same time." She said while smiling.

He frowned.

"It's not something to laugh about. I am worried I made you uncomfortable."

She shook her head and smiled at him. "I am fine. Really. I hardly even think about what happened yesterday and honestly, coming out today is actually the best thing to do than staying inside, trust me."

"Then why do you look so tensed?" He asked, his voice laced with worry.

She blushed and bit her lip before looking down at her hands. "Well... I was... just nervous."

"Why?" He asked softly.

"You." She said in a barely audible voice but he heard her and raised a questioning brow.

"Me?" He asked.

"Sorry.. I.. don't know how I am supposed to act around a boyfriend. I... can be clumsy sometimes and I am just worried I do not do something that would make you like me less." She said quietly while looking at her intertwined fingers on her lap.

"Really?" He asked in surprise. "You aren't clumsy sometimes." A smile was brewing on her face until he finished his sentence,

"...You are clumsy everytime but I still like you."

"What?" She raised her head and gave him an annoyed look. "What do you mean I am clumsy everytime?!" She bellowed.

He looked at her in amusement. He liked to see the angry Joreen sometimes. That was basically another reason he always said 'NO' to her back then. Because she would get angry and look like she was about to kill him but in the end, she wouldn't be able to do anything.

"I cannot count the number of times you did some awkward things that made me cringe for you." He continued.

"Remember when you were 15 and we went to the gala celebrating the opening of RC Museum—"

"I am not listening to you!" She used her fingers to block her two ears but he laughed and continued talking.

"You tried to save that child that was about to fall down but then you fell on top of the child." He laughed heartily. "You are lucky I was there to save you on time before the child's mother pounced on you."

Joreen frowned at that memory. That was the most embarrassing moment of her life. Why did he have to bring it up?

"It's not funny!" She huffed but he was laughing really hard now.

When he was done, he looked at her and noticed how she was intensely staring at him with what young people called 'heart eyes'.

"What is it?" He asked, still smiling a little.

"I have never seen you laugh like this."

"How?" He asked, confused.

"So... happy. Unreserved. If that incident was this funny to you, why didn't you laugh this much then? You always keep this aloof front whenever you step out into the world."

"Well..." He chewed his bottom lip and continued, "People won't take me too seriously if I'm like that."

"It's strange how you can have two different personalities." She noted.

"How so?"

"You act differently when... you know—"

"When I kiss you and act all possessive and then when I am out of my 'comfort zone' and facing the world?" He supplied.

She blushed. "I was going to say when you are with the family and when you are out there in the world. But... I... like how you are when you are with me too." She looked down shyly.

"I like it too." He said before leaning in closer to her. He used his finger to raise her chin then he gave her a quick kiss on her lips, taking her by surprise.

"Do you want to go with me after you are done here to go check out your building?"

"My buil— oh!" How could she forget her birthday gift? "I'd love to." She nodded with a smile.

She hadn't thought it was a big deal earlier, but she liked it when he asked for her opinion instead of making plans for the two of them all by himself.

"We probably should go in now. We've stayed here for too long." He said and got out of the car.