"Harwan," she said his name before quickly pulling her hand away from Louis's handshake.
"Ah... So you're the one her father often talks about."
"And?" he openly showed his dislike with a sarcastic tone. Even his expression made it clear how much he resented Louis's presence.
"Well..." the man in front of him offered a thin smile, "You better try harder. Because without her parents' blessing, your relationship means nothing."
Louis's condescending words naturally enraged Harwan. His fist clenched, and if it weren't for the fact that they were at Jennifer's special event, he might have already landed a punch on this man's face.
"We'll see about that," he said, offering a faint smile before adding, "Even if you have her parents' blessing, the real question is: do you have her heart?"
Seeing Louis's lips twitch slightly, Harwan smiled in satisfaction. Still, his provocation wasn't enough to get rid of Louis, who continued waiting for Jennifer beside him.
As the piano music faded and was replaced by roaring applause, Harwan stood up and waited at the same spot where he had seen Jennifer off to the stage earlier.
His face tensed when he saw Louis holding a bouquet of flowers, waiting in the same spot. But when Jennifer appeared with a smile, he relaxed his expression—which only made him more pleased when he saw her walk right past Louis.
"Too long?" Jennifer said, hugging him briefly. Seizing the moment, he returned the hug and cast a sly smile toward Louis.
"Not at all. With how beautiful your performance was, time just flew by," he replied. "And it seems like you've got an interesting guest too," he added.
Jennifer pulled back from the hug, looked at Harwan, then turned around after catching his glance.
"Sorry, but I don't recall allowing anyone backstage except my boyfriend. Who are you?" Her cold reaction confused some of the staff; a few glanced at each other as if asking who had let Louis in.
"Her father gave me permission. Besides, I'm her future—"
"Ahh..." Jennifer immediately cut him off, her gaze turning icy as she looked at her father. "So you're breaking the agreement we had?"
"You—"
"Miss," she interrupted again, calling over a female staff member nearby. "Please escort this man out," she said, pointing at Louis. "And blacklist him from all my future recitals," she added with a smile.
"If you keep this up, I won't hesitate anymore..."
"Go ahead," she cut in again. Her voice and expression made it very clear she had had enough. She then walked toward Harwan, grabbed his hand, and raised it—almost like showing him off—to everyone present. "For the record, I only love this man. Period."
Harwan stopped right as Jennifer was about to pull him away. He then dropped to one knee, shocking everyone, including Jennifer.
"What are you doing?"
"Right now, I may not yet be the kind of man you dream of for your daughter. But I promise to reach the standard you expect, and at the very least, your daughter will never suffer as long as she's with me."
Jennifer's father sneered and gave a sharp exhale before staring at Harwan with cold eyes. "And what if you fail to meet my expectations?"
"He won't fail," Jennifer interjected.
"Why are you so sure he won't?"
"Because I've seen his sincerity," Jennifer answered, now smiling at Harwan. "From the moment I moved here until now, he has always treated me with kindness," she added. Then she took Harwan's hand again and led him away.
The next day, Jennifer's name briefly trended on social media.
"Talented Young Pianist"
"Future Maestro"
"Rising Star Pianist"
And many other headlines filled the feeds. However, the incident backstage didn't leak at all.
The same thing happened at school. Many congratulated her on her debut recital, which had drawn much attention. But what made her smile the most was when Harwan showed up with a modest bouquet of flowers.
"Congrats... Sorry, I didn't get the chance to give this to you yesterday," Harwan said.
They exchanged smiles. Then, suddenly, Jennifer stood up and kissed him on the lips. Everyone who saw it was stunned and began cheering.
But the two of them, seemingly unfazed by the crowd, held hands and walked away together to their usual hangout spot during lunch.
"Being openly in a relationship isn't so bad," Jennifer said. She looked at their interlocked hands, gently caressed his, and smiled at Harwan. "It feels like a huge weight's been lifted off my shoulders."
"You were the one who suggested we keep it a secret in the first place."
"True... but that was because I was still afraid my dad would try to hurt you. And if that ever happened, I..."
Harwan cut her off with a soft kiss. "You don't need to worry. The important thing is, we've made it clear to your father now," he said. "So, about your college plans—are you really serious about going to London?"
"I don't know. Since I was a kid, it's been my dream—and my father's too. A lot of famous musicians studied there. Even my favorite artist is from there. But over time, that dream has faded. You know, there's just this weird feeling when I think about studying abroad."
"But if that's what's best for your future, you should go for it."
Jennifer didn't answer right away. She took a deep breath, looked at Harwan, then pulled out her phone. She opened an email and showed it to him.
"Actually, they already sent me an invitation for a kind of interview. If I pass, I can join them right after finals. But..."
"Just go for it," Harwan interrupted. He smiled, though his eyes betrayed the emotions he tried to suppress. "Opportunities like this don't come easy."
"But that means we'd be in a long-distance relationship for a while. I don't think I can handle that."
"Tech is advanced now. We can video call when we miss each other. I can visit during breaks, or you can come home."
"The time difference?"
"We'll manage. Just needs some adjusting," Harwan answered with a faint smile, his hand gently stroking hers.
Jennifer leaned her head on Harwan's shoulder and closed her eyes. They stayed like that for a while until Salman showed up and teased them.
"You two are hopeless romantics, huh? No shame at all in public," Salman said, shaking his head as Jennifer and Harwan looked up briefly. "And I think your troubles are just beginning."
"Why?" Harwan asked.
"Jennifer's dad is at school. And there's a guy with him who looks like a model," Salman replied.
Hearing that, Jennifer and Harwan exchanged glances, as if their minds were connected, already thinking the same thing.