Bryce’s POV
Approaching my bedroom, I saw the door slightly ajar. Walking in, I found Ara sleeping soundly on my bed. I stood by her bedside and watched her for a few minutes before going to my closet. I removed my clothes, went into the bathroom, and washed off the stress I’d accumulated at the office. When I returned to the room to get dressed, I noticed she was awake.
I paused, stopping in the middle of the room as she opened her eyes and looked around until her gaze t mine. Her eyes went wide, and she sat up.
"B-Bryce," she said, clearly surprised to see .
"Yes," I replied, heading into my closet to get dressed. When I returned, she was sitting upright.
"Where is Cooper?"
"He left. Have you washed up?"
"Uh, no. I didn’t realize when I fell asleep," she replied. She got out of bed and moved to leave the room, but I stopped her.
"Where are you going? You can use the bathroom here; it’s clean," I said.
"Oh..." She looked nervous.
I went into the bathroom, got a new towel, and handed it to her. "I’ll be downstairs," I told her before leaving.
*
The sound of her footsteps caught my attention. I looked up from the business proposal I was reading and focused on her.
"Do you live together? You and Cooper—I an, he didn’t tell you he was leaving," she said as she took the seat opposite .
"Yes. Cooper had urgent business to attend to. Why? Did you need sothing from him?"
"No," she said, shaking her head.
"Then what do you need?"
"Uh... I wasn’t planning to go ho today, so I was wondering if you could drive . Since Cooper isn’t here, I have no reason to stay. I don’t want to inconvenience you."
"You’re not," I replied, returning my attention to my tablet.
"Huh."
"Are you hungry?"
"A little."
"Do you still rember how to cook?"
"I do, of course. Cooking isn’t sothing you easily forget."
"There are noodles in the kitchen; you can make them."
"Oh," she smiled, raising her feet. "Where’s the kitchen?"
"That way," I gestured, and she started to leave. I watched as she left, but imdiately returned my attention to the tablet when she reappeared.
"Uh, should I make one for you too?" She asked, stopping behind .
"Yeah."
"What did you say?" She leaned closer. "I can’t hear you."
I looked up. "Yes."
"Oh, okay." She walked away, and about ten minutes later, I heard her scream.
I dropped the tablet on the chair and ran to her. I saw the cooker burning and noticed she was rubbing her wrist.
"The cooker is acting up. I wanted to cook these shrimp, but as I tried to turn it on, it malfunctioned and burned ," she explained, staring at the cooker.
Without a word, I turned off the cooker, went to the fridge, and returned with an ice pack. I had stocked the kitchen earlier after learning of her visit. I anticipated that she might get into trouble. She always does.
I led her to a stool and made her sit down, then applied the ice pack to her skin. She stayed silent, watching as I treated her. Afterward, I retrieved the first aid kit, took out a topical antibiotic cream, and applied it to the burn. It was minor, so she didn’t need to go to the hospital.
Once done, I covered the burn with a non-stick sterile bandage.
As I was about to leave with the first aid kit, I heard her chuckle.
Turning, I saw her laughing to herself. I frowned.
When she kept laughing, I asked, "What is it?"
She didn’t respond at first, but finally looked at .
"You haven’t said a word, but it seems like you’re about to go crazy with worry."
"What?" I groaned.
"I could see it; you were struggling to hide your concern. In the past, you’d imdiately call the best doctor for . You’re holding back now."
I scoffed. "What makes you think that? It’s just a minor burn."
"I guess it’s because of the seizure incident. No injury is minor to you; you even called a doctor when I had a tiny cut. You called Doctor Martins for an invisible wound."
"I guess I won’t get that princess treatnt from you anymore," she murmured, making a sad face.
A brief pause.
She continued, "I’m not unhappy, though. It feels nice that you’re taking care of yourself. This is the first ti I’ve seen you this focused."
"What are you doing?" I groaned, moving closer to her.
She smiled. "I think I’ve beco more confident since I stopped hanging around you guys. I don’t stutter as much when I talk to you. It could change, but I feel better now."
"Good for you." I went to the bathroom, dropped the first aid kit, and returned to the kitchen, where she was still waiting.
"Go to the sitting room."
She stood up. "Are you going to make the noodles yourself?" She asked, but I didn’t reply. I fixed the cooker, turned it on, and put a clean pan on it. I asured out enough water and poured it in.
"Wait, can you cook?" She moved closer, standing behind .
"Go to the sitting room," I repeated, but she refused.
"I want to watch you. I’ve never seen this side of you. I’m intrigued," she said excitedly.
I sighed and looked at her. Why was she standing so close? Did she plan to get hurt again?
When she saw staring, she said, "I want to watch you." Her eyes turned sad. Letting out another frustrated sigh, I picked her up and put her on the countertop, making her yelp in surprise.
"Stay there," I said and returned to the pan.
She mumbled, "Okay," and stayed quiet until I finished in the kitchen.
"I’ll serve it." She got down, retrieved two dishes, and divided the noodles evenly.
The nerve of her. Maybe she really isn’t afraid of anymore.
Interesting.
A scoff escaped my lips before I could stop it. "What?" She asked, blinking at .
"Nothing." I walked to the fridge, grabbed two bottles of water, and went to the dining room.
She brought the noodles over, and before I could pick up my spoon, she’d already eaten half her portion.
"It’s good. It’s better than it looks. Hahaha, this is funny. I can’t wait to tell Ruby about this—she definitely won’t believe ." She quickly finished her food.
"Why aren’t you eating?" She asked when she noticed I was staring.
How can I eat when she’s eating like she hasn’t had a al in years?
"Didn’t Cooper feed you?"
"He did, but he wore out, so I’m pretty hungry."
I pushed my dish toward her. "Here, have it."
Her eyes widened. "Really?"
"Hmm."
I expected her to refuse, but she surprised by eating it all.
Watching her was amusing, but I held back from laughing. She’s truly changed. She wasn’t this bold before.
She’s becoming soone new. Maybe the break helped her. Or maybe it’s sothing else.
After finishing my noodles, she let out a deep breath and turned to . "Thank you for the al; I’m grateful."
She stood up. "I’ll clear the dishes. After that, you’ll drive ho." She gathered the dishes, but I stopped her.
"You’re staying here tonight. You’re not leaving," I said.
"Huh."
"It’s too late."
"I know it’s past midnight, but I didn’t think you’d be the fearful type."
What the...!
"Go ahead then. We’ll leave after you’re done," I mumbled.
"Thank you." She left, and a few minutes later, we were on the road.
She kept humming and nodding to a silent beat as I drove. She’s acting so differently. Did Cooper do sothing to her? I can’t help but wonder if he did. She’s never been this bold.
Don’t get wrong, I love it when she’s brave, rebellious, and stubborn. I enjoy it when she misbehaves because I like torturing her.
But this is different; she’s too different. Maybe he did sothing to her.
When we arrived at the mansion, I looked at her, expecting her to get out, but she stayed put.
"Aren’t you getting out?" I asked, but she shook her head.
"I left my purse at your house; I didn’t bring it," she whispered.
"Your purse? Why are you just telling this?" I sighed.
She lowered her head. "Take back to your house."
"No. Get out. I’ll have soone bring your purse tomorrow," I refused. She went quiet.
"How long are you planning to sit there?" I asked, but she didn’t answer right away. After a mont, she lifted her gaze to .
"I..." She paused, suddenly breathing heavily. "I hate the way I feel right now. I don’t know why I feel this way, but I do. I just... I just want you to touch again."
A brief pause.
We locked gazes.
"I’ve been aning to tell you, but I was ashad. I want you to touch , Bryce."
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