Chapter 5

Neal looked at Joyce in confusion. He didn't understand what she was mad about. "What did you want me to ask about when you were with Corey and the others? You've always complained about me being a nuisance and calling you when you're out with your friends, right? "That's why I didn't call. Besides, you told me you and Corey are just friends and that there's nothing between you two." His reason was so logical that Joyce couldn't refute him. She wanted to tell him things weren't supposed to be like this. In the past, he would never have gone to bed without at least checking on her if he knew she was staying out late. However, his reasoning made it impossible for her to get the words out. Joyce couldn't understand why Neal was acting like this. Then, she remembered Corey's Instagram post, and the realization dawned on her. "You're mad because of Corey's Instagram post." She sounded confident, but he shook his head. "I'm not." She didn't take his denial to heart, relieved that she'd determined the cause of his attitude—she thought he was being stubborn for the sake of his pride, so she started explaining herself. "Corey and I have known each other for years—it's perfectly normal for me to celebrate his birthday with him. As for those comments beneath his post, my friends were just joking. You don't need to take them seriously." A wave of drowsiness washed over Neal, so he wasn't even really listening to Joyce. He said flippantly, "Alright, got it. You should go to sleep." "I'm telling the truth. You don't need to get mad over something like this." She could tell he was brushing her off, and her tone became impatient. He sighed, feeling resigned. He was sleepy and didn't want to be stuck in this situation for long. "What will it take for you to believe that I'm not mad?" He picked up his phone and went to Corey's Instagram post, liking it to Joyce's face. "Is that enough?" She didn't say anything as she scrutinized him, seemingly wanting to tell from his expression whether he really wasn't mad. She caved after some time and sat beside him, wanting to wrap an arm around his waist. He scooted away from her. Joyce was stunned. She never would've expected Neal to reject her desire to be intimate with him. This was followed by the displeasure of being rejected. "Didn't you say you weren't mad?" He shut his eyes, no longer wanting to look at her. Then, he gave her a reason she had no choice but to accept. "I'm tired from work." She pursed her lips and got up without a word. Then, she left the room. … When Joyce came out of her room the following morning, she saw that Neal was already having breakfast. There wasn't anything for her, though. She asked, "Where's mine?" He didn't even look at her, slowly finishing his breakfast before explaining, "I noticed you didn't eat much of the breakfast I prepared in the past, so I figured you probably didn't like it much. If that's the case, I won't make anything anymore. You can head downstairs to get whatever you want." She was taken aback. That was not what she'd expected. She couldn't help but think he had been acting oddly recently but didn't know what exactly was wrong. Ultimately, she concluded he was still mad about Corey. When she next spoke, her tone was softer than before. "You've always wanted to go to the amusement park, right? I'll accompany you there today. Stop being mad, okay?" Neal had already explained so many times that he wasn't mad that he didn't want to say it anymore. He knew Joyce would continue thinking what she wanted to think, anyway. As for the amusement park… the old Neal would've been eager to go. He'd lost his parents at a young age, so no one had ever brought him to one. Later, after he and Joyce had started dating, he'd mentioned going there on a date more than once. Each time, she would tell him it was too childish and that amusement parks were meant for children. She was busy with work and didn't have the time or interest to go. Neal shook his head as he thought about the past. "Forget it. It's meant for children, anyway. There's no point in going."