Chapter 359 Don't Even Think About Sleeping Tonight
When Elissa hit the front desk to book another room, the receptionist told her Jerry had snagged the whole floor.
They handed her a key card to a different room.
Her mouth twitched a few times as she silently cursed Jerry for being so cunning. He deliberately didn't mention a word about it, just waiting to see the drama unfold between her and Francis.
If Jerry and Hope didn't need to sort out a minor spat tonight, Elissa would've texted Hope to vent.
Lost in thought, the elevator dinged.
Elissa stepped out.
She had asked the front desk for a room key far from Efren's room.
Just as she was about to swipe her card on the other side of the hallway, a male voice startled her.
Even though it was familiar, it still made her jump.
"Why'd you get a room by yourself?"
Elissa regretted this whole drama, though slapping Francis twice was pretty satisfying.
She took a deep breath and turned around, "Mr. Peterson, not sleeping at this hour? Out here to scare people?"
Francis only cared about why Elissa had gotten another room.
He ignored her sarcasm completely.
"Did you have a fight?"
Elissa just wanted to crash on a soft bed and didn't want to deal with him.
"Mr. Peterson, why are you so interested in my love life? Have you really fallen for me?"
Francis took a step forward.
Elissa stepped back, her back hitting the door.
Francis propped his hand against the door.
They were so close that a slight move would lead to a kiss.
Elissa couldn't just leave.
Her room was right behind her; if anyone should leave, it should be Francis.
"Looks like you haven't had enough slaps, Mr. Peterson?"
Elissa reached out to push him, but he grabbed her hands.
Francis pressed her hands against his chest, looking at her with sincere affection.
"If I said I liked you, what would you do?"
Elissa was silent for a moment, then sneered.
"I'd slap you twice more."
"Alright."
Francis let go of her hands, stood up straight, and took a step back, giving her enough space to slap him. "Two slaps, then we sit down and have a good talk."
Elissa couldn't really tell when she truly fell for Francis.
Francis was always so cold and indifferent, not only unmoved by her straightforward words but also pushing her away with cold remarks.
At that time, Elissa really wanted to win him over.
But later, Elissa thought, her own life was more important.
Although Elissa did have feelings for Francis, she had been through a near-death experience, and Hope had saved her with great effort, so she had to live well.
Elissa suppressed her own emotions, but she didn't expect Francis to fall for her and willingly come to her.
"Mr. Peterson, what do you want to talk about?"
He had willingly come to her, but those hurtful words from before were still fresh in her mind. "Elissa, the more you pursue me, the more I dislike it. Let me make it clear today: even if you are naked, I have no interest in you, nor will I ever fall for you."
Elissa had never put her heart out like this before.
She rarely fell for someone, and falling for someone meant giving them the chance to hurt her.
She had been hurt enough growing up.
"Francis, I don't want to make things tough for Hope and Jerry because of us, so I'll say it one last time: stop bothering me, or we won't even be friends."
Francis was sharp; he could sense Elissa's emotional shift.
He knew why, too.
Because he had caused this mess himself.
"Just tell me, what will make you feel better?"
Elissa smiled, but it was just a slight curve of her lips, her beautiful face showing no real joy.
"Mr. Peterson, why come to me for a beating when you have such a considerate and gentle first love, right?"
Even with his brains, Francis couldn't figure out how the topic suddenly shifted to Jessa.
"We just grew up together and have some feelings, but it's not a first love."
"Who told you that?" Francis asked.
Elissa couldn't possibly not tell Hope, and then Jerry would explain the facts to Hope.
For Elissa to misunderstand to this extent, it couldn't have been Jerry who said it.
Francis didn't expect Jessa to be involved in this.
He thought it was just because of the hurtful things he said back then that pushed Elissa away, so now he was trying to make amends, taking the blame, and it was all his fault.
"Jared?"
Francis couldn't think of anyone else who would be so thoughtless.
Elissa looked at Francis for a while before speaking, "Francis, what you're doing now is no different from how I used to pursue you."
"If I could give up because of your cold words, why can't you give up because I hit you?"
"You've never been slapped in the face before, have you?"
Francis had also drunk quite a bit tonight, not to the point of being drunk, but he was a bit tipsy because of his bad mood.
Finally understanding Elissa's words, she had more to say.
"I deserve it, I shouldn't have hurt you like that back then."
That time at the shop entrance, he overheard Elissa talking to Hope on the phone about her ex-boyfriend.
Francis could see that Elissa seemed carefree but actually committed to love.
And when she gave her heart to him, he hurt her deeply.
"I just didn't expect..."
"Didn't expect that I was serious about you, not just playing with you on spur of the moment." Elissa interrupted him.
Francis pressed his aching forehead, "Elissa, you can hit me, scold me, whatever makes you feel better."
Elissa couldn’t understand why he would lower himself so much.
But what Jessa said to Elissa today had one truth.
The class gap between Elissa and Francis was significant.
Hope told Elissa that if Francis wanted something, the Peterson family couldn't stop him.
But if Francis ended up estranged from his family because of her, he might not regret it for days, but what about years?
Rather than ending up with mutual destruction, it was better to cut losses now.
This was also the main reason Elissa stopped pursuing Francis.
Jessa's little tricks weren't enough to make Elissa back off like this.
"Are you sure you like me?"
Elissa withdrew her hand and said coldly, "Then why didn't you like me sooner or later, but only after I stopped pursuing you, only after you hurt my heart?"
"Francis, you're just used to me chasing you, and when I stopped, you couldn't accept it."
"It's not like that," Francis immediately retorted, "I know my heart exactly. If it was just a habit, would I be bothering you like this?"
"Taking your hits and insults without fighting back."
"If it were you, and you were used to Efren being around you, would you suddenly like him if he left? And no matter how much he insulted or hit you, would you still chase after him and say you liked him?"
These words did make some sense.
Elissa thought, 'No one is without dignity.'
"Alright, since you say you like me, and you said you'd do anything for my forgiveness, then promise me one thing."
Francis said, "Anything but giving up on you."
Hearing that, Elissa knew she couldn't evade the issue anymore.
Elissa leaned weakly against the door, silent for a moment, and decided to speak plainly.
"Francis, I was impulsive when I first pursued you, and I apologize for that."
"I also thank you for liking me, but we can't be together. We have no future."
Francis was stunned for a moment; the topic shifted too suddenly.
He asked, "Because of Efren?"
Elissa replied, "No."
"Then why?"
"Because you and I are from two different worlds."
Just a moment ago, Francis had smoked two cigarettes alone on the balcony.
He had thought about not trapping Elissa, that she was more suited to freedom, not confinement.
But seeing Elissa come to get a room alone, he couldn't help but come over to ask, still wanting to clear up all the misunderstandings from before.
Even if Elissa really didn't like him anymore, at the very least, when they met, they could eat at the same table peacefully.
And Elissa could give him a genuine smile, not a forced one.
"Since we're talking about this, let me make it clear," Francis said.
Francis bent down to look Elissa in the eyes, speaking each word clearly.
"As long as I want to, I can marry you, and the Peterson family won't be a cage for you. You can still do whatever you want and be yourself."
Elissa never believed that anything in this world was unchanging, except for her friendship with Hope.
Take Ivan, for example. Although it started as a fling, they did have a relationship. When she wanted to get serious, he married someone of matching status.
Francis had an even stronger background than Ivan, how could he marry her as he wanted?
Even if he did, what if Francis regretted it in the future?
No matter how small the probability was, it still existed.
Elissa wasn't confident that she was superior to his family in his heart.
"Francis, let's just forget it."
Francis's pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately grabbed her wrist.
"Elissa, you're not the type to back down from difficulties. Say whatever you need to, I can handle it."
Actually, the most important point was that Elissa didn't believe Francis suddenly saying he liked her was genuine.
At most, it could be called affection, or to put it bluntly, possessiveness.
Elissa tried to pull her hand back, but Francis held on tightly, so she gave up.
Even though she was very tired and wanted to end the conversation quickly, she didn't want to say anything, just leaned silently against the door.
Francis took a step forward, pinching Elissa's chin to make her look up at him.
His brows furrowed, "You don't believe me?"
Elissa's eyes flickered, and she asked, "Why do you like me now?"
Francis's deep voice was serious, "To be honest, I'm not sure. When you started distancing yourself from me, I felt a bit irritated. When you wanted to draw a clear line with me, I felt stifled."
"You were the one who pursued me first, saying you liked me. I rejected you coldly more than once, but you didn't give up. How did you suddenly become indifferent?"
"I thought about just staying indifferent, but I couldn't let it go. That time I saw Jared calling you, I remembered he liked you, and then I kissed you out of anger. After that, I realized my feelings."
"Later, when you got together with Efren, I finally understood that I liked you and couldn't stand seeing you with another man."
Elissa had never heard Francis say so much.
He wasn't a talkative person, only speaking at crucial moments.
During the time she pursued him, she added him on Facebook but his responses were minimal.
Most of them were rejections. Seeing Elissa's persistence, Francis simply stopped replying, giving her the cold shoulder.
The entire chat history was filled with messages from Elissa.
Even when she started distancing herself from Francis, Elissa still wondered if he might have some feelings for her after that forced kiss.
But before Elissa could figure it out, Jessa came back.
The atmosphere between Francis and Jessa seemed ambiguous.
However, what made Elissa finally decide was Hope telling her that the class differences between Francis and Jessa were the reason they weren't together.
But at this moment, Francis patiently explained so much to Elissa, showing his feelings for her.
Elissa thought, maybe she should take a chance.
She didn't have a strong family background, but she had Hope as her support.
"Elissa."
Francis grew more anxious with Elissa's prolonged silence, about to make more promises, but her sudden action froze him.
But within two seconds, Francis cupped the back of her head, responding to her initiated kiss.
Efren was restless in his room, worried about Elissa, and wanted to try again, so he came out to find her.
He didn't expect to see her and Francis kissing passionately.
The door card swiped open and the two entered while kissing.
The door closed.
With the catalyst of wine, clothes fell to the floor.
One door separated two worlds.
The more passionate it was inside, the colder Efren's lonely figure was outside.
"Wait..."
When Elissa fell onto the bed, she reached out to stop Francis, "I need to take a shower first."
Francis picked her up, kicked open the bathroom door, "Together."
Warm water fell, and Francis and Elissa kissed again.
But at the most passionate moment, the crucial step failed. A few seconds later, Elissa tried to comfort him, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Francis cut her off through gritted teeth, "Shut up."
Elissa didn't want to hurt his pride, so she closed her mouth.
Francis grabbed a towel, wrapped her in it, and carried her to the bed.
The curtains weren't drawn, and moonlight poured in, gently enveloping them.
Because of this, Elissa saw the shadow on Francis's face.
Elissa thought for a moment, then took the remote to close the curtains.
The room fell into darkness.
After a moment of silence, Elissa said, "I'm actually very tired, let's just sleep."
As soon as she finished speaking, Francis's hot hand gripped her ankle.
Then he pulled her down forcefully, making her shiver.
Francis kissed her, from her mouth to her ear, his husky voice and warm breath making her earlobe tingle slightly.
"Don't even think about sleeping."
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