Rachel put down the vacuum cup and was about to help, but Lucas shook his head and pointed to the
chair, motioning her to sit again.
He put the box down in front of his feet, wiped his hands on his pants, and asked in a low voice, "Are
you free tomorrow night?"
"Yes. Why?" she asked.
He replied slowly, "I want to invite you and Jack for dinner. We haven't had a meal together ever since."
That afternoon, when Jack came to pick up Rachel from work, she suddenly remembered Lucas'
invitation, so she told him about it.
Jack didn't answer at once. His fingers were tapping the steering wheel while he seemed lost in
thought.
Rachel couldn't figure out what he was thinking. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Are you not
available?"
"I am," he answered quickly.
But then he added, "How can you let him invite us to dinner when it should be us treating him to a
meal?"
"It doesn't matter," she replied casually without thinking too much.
He didn't say anything more. He looked straight ahead and focused on driving, but his heart
complained silently, 'Of course it matters. We should invite Lucas and treat him to dinner as a couple.'
The next day, Rachel finished her work earlier than usual. She looked at the time and called Jack. "Are
you almost here?"
"I'm still in the office. Give me a few minutes." He was actually packing up while talking with her on the
phone.
"Alright."
Thinking that he must be busy with something, she sat on her desk first, took a report, and read it
slowly.
After a while, her phone on the desk vibrated. When she picked it up and opened the inbox, it was a
message from Lucas. He said something unexpected came up, and he would be late.
It was only then that she noticed the time. Half an hour had already passed from the time they had
agreed to meet. She replied "Okay" and immediately called Jack.
Jack was already at the gate of the hospital, so she quickly packed up and strode to the entrance.
Since the rush hour had already passed, they arrived at the hotel in less than ten minutes. Led by the
waiter, they walked into the booked room. Lucas wasn't there yet.
Rachel pulled out a chair and sat down. Since she had nothing else to do, she took out her phone and
browsed the news.
On the other hand, Jack restlessly walked back and forth inside the room with one hand in his pocket.
He peeked through the window, then touched the TV rack beside it. With a frown, he smacked his lips
and asked, "How can you make a reservation in this hotel? Look, there's dust everywhere. I don't think
the food here is clean, either."
She changed into a more comfortable sitting position and replied in a low voice, "The wind is strong
today, maybe that's why the room is a little dusty."
She then focused back on her phone.
He sneered and sat down. Since he had nothing to do as well, he picked up the menu and read it. "The
dishes in this restaurant don't look good. They don't even have new ones."
However, she didn't reply anymore. It was as if she wanted him to just talk to himself endlessly.
Seeing that all her attention was on her phone and thinking about meeting Lucas later, he felt more and
more uncomfortable, and his face darkened.
Rachel put down her phone, looked at him, and said, "Do you want to go home now? I'll stay here and
wait for Lucas for dinner."
Hearing her words, Jack instantly threw the menu in his hand on the table and said seriously with a
straight face, "No way. He invited the two of us, remember?"
He stretched out his hand, raised his two fingers, and added, "I can't leave you here alone."
She took back her gaze and pursed her lips. She then said, "Lucas won't mind if you leave first.
Besides, don't you think you will only feel out of place?"
"Who told you that?" he immediately shouted, trying to hide his embarrassment.
She glanced at him but said nothing.
However, he clearly captured the hint of contempt in her eyes. He irritably scratched the back of his
head. He just couldn't suppress his restlessness, thinking that Lucas would arrive any moment from
now.
Jealousy filled his heart at the thought that Rachel had once intended to spend the rest of her life with
Lucas if they got divorced.
The room was quiet for a few minutes. After sitting quietly for a while, Rachel stood up to go to the
bathroom. But when she turned around, she saw that the door was pushed open from the outside.
Lucas appeared, and with a smile, she waved his hand to greet them. "Did I make you wait for too
long?"
"Not really. We had something to deal with earlier as well, so we just arrived," Rachel replied. Upon
noticing that Jack was still sitting and didn't even look at Lucas, she patted him on the shoulder and
whispered, "Stand up."
With eyes full of contempt, he stood up reluctantly, twitched the corners of his mouth, and said, "Finally,
you're here."
His voice was very low when he said it,
but Rachel heard it clearly, so she frowned and pinched his waist secretly. With a voice that only the
two of them could hear, she asked, "What's wrong with you today? Are you in a bad mood?"
"I'm fine,"
he replied in the same tone and chuckled. He then pulled out the chair beside him and invited Lucas
expressionlessly, "Have a seat."
"Wait a minute." Lucas' tone was always gentle and calm. He turned his head and looked behind him.
Seeing his action, Rachel understood, so she asked, "Where is Iris?"
"She saw a beautiful fish in the aquarium along the hallway, so she went to ask the waiter what kind of
fish it is. I came here first to say hello to you and let you know that we are already here."
He then raised his hand and waved at the entrance.
Jack also stretched his neck and looked at the door. He saw Iris coming to them in light steps. When he
saw her protruding belly, his mouth curved into a smile, and the expression in his eyes changed in an
instant.
This time, his voice sounded enthusiastic when he said, "Come and sit down. Lucas, how could you let
your wife walk to the counter alone with her big belly? You should have gone and asked for her
instead."
The change in his attitude was too sudden and too evident that Rachel didn't know how to react.
Iris came over to Rachel, held her hands, and said in a sweet voice, "Rachel, it's been a long time
since we last met. How have you been recently?"
"I have been doing fine," Rachel answered with a smile. She looked down at Iris' protruding belly,
feeling a little envious. "How many months now?" she asked.
"Almost four months. The baby has just started to show up, so I'm still not used to it." Iris raised her
hand and touched her belly subconsciously. Her eyes were full of motherly tenderness.
Lucas walked over and put his left hand around her waist naturally. He lowered his head and said in a
gentle voice, "You must be tired. Have a seat first."
He looked extremely careful and considerate.
Rachel couldn't help smiling while watching the sweet couple. She then said, "Lucas, you are a five-
star man now."
"What five-star?" Jack asked while walking up to her. The hostility in his eyes was now replaced by
curiosity. It seemed like he was trying to ingratiate Rachel after irritating her just now.
Rachel answered while counting on her fingers, "A good son, a good doctor, a good classmate, and
now a good husband and a good father. Five-star, isn't it?"
Laughter filled the room after her explanation. The previous tension and embarrassment were
immediately swept away.
The four of them sat on the table while the waiter served the dishes they had ordered. Rachel and Iris
were whispering something to each other, while Jack and Lucas were talking about men's topics in a
deep voice.
Their dinner went on harmoniously.
When they finished, Jack stood up and patted Lucas on the shoulder. "Let me know when you are free,
so Rachel and I can visit the two of you. We will bring some gifts for your baby."
Rachel didn't know how much Jack and Lucas had drunk just now. Although Lucas' face was red, he
still looked fine.
She held his arm and gave him his car keys. "Can you still drive?"
"Yes, of course."
Lucas took Iris' hand and bade goodbye to her and Jack. But before they could walk out of the door, Iris
looked back at Rachel and pointed at the back of her head. Frowning, she shook her head helplessly
but happily.
Indeed, sometimes men acted like children.
Rachel smiled at her as a response. Jack had already bent over and leaned his head on her shoulder.
She patted his head and said, "You drank too much!"
The early morning sunshine glazed the bodies of the two people in the bedroom with a soft golden
color. Rachel opened her sleepy eyes slowly and saw Jack looking at her with interest.
She rubbed her eyes and said in a little hoarse voice, "You drank a lot last night. Why did you wake up
so early today?"
With an unreadable smile, Jack raised his hand and smoothed the hair on her forehead. "Because
something more important reminds me to wake up early."
"Well..." Rachel answered perfunctorily as if trying to avoid a certain topic subconsciously.
She moved and was about to sit up, but Jack pressed her shoulder and lay down again.
His eyes were full of passion when he asked, "Why don't you ask me what that more important thing
is?"
"I don't want to know," she replied.
Jack was rendered speechless, feeling a little embarrassed. But after a short while, he smiled sweetly
and said to her, "Rachel, don't you think we should work harder? We can't be just left behind by Lucas
and Iris, right?"
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda