Chapter 356 Jealousy
That kiss? It was more like a bite.
Elissa's lips were stinging, and she could taste a faint, sweet metallic flavor in her mouth.
Francis, that jerk! He busted her lip!
Elissa wasn't one to back down. She was ready to bite back, but Francis saw it coming and pinched her cheeks, forcing her mouth open.
Just as her breath was getting shallow, there was a knock on the door.
"Elissa!"
It was Efren's voice.
Elissa wanted to answer but couldn't move.
Francis only gave her a second to catch her breath.
She could only manage a weak sound.
Efren, not hearing a proper response, started banging on the door like crazy.
A flight attendant came over to see what was going on, and Efren asked her to open the restroom door.
The attendant needed permission first; she couldn't risk offending anyone on the plane.
"Sir, please calm down. For everyone's safety, don't do anything dangerous."
Efren was so anxious his eyes were red, but he was stuck.
I had just finished feeding Celestia and walked over with Jerry to see the commotion.
"Hope," Efren looked pretty desperate.
I was about to say something when a shadow fell over me.
I looked up to see Jerry's tall, broad figure in front of me.
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Need to use the restroom? It's obvious someone's in there. Be patient and wait your turn."
I was helpless; Jerry knew what was happening but still acted clueless on purpose.
I tugged at his hand, "Stop messing around. I'm worried about Elissa."
I thought Francis was cool and collected enough to handle relationships maturely.
But what Elissa said a few days ago shattered that image.
Who knew how crazy Francis would get when provoked by Elissa? Unintentional harm was still harm.
If Elissa was not willing, it was coercion.
"Tell Francis to open the door," I said.
Jerry didn't say much, just knocked on the door, "Francis."
Hearing Jerry's voice, Francis calmed down a bit.
Taking advantage of Francis's distraction, Elissa pulled out a hand and slapped his face, her nails leaving a few clear scratches on Francis's face.
Elissa wiped her mouth hard, even though it hurt.
Francis was stung by the defiance in Elissa's eyes and apologized, "I just..."
Elissa cut him off, "What else can you do besides force me?"
Francis pressed his lips together. He had never been an impulsive guy.
He always handled things calmly.
But ever since Elissa started distancing herself and ignoring him, he became more and more impulsive.
It wasn't that he couldn't talk things out just now, but he couldn't stand hearing her say she was going to marry Efren.
At that moment, the only solution Francis could think of was to kiss her to shut her up.
"Sorry, I..."
Elissa didn't listen, turning to open the door.
Efren quickly came up, "Elissa, I'm sorry. It's my fault."
Elissa raised her hand and ruffled Efren's hair, "It's okay. Let's go back to our seats."
Efren obediently followed Elissa back to their seats and even peeled an orange for her.
Elissa ate the orange he offered and smiled at him.
Francis watched coldly, seeing the different attitude Elissa had towards him and Efren.
Jerry motioned for me to sit down. I glanced at Francis and then plopped down next to Elissa.
I checked out the cut on Elissa's lips and asked, "Doesn't that hurt?"
Elissa shook her head, "I'm not that fragile."
I didn't push it and just sat there, giving them some space.
I hadn't been sitting long when Jerry came back.
"I thought you two would be chatting until you finished your cigarettes."
"I've quit, you know that."
Jerry held my hand, looking for some praise, "I didn't sneak one, smell if you don't believe me."
He leaned in closer, and I blocked him with my hand, whispering, "What did you say to Francis?"
Jerry replied, "Nothing."
I was surprised, "Then why did you tell me to sit down?"
Jerry, like it was the most obvious thing, "In case of turbulence, it's safer to sit."
I was both amused and exasperated.
Meanwhile, Francis sat down in his seat.
His seat was diagonally in front of Elissa's, giving him a clear view of her interactions with Efren.
Seeing that, Francis was frustrated and annoyed. He had already undone the top two buttons of his shirt, but he was still out of breath.
Just as he was about to move, someone blocked his way.
"Francis," Jessa had asked the flight attendant for a first aid kit, "Let me treat your wound."
Francis raised his hand to stop her, "No need."
Jessa bit her lip, "Francis, I consider you family. I'll worry if you don't let me help."
"If Rainey asks about you, I won't know what to say."
"They all know we keep in touch regularly."
"They also said we should care for each other."
No one understood the Peterson family's attitude better than Francis.
He did feel guilty towards Jessa, but his family was very rational. They wouldn't give Jessa special treatment out of guilt.
Rainey was just being polite when she said words like "take care of each other."
Even though Rainey liked Jessa and saw her as a goddaughter, the main reason was to prevent any feelings between Francis and Jessa beyond sibling affection.
Francis had no feelings for Jessa, otherwise...
But there was still some sibling affection.
Seeing Jessa's eyes well up, Francis hesitated and finally let her treat his wound.
I said to Jerry, "Are Francis and Jessa putting on a show too?"
Jerry teased me, "Why can't it be that he couldn't win Elissa over and rekindled old feelings with Jessa?"
I reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Jerry's waist.
Jerry deliberately misinterpreted my actions, smiling meaningfully, "Can you restrain yourself during the day? Hmm?"
For the rest of the flight, it was almost silent.
There was some noise when the flight attendants served meals.
After eating, most people went to sleep.
I was a bit sleepy too and dozed off.
When I woke up, the plane had already landed, and it was just me and Jerry left.
"Did everyone else get off?"
"Yeah."
Jerry took the blanket off me and helped me up.
We got off the plane together.
Madison and Garry had already gotten into the car Jerry had arranged, taking Celestia with them.
Elissa was leaning against the handrail of the stairs, with Efren beside her.
Francis stood by the car with one hand in his trouser pocket, trying to look casual but kept glancing at Elissa.
Jessa stood next to Francis.
It looked quite peaceful, but I could feel the invisible tension.
"Waiting for me?" I asked Elissa as I got down.
Elissa nodded, "FYI, Efren and I want to go somewhere first. We won't go to the hotel with you."
"Alright, I'll help you take your luggage over."
Elissa smiled, "Thanks, just leave it in our room. We'll sort it out when we get back."
I nodded, "Take care."
"Don't worry, Hope. I'll take good care of Elissa," Efren promised, raising his hand.
I was about to smile and respond politely when Jerry pushed me into the car.
Before the car door closed, I heard Elissa say to Efren, "Don't smile too brightly at Hope in the future. Jerry will get jealous."
Efren obediently nodded, "Okay, I got it."
The car left the airport, and after about a half-hour drive, we arrived at the hotel.
The bellboy came forward to park the car and take the luggage.
I took Celestia from Madison's hands, "Mom, thank you."
"It's no trouble at all. I have nothing else to do, and looking at Celestia makes me happy," Madison said.
"We'll eat in the hotel room later and rest a bit. I'll take care of Celestia tonight," I said.
Madison glanced at Jerry, "I can take care of her. Just give her to me after your nursing."
I shook my head, "I'll give her to you in the morning. Just promise me you'll have a good night tonight."
Madison didn't insist, "Alright."
Once in the room, Jerry hugged me and Celestia together.
Jerry's eyelashes drooped slightly as he looked at me, "Hope, what are you planning?"
If I didn't let Celestia sleep with us tonight, I might not be able to get out of bed in the morning, let alone have any fun.
A honeymoon shouldn't just be about changing locations to continue making love.
"I'm creating an opportunity for Mom and Garry."
'Jerry and I have a long life ahead of us, but Madison and Garry are already halfway through theirs. They need to seize the time to fall in love.' I thought.
Jerry didn't expose my excuse and took Celestia.
I followed him to the bedroom and asked, "Will Francis keep following Elissa?"
Jerry countered, "Didn't you make this happen?"
He placed Celestia on the bed and changed her diaper with practiced ease.
I sat on the edge of the bed, watching, and poked Celestia's cheek before looking at him.
"I'm already happy, with such a wonderful husband and a lovely daughter. I want Elissa to settle down too."
"She had a really tough time growing up. It's a miracle she made it. I hope she finds someone who loves her deeply and takes care of her for life."
"In that regard, Efren is clearly more suitable than Francis."
Jerry had never been interested in Elissa and Francis's affairs from the start.
He knew they were two adults in love, not babies who needed to be watched all the time.
Given Elissa's upbringing, she wouldn't let herself be taken advantage of in this area.
Jerry knew Francis well enough to know he wouldn't do anything illegal. His family wouldn't allow it, and he wasn't impulsive, except on rare occasions.
"Efren doesn't seem as simple as he looks. At least Francis doesn't hide his personality," Jerry said.
I retorted, "You're just unhappy because he calls me so intimately."
Jerry admitted directly, "Yes, pretending to be innocent while being scheming, using retreat as a strategy. Afraid Elissa would end their playful relationship, he suggested acting as her boyfriend."
"He's probably hoping the act will turn into reality."
I said, "You're biased. As long as his feelings for Elissa are genuine, a little scheming in pursuing her is fine."
"When you pursued me, didn't you use more than just words? You had some tricks up your sleeve too."
Jerry was unhappy, "Do you like him that much?"
I laughed and patted his arm, "If I said I did..."
"You better not say it," Jerry's lips turned down.
I laughed and fell onto the bed.
Jerry came around, not giving me a chance to react, capturing my laughter in a kiss.
He kissed me fiercely, and I tried to push him away but couldn't.
The sound of kissing filled my ears, making me very embarrassed.
Celestia was right next to us!
"Jerry..."
A broken sound escaped my lips, but instead of stopping him, it made him more intense.
"Celestia is here!"
I shouted in a panic, and at the same time, the doorbell rang.
"Mr. Hammer, your meal is ready."
Jerry looked down, and I followed his gaze.
I got up to straighten my clothes and went to the bathroom to fix my hair.
"Mrs. Hammer, hello."
The server greeted me professionally, placed the meal down, and said, "Enjoy your meal," before leaving.
I breathed a sigh of relief and went to the bedroom to call Jerry for dinner.
Jerry wasn't there, and Celestia was already in the cradle.
But I heard water running in the bathroom, so I could guess what he was doing.
I took Celestia to the dining room.
I fed Celestia first, and after she fell asleep, Jerry came out of the bathroom.
He was only wearing a towel, with water droplets still on his body, trickling down his abs and disappearing at the edge of the towel.
Jerry casually dried his hair as he walked over, his arm muscles clearly strong.
I couldn't help but suspect Jerry was doing this on purpose.
I looked away and focused on eating.
Jerry draped the towel he used to dry his hair over the back of the sofa and used his foot to pull a chair next to me, sitting very close.
I could feel the heat and moisture radiating from his body.
"Honey, I want to eat steak."
Jerry's firm chest pressed against my arm.
I could feel the texture of his muscles, and the heat was almost burning me.
I forced myself to stay calm and handed him a piece of steak, "Eat."
Jerry propped his face on his hand and clicked his tongue, "Are you tired of me?"
"Do you find Efren more interesting?"
This wasn't going to end, was it?
I turned to glare at him, "Are you sure you want to talk about this?"
Jerry snorted heavily, biting into the steak as if he were biting my neck.
I teased him, "You don't want to hear it, but you keep asking. If I slip up, will you be furious to death?"
Jerry gave me a cold look, "What, you've spoken your mind, haven't you? So you can go for someone young like Efren?"
This wasn't over yet. I put down my fork and crossed my arms, looking at him.
Jerry raised his hands in surrender.
Only then did I say, "There's nothing like that. Don't be jealous."
Jerry hugged me, rubbing his face against my neck, getting me all wet.
He spoke, his voice a bit hoarse, "Honey, are you full?"
I hadn't even answered when he said, "I'm not full..."
I immediately stuffed a piece of beef into Jerry's mouth, pretending not to understand his hint.
"You won't be full if you don't eat."
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