Chapter 160 Fear
Brad finally stopped tickling me and just stared, his eyes all dreamy and intense, making my heart race like crazy. "Seriously, babe? When are you gonna pay me back? I've been waiting forever."
My face felt like it was on fire, hot enough to fry an egg.
I blushed hard and couldn't even look him in the eye.
Talking big is easy, but doing it? Not so much. I wasn't ready for this, not even close.
Brad started nibbling on my ear again, his heavy breathing making it feel like a sea breeze was whistling in my ear.
Why was he so close? He was always teasing me!
It was driving me nuts.
"I gotta use the bathroom," I blurted out, finding an excuse. Taking advantage of Brad's momentary pause, I slipped out of his grasp, pushed open the bedroom door, and tried to escape the suffocating closeness.
Whoa!
I didn't expect it, and it startled me a bit.
In the living room, Daniel was sitting on the sofa in a black hoodie and pants, looking like a ghost. His face was serious, and the air around him felt icy. For a moment, I felt like the person sitting there wasn't the Daniel I grew up with.
He pressed his lips together tightly. When he saw me suddenly appear, he looked up at me with a strange and dangerous gaze, filled with a peculiar intensity.
Wasn't it supposed to be no one home? Why was he suddenly here? How much did he hear of my moments with Brad? Did he never leave, or did he come back early?
And what was with that look on his face?
The unease that Brad had just managed to calm down started to stir again, sending chills down my spine. It felt like a cold, slippery snake was crawling over every inch of my skin.
"What's wrong?" Brad quickly got up and came to my side, grabbing my waist and pulling me into his arms. His gaze froze when it landed on Daniel.
"Weren't you at a gathering with your classmates? Why are you back?" Brad asked in a deep voice, patting my back reassuringly.
Daniel smiled, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then exhaled. He turned to Brad and me, his gaze falling on Brad's arm around my waist. His eyes were as dark as two bottomless pits, deep and unfathomable. "Something came up, they couldn't make it."
I had never seen Daniel like this. He seemed to be filled with darkness. The Daniel I knew was as clean as moonlight, not particularly warm but clear and likable. Now, he seemed like a black hole that could devour everything. His intense gaze made me feel like I would be buried and left with no trace.
I didn't know if he was plotting something, but I had a very bad feeling.
I clenched my fists tightly. Brad noticed my tension and pried my fingers open, intertwining them with his. "It's okay, I'm here."
"I need to use the bathroom."
"Go ahead. We'll have lunch at home. I'll see if there's anything you like."
I plopped down on the toilet lid, feeling all jittery, my heart racing like crazy.
Brad knocked on the bathroom door a couple of times, sounding worried, snapping me out of my scattered thoughts.
I turned on the faucet to wash my hands. After washing, I didn't even bother drying them and opened the bathroom door with my fingers still dripping.
Daniel was still in the same spot. When he heard me come out, he slowly turned his head towards me, muttering a few words through gritted teeth. His voice was soft but icy cold. "Repay a life-saver with your body."
With Brad around, I wasn't scared of him, but his words sent chills down my spine, making me uneasy.
"Jane, don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." He lowered his head and whispered, then muttered softly, "Jane, I've regretted missing out for so many years. Can you forgive me and give me another chance? Think about it carefully. This is my last request."
I stood far away from him, shaking my head firmly.
If he had said these words a few years ago, I might have been moved. But after more than five years, hearing them now only made me feel annoyed and indifferent. His feelings meant nothing to me.
Maybe my indifference provoked him. He pressed his chest, looking extremely pained.
I wanted to tell him that I no longer needed his affection. His love was only a burden to me. But Daniel was so down now that I could only escape to the kitchen in fear, hugging Brad's waist as he was picking vegetables.
Facing Daniel, I escaped in fear.
"Why didn't you dry your hands?" Brad let me hug him, speaking in a low, gentle voice.
"I forgot."
Brad chuckled hoarsely. "You forgot? Do you want me to kiss them dry?"
Embarrassed, I pulled my hands back and used his sweater as a towel to dry them.
Brad turned his head and gave me a kiss, his eyes filled with tender affection.
But I couldn't get lost in his love like I did in his bedroom earlier. Daniel made me anxious and scared. I felt like he was going to do something bad.
After spending some time in the kitchen with Brad, we came out to find the living room empty.
I peeked around, seeing that Daniel's room door was closed.
With nothing else to do, I went to the small garden, intending to get some fresh air, but I heard noises from the garden in my house.
The outdoor temperature was low in winter, and many flowers had withered, allowing me to clearly see the situation in the small garden.
Daniel was holding a small trowel, setting up a trellis for a flower that looked dead to me.
Still in his black hoodie, he was squatting on the ground, focused on his work, creating a beautiful scene.
The gloom he had in the house seemed to have lifted like a fog. Now, as he squatted there, tending to the flowers, he looked like the Daniel I knew before he turned eighteen.
So clean, so pure, so easy on the eyes.
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