Lillian nodded her head at Leo's response. She was not in a hurry to have children either, since she still had a lot of things she wanted to do in life, which she knew she could not do once she had children.
Once she becomes a mother, Lillian wants to be the one to take care of her children since she knows what it was like to not have parents who were present for her in her childhood. She wanted to be present for her child or children, so if she ever had one, it had to be when she was at least done with the things she needed to do while being away. Like travelling the world, for instance.
Lillian had already travelled to several countries thanks to her job, but there were still a lot of locations she wanted to see with her own eyes at least once. Thus, before she could achieve this, Lillian did not want to have children yet.
Travelling meant she had to leave her children behind since they would be too young for it or busy with school. She could only travel with them once they grow a bit older and that would take a lot of years. It meant postponing all her travels plans for several years or maybe, never being able to do it.
Lillian had a lot of coworkers who always used their children as a reason as to why they could not pursue their dreams or do what they wanted to do in life, to the point of blaming. If she had been their child, she would not be happy to hear such words; thus, she wanted to achieve at least some of her dreams and goals in life before she settled down and had children.
She knew marriage and having children were not the end of everything, but the beginning of new goals and dreams; thus, she wanted to accomplish her current goals and dreams now before forming new ones.
And she liked it that Leo had a mindset that jived with hers. He also left the decision of having children or not to her, if she was willing to go through with all the health consequences of pregnancy and childbirth.
Leo was becoming even more of Lillian's ideal man the more they talked.
However, he kept talking like she already agreed when she had clearly rejected him several times already.
"Can you stop talking like I have already agreed to be your wife? I just said no earlier, right?" Lillian reminded. She liked his response, but he was getting ahead of himself.
Sure, he seemed so perfect for everything, but she barely knew him, and something tells her, being with him won't be easy.
Her original goal was to spend only one night with him, nothing more.
"Right. Haha. Sorry about that. It's just, I can't help but envision you as my wife," Leo said shamelessly. "I'm sure you'll look so gorgeous in a wedding dress. And it would be mind-blowing to hear you say, 'I do' in front of the altar. Then, like we did today, we'd wake up in the same bed in the mornings and have breakfast together. Just imagining it makes me look forward to it even more."
Leo had already gone so far with his plans and fantasies.
Lillian was the one feeling embarrassed at his shameless directness at simply saying things like this out loud.
"I do really like you. I hope you believe me," Leo added, holding her gaze.
Lillian's heart skipped a beat before racing quickly. There had been others who said they liked her, but somehow, even if they just met last night, Leo looked sincere when he said those words.
From all his words and actions from the previous night to today, he did seem to like her.
Lillian did like him, too. But that was it, just an attraction. She was also strongly attracted to him, but she knew it was not love.
Lillian had never fallen in love at first sight or in the span of a day or two, so she knew what she had for Leo could not be love yet. Infatuation perhaps.
She wanted more time to see if their feelings would grow deeper and see if he's someone she could trust. But Leo was in a hurry due to his circumstances.
Leo had valid points, but thinking about it further, Lillian's reply did not change. She did not want another incident like the one with Tom.
"I'm sorry. I still can't. I'm not ready for marriage. You are interesting, and I liked our conversations and what we shared so far. I am tempted by all this, but I am not sure if I should take the risk. Are you even sure you want to marry someone you just met? If you go bar hopping, you may meet someone who will suit your taste and preferences better," Lillian suggested.
"You suit everything perfectly. You are exactly my type, and it's hard to find someone like you. It's very rare to find one's ideal type. And I'm astonished that I encountered you in the most unexpected circumstances. Do you think last night was the first time I went to a bar? I've been to many, but ended up approaching no one and just drinking alone. I've also tried going on dates with ladies recommended by people I know, but I didn't find what I wanted. Things did not click. And so, I had given up on finding someone I'd like. Yet, I encountered you last night. With you, I found what I was looking for. It was the first time I did not want the night to end, even if all we do is converse with each other like we are doing now. As I have said earlier, I already like you, and I mean it," Leo smiled, reached out, and squeezed her hand firmly yet gently.
"..."
Lillian was speechless.
It was flattering to hear him say such things, but she could not help but be suspicious that this was a trap. It all sounded too good to be true.
How could he be so sure about her when they had just met? Was it instinct? What if he was a d*mn good actor and was simply saying all this to make her agree?
Leo was even hinting that his feelings may already be deeper than just being attracted to her. He did not dare say he already loves her since it was likely not there yet, but with his words, he was suggesting he may be close to falling in love with her. However, Lillian did not want to believe it, probably because she did not want to be shaken.
Her heart was never one to be moved so easily. Should she allow herself to fall for him and his words just like this? What if she ends up getting lied to and hurt again?