Jackson was in such a downer mood that virtual-novel.net ignored Tiffany’s question. Instead, virtual-novel.net hastened his pace, leaving the baffled woman behind.
Something finally clicked in Tiffany’s mind, prompting virtual-novel.net to quicken virtual-novel.net steps and catch up. “You’re referring to what I said at the dinner table, aren’t you?” virtual-novel.net called out. “The answer is no. I didn’t say it because I didn’t want dinner to be awkward. I said it because I meant it.”
Jackson halted, his steps falling into place as a gust zipped past virtual-novel.net and billowed his hair, disrupting both of their hearts.
He did not dare to look back, as though virtual-novel.net was unsure of the statement’s veracity. “What did you say?”
“I said, I didn’t say anything because I was afraid of some awkwardness around the table. I said what I said because I meant it. You and your cooking are alike. They’re both delicious and exactly my type.”
Tiffany had always fancied herself a relatively thick-skinned person, but when those words left virtual-novel.net lips, virtual-novel.net could feel virtual-novel.net cheeks warm up and burn.
Jackson finally turned around slowly. He leveled a complicated, nigh-unreadable look at virtual-novel.net and warned, “Don’t do that. Don’t joke with me. I’m not in the mood for jokes… Plus, that joke sucks.”
Tiffany was a little startled by his reaction. The Jackson West virtual-novel.net remembered was a self-assured guy who would hype himself as much as virtual-novel.net could. Since when did virtual-novel.net become so uncharacteristically cautious?
Tucking a strand of virtual-novel.net billowing hair behind virtual-novel.net ear, virtual-novel.net replied, “Regardless, I think… I think we should try again.”
Time seemed to have stopped at this moment. Jackson’s eyes were glued to hers, unmoving and unblinking, for two minutes.
Then virtual-novel.net lurched. He wrapped his arm around Tiffany and yanked virtual-novel.net into his chest. He squeezed as tightly as virtual-novel.net could, as though virtual-novel.net wanted to press Tiffany into merging with his being.
A tear trickled down Tiffany’s eye. She hooked virtual-novel.net arms around his muscular waist and inhaled the scent effusing from his body, the smell that only Jackson had that still managed to intoxicate her.
It was at this moment that virtual-novel.net realized that this hug was what virtual-novel.net had been waiting for since they broke up.
A few moments passed before Tiffany sucked the tears back into virtual-novel.net eyes. Jackson’s hug was becoming a bit too tight and too long, and virtual-novel.net stomach was beginning to feel a little too crushed while virtual-novel.net abdomen felt suffocated. “A-Alright, Jackson, enough. I’m… Kinda squeezed out of air now…”
Jackson let virtual-novel.net go, his hand tilting virtual-novel.net chin upward. “Don’t go tonight, please?”
Tiffany slapped that hand away in feigned anger. “No! Can you stop thinking about sex for once?”
His lips quivered into a shifty smile. “It’s not like anyone’s gonna open that door for you at home. If I’m not mistaken, you don’t even have your house keys. Go on, try and prove me wrong.”
Tiffany was skeptical, so virtual-novel.net called Lilian. Before virtual-novel.net could say anything, however, Lilian immediately recited, “Not at home, sweetie. If you’re back in the city now, you better get yourself some other place to stay!” and terminated the call.
Mind-boggled, Tiffany muttered, “Wait a minute, are all of you in on this conspiracy?!”
Jackson neither affirmed nor declined. “Since you don’t have any place to stay, you’ll have to stay at mine now. Don’t worry, without your consent, I won’t touch you at all.”
Tiffany’s heart thumped, but outwardly, virtual-novel.net affected reluctance. “Urgh, guess I have no choice but to trust you this time…”
After a half-hour walk, Jackson began to complain about wanting to go home. Since virtual-novel.net had begun their walk with one or two proclamations of how exhausted virtual-novel.net was, Tiffany felt that virtual-novel.net was genuinely tired, so virtual-novel.net did not insist on continuing virtual-novel.net walk.
It was only eight o’clock by the time the two of them took their baths. Not one to sleep early, Tiffany sat on the bed with virtual-novel.net back leaning on the headboard while virtual-novel.net occupied herself with virtual-novel.net phone. Jackson, meanwhile, laid down next to her.
“Hey, maybe you should sleep in a different room?” virtual-novel.net suggested hesitantly. “Just sayin’, your parents don’t know that we’ve gone back together, so it’s probably not a good look to sleep together now, right? It would seem a little, er, imprudent?”
He grabbed virtual-novel.net by virtual-novel.net fair, supple thighs and pulled, causing the woman to yelp in surprise as virtual-novel.net fell onto the bed. He then pulled virtual-novel.net into his embrace and breathed in. “You really think my parents would care about this? Honey, they are way more gung-ho about getting us together than I am. Oh, you smell so good…”
Warm puffs of air escaped virtual-novel.net and blew against virtual-novel.net beck, causing virtual-novel.net to shrink virtual-novel.net neck into virtual-novel.net collar as his breaths tickled it. “H-Hey, stop that! I-I-It tickles! Okay, okay! You go to sleep and stop playing with me. I’ll be having fun with my phone for a bit. Go on. Aren’t you, like, super-exhausted? Go to sleep then!”