I'm sorry but I can't love you

…. Samuel was internally groaning with frustration as he was called upon his dad and he made his way towards them .

Hua Lihua was feeling giddy with happiness as her best friend and obviously her crush made his appearance . Even in simple clothing , he looked so dashing that she couldn't help but only fall harder for her .

Father Chen upon seeing his son coming down the stairs stood up and urged him to come over fast . Samuel however didn't pay any mind to him and came down at his own pace .

Mother Chen was getting some hint that maybe the meeting won't go as she and her husband had planned for it to go . But neither less , she would make her son see the good in their decision .

Samuel sat down at his sofa piece and didn't pay any heed to whatever the conversation was going on about him and Hua Lihua . He deliberately acted like an uninterested person stuck in the middle of a party room , full of gossipers .

He would sometimes looked at the ceiling or munch on the snacks kept on the table . He would also jus skim through his phone , acting like eh was checking out for email related to work and so on .

For the hundredth time , father Chen looked in his direction and pointed a deadly glare which Samuel just nonchalantly shrugged as if it was not even directed for him .

Seeing such a rude behaviour of his son , father Chen could only resort to his trump move .

He said clearing his throat ," Son , why don't you take xiao Lihua to the garden ? You both can share some time together there . Go go go …."

Samuel turned to his father and with eyes as wide as saucer pans , he looked at his father as if he was asked to do a work which was not at all his feat . He scrunched his brows to see any signs of giving him the leniency with the order bombarded on him but alas , he couldn't get any .

He could hence only give in to his father's wish as he guided Lihua to the garden .

Hua Lihua trailed behind Samuel like a love struck fool , smiling all the way she followed him .

Upon reaching the garden , Hua Lihua went over to the flower bed and bent down to pick up a rose . She took it in her hands and roamed her fingers over the petals of the rose as she inhaled its fragrance .

She then walked up to Samuel who was watching in the far away distance , lost in some thought .

She poked his arm making his attention to drift back to her .

Hua Lihua bent down on one knee and Samuel knew the rest of the process that will take place for the most part but unsurprisingly , he was not surprised . He wanted to clear all this misunderstanding as he looked back at her and waited for her to complete her confession .

He knew , that whatever answer he would give her would hurt her intentions and feelings but he couldn't let her whole life suffer just because he wants her to eb happy for some time because the marriage without love is like a baseless house which can tumble down to dust any moment .

Hua Lihua looked up to the person whom she had loved her whole life , whom she thought to walk along side for the rest of her life .

She seemed to have collected stars from the sky in her eyes which looked at him with such deep affection that Samuel was feeling a pit of guilt consuming him up but neither less he didn't show any emotion on his face .

Hua Lihua gazed up straight at his eyes and stretched out her hands with the rose between them and said , " You might have already figured this out , Samuel but nevertheless I want to confess to you . I have ..I have always been in love with you .

Ever since we were kids I looked forward to the day when you and I could walk hand in hand with our steps matching each other's pace , with our heartbeats in sync . You don't have any idea , how much I missed you all these years I had been out of the country .

I love you , Samuel . I want us to get married . Will ..will you m-marry me ?"

"….."

Hua Lihua gazed up to him with brimming tears in her eyes which gave away the love that she had harboured for him , all these years .

Samuel didn't say anything because he couldn't find the right words to say to her . Not that he was moved by her confession but he wanted his words to be as much less hurtful than ever .

He didn't want to cause any misunderstanding but he didn't want her to live in a world of un realistic dreams .

The silence between them stretched on and slowly the hopeful smile on Lihua's face faded away . She slowly stood up from her position and stared at Samuel with a curious and desperate expression .

The poker face that Samuel had was replaced with an air of cool seriousness and this already started to freak her out . She could feel her throat running dry with the silence that stretched on .

She wanted answers , she wanted to know what Samuel felt for her and what he thought about her . She didn't want the silence to suffocatively consume her soul . She couldn't bear it .

[ Hey guys ...sorry for the late update now . My body condition was not good and I wasn't able to do any work , let alone resume the writing work , so I had to take a short break :( :( :(

Here is a new chapter...keep reading and be hooked ]