Coming Along

"Ahaha.." Jingwei laughed awkwardly, but there was no joy in it. He tried to not make his disappointment obvious, but his smile refused to form. 

"It's alright! I'm fine with staying behind. Or maybe I'll just send you off to your parent's home and come back after." He said, trying to convince himself that he was fine with his proposed course of action. 

He would love nothing more than to tag along and introduce himself to Xue Ning's family as her boyfriend, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be welcome - and if he tagged along, he might put Xue Ning in an uncomfortable position instead! 

Logically, he knew that staying behind was the right decision to take. But that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. 

"Sorry," Xue Ning apologised quietly, turning over to look at him. She reached out to hold his hand and squeeze. "If it's worth anything… I want you to accompany me. But I'm afraid things might be awkward for you."

"How so?"