Chapter 190 - Words From The Heart

Edward tore his hair out in frustration, spammed coffee and suffered almost three days without sleep. It was just a letter. It was just a simple letter and one piece of paper. But why couldn't he do it right?

Only now, he understood how noble a writer actually was. Writing wasn't just something anyone literate could do. It was a skill and an art. Scarlet was a writer and a blogger. She churned out beautifully crafted sentences stringing together words like pearls on a necklace that flowed seamlessly without stumbling on any awkward lack of words to express what she truly meant. Reading what his crush wrote put his confession letter to shame and Edward tore up another revision of it. This was probably the fifteenth one but Edward lost count. It could be more.

Elfie thought Edward was getting increasingly embarrassing as the days passed. His friend wouldn't go by each day without calling him for help with his love life. Did Elfie look like he was someone experienced in relationsh.i.p.s? Compared to Edward, Elfie had zero love life experience. His only love life was reserved for his laptop and keyboard.

The phone rang again and the hacker wanted to cry. He was at work, did Edward forget about it? Jasper looked up from his desk and raised a brow. It wasn't the first time Elfie had calls during working hours and while the young CEO didn't mind, it was becoming more frequent. Elfie wasn't setting a good example for the other employees and interns. Elfie quickly apologised to everyone and went outside to receive the call.

"What is it? This had better be important, I'm at work!"

Hearing that he was getting scolded right after the call connected, Edward rolled his eyes. "You scold me when I call you at three in the morning and you scold me when I call you in the daytime. What kind of thing would work for you?"

Elfie thought about it and apologised. "So, what did you call me for again? Didn't you confess to her at the pizza party when you took her outside to a cat-themed cafe?"

Edward sighed and slouched in his chair. "That's the problem. I did confess and she didn't reject my feelings but she won't accept them either unless I confess properly. Her idea of a confession is receiving a love letter. A handwritten one and you know how I'm like with words."

Elfie laughed. "You're eloquent with them, aren't you? Isn't this great? It's right up your alley. All those pick-up lines that you've been teaching me to use on girls, you can now use it with Scarlet and give me a review on how effective they are."

This was a deliberate jab at Edward's dark past and he knew the hacker was bringing it up to tease him. Back then, Edward didn't know better and he didn't even use those lines on missions. It was merely something he heard the other agents talking about. Now, he just wanted to bury his head somewhere and forget about that portion of his history. Ever since he grew up and taught Mike them, the jock had been attracting flies all over. True, those cheesy pick-up lines might work for someone like Mike but Scarlet certainly wasn't a girl who Edward could spew garbage and hope to impress her. The writer was more intelligent than that and Edward didn't want to put her on the same level as other Tinder girls.

After hearing Edward's concern, Elfie tried not to laugh. To think that the most arrogant child spy would be facing this kind of problem one day... if Edward's father knew, he would laugh. For many years Edward claimed that emotions were a chore that he didn't want to deal with and now, he was asking for advice on how to properly convey them. How times have changed!

Not willing to let such a golden opportunity pass, Elfie asked Edward to show him the drafts of the previous letters he made. According to Edward, nothing felt right or good enough so the hacker was curious to know what he would see.

When the pictures were finally forwarded, Elfie regretted even asking for them. Although the photo quality was bad and the letters were too crumpled, the words that Elfie could make out made him want to puke. Who would have imagined that Edward Bayon would be capable of writing utter mush?

As Edward looked through all twenty-something drafts that Edward discarded, he understood one thing. Edward was struggling because he wanted to impress Scarlet and by doing so, the spy missed out the most important thing in a confession letter - telling her how he really felt about her.

"Why don't any of these letters have the words "I love you" in them? Isn't that the most important part of a confession letter? Why do you write about her hair and smile and even fashion sense? What's all the garbage I'm looking at? Are you even trying to confess? This isn't a 'flatter your girl' contest, it's a confession letter. The words should be coming from your heart and not your head."

Confused, frustrated and disappointed with Elfie's advice, Edward hung up and growled at the paper balls. How did the words from his heart sound like? It's been so many years since he walked his emotions off and now, Edward hesitated to all the one person who knew him well enough to give him proper advice.

Edward stared at the number on his phone that only had less than five contacts. Although the number wasn't saved with a name, Edward knew who it belonged to. Deliberating if he should call her after three years, Edward looked at the letters. If she knew what he was going through right now, she might be sad he didn't tell her sooner or introduce Scarlet. She would most certainly be happy to meet the young writer.

After thirty minutes of debating with himself and staring at the phone, Edward decided to shove logic and consequences aside, listening to his instincts for once. It wasn't an encouraged behaviour for a spy but Edward wasn't on a mission right now. He could do whatever he wanted in his private life and his father would have no control over it. If he was benched from taking missions, Edward didn't have to follow the spy's code of conduct in his private life.

The call connected in five rings and Edward wasn't very ready for it.

"Hello?"

The words got stuck in his throat but Edward closed his eyes and basked in the warmth of the confused lady who picked up the call.

"It's me, mom. How have you been?"

Shocked that her son would be calling her after three long years, Mrs Bayon sobbed over the phone and Edward didn't say anything until she calmed down.

"Good, I've been good. Your father still sends money to me and writes me letters. When will you be coming home? Is your father doing well?"

Edward smiled and talked to his mother, keeping her updated on his and his father's well-being as scripted. Even though she was his mother, it was still a rule that spies don't talk about anything mission-related to anyone not involved in the mission.

"I actually called because I'm currently facing a problem and I need your advice," Edward admitted.

Mrs Bayon listened as Edward talked about Scarlet vaguely and blushed when he admitted that he liked her. For some reason, he felt the need to praise Scarlet to his mother so that she would form a good impression and also chuckled when he told her about Scarlet's adorable quirks.

"She's not against accepting my feelings but after that mistake, I can't just hand her a crappy letter. I've written over twenty drafts but they're no good. How does father write letters to you? What does a love letter sound like?"

Mrs Bayon listened to her son without asking any questions and smiled. Her boy has grown up now and even found someone he loves. Although three years was a long time, she could still understand her baby boy. If he didn't like Scarlet and thought that she was the right person for him, he wouldn't be putting in this much effort to make it work.

"A love letter and a confession letter should be written just like how you described her to me," Mrs Bayon said and Edward raised a brow.

"I don't understand."

The lady laughed. Although Edward was a grown-up now and a brilliant student, he was still sometimes like a child on the inside. Instead of explaining in words to Edward's logical side, Mrs Bayon decided to appeal to her son's stunted emotional side.

"What do you think of that girl you like? Is she pretty?"

Edward thought about it and saw an image of Scarlet in his mind. "Yes, very."

Mrs Bayon followed up with another question. "When do you think she looks the prettiest?"

Without even a second of hesitation, the answer was at the tip of his tongue. "When she's working hard and doing what she loves."

The answer was right there and Mrs Bayon smiled. "My child, that's what a confession sounds like. A confession letter should be to tell her the things that she doesn't see from your eyes and to let her understand your heart so that she can accept it and return you a serious reply doing the same thing. Your father often writes to me and although he doesn't say much in those letters, I always know that he cares. I might feel lonely now that both of you are far away, doing important things and I'm just teaching little kids in a rural school but each time I get lonely, I read your father's letters and remember that I'm not alone."

Listening to his mother made Edward feel both enlightened and guilty. "Sorry, mom. I'll call you more often. Or maybe I'll write to you so that you can keep those letters and read them when you get lonely. Thanks, I think I know exactly what to write now."

Mrs Bayon smiled. "Let me know how it goes and if Scarlet agrees to go out with you, I want you to bring her to meet me one day. She sounds like a lovely lady."

Edward laughed. "She is, you will like her. I've got to get the letter written now, love you."

"Love you too and give your dad some kisses for me!" the cheerful lady giggled and hung up.

Edward smiled. Thanks to his mother's support and advice, he was now determined to write the greatest confession letter of all time.

Author's Note: Please add help me add "My Wife is an E-Ghost to your libraries!" to your library! I need collections for WSA competition. Thanks <3