Chapter 125 Is This Cool with You
But after a few seconds of hesitation, she started deleting the numbers one by one.
How the heck should she kick off the first sentence?
Should she use the excuse of returning the coat to ask him out and chat about Aaron? Would he even show up?
She felt this tiny, almost unnoticeable buzz of excitement in her chest, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.
Thinking back to the few hours at the club yesterday, she had been sneaking glances at him.
He was chatting away with Daniel about everything under the sun but didn't even look her way.
Suddenly, she felt that familiar pang of disappointment again. After mulling it over, she found Ryan's number and gave him a call.
"Ms. Grey," Ryan answered in a flash.
"Can you set up a meeting with Mr. Forbes to talk about Aaron's tutoring? Also, he left his coat with me." Katniss grabbed the coat from the back, still carrying a faint whiff of smoke. She gently ran her fingers over the black buttons.
"Uh..." Ryan, who was driving, glanced at Tristan in the back seat and after a moment said, "Ms. Grey, I'll sort out the tutoring schedule, but the coat is a personal thing. You'll need to contact Mr. Forbes directly. I'm driving, so I'll catch you later."
After hanging up, he stopped at a red light and turned to ask, "Mr. Forbes, is this cool with you?"
His tone was a bit too eager to please.
To him, it seemed like Tristan had Katniss on his mind, which was why he was doing all this.
"What? You want a pat on the back for that?" Tristan's face was dark as he lifted his eyelids to glare at him.
Ryan quickly wiped the grin off his face. "No! Just doing my job!"
Katniss held the phone in her hand, resting it on Tristan's coat, her fingers gently rubbing the now-dark screen.
Her reflection showed a slightly complicated and confused expression.
What did he mean by personal thing? Was there any need for her and Tristan to meet privately?
She tossed the coat on the passenger seat and drove home.
Seeing her come back alone, Saskia looked surprised. "Where's Matilda?"
"My mom starts electroconvulsive therapy tomorrow and needs someone to stay at the hospital," Katniss said, sitting down at the dining table and eyeing the various dishes. She gave Saskia a thumbs up. "Didn't know you had these cooking skills."
Saskia proudly raised her eyebrows. "I'm quite the chef."
Katniss smiled and started eating.
"What's up?" Saskia suddenly asked. "You look like you've got something on your mind."
Katniss looked at her in surprise. "How'd you know?"
"Your eyebrows have been all scrunched up," Saskia said, raising her eyebrows again. "Let me guess. Since we got here, everything's been smooth sailing for you. Except for the occasional nighttime blues, you're always so sure of yourself. What could make you look like this?"
She gave Katniss a once-over and then said, "Tristan."
Katniss was stunned. She put down her utensils and touched her face, wondering if Tristan's name was written all over it.
"You've blocked all business news since we got here, so you wouldn't know that Tristan came to Nightfall City a month ago," Saskia said, clearly amused by her reaction.
Katniss was even more surprised. Tristan had been in Nightfall City for that long?
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she asked.
Saskia shrugged. "Why would I? You weren't planning to look for him."
That made sense. Besides, she probably couldn't stop Tristan from using Aaron's studies as an excuse to find her.
"Why do you think he traveled all the way from Velvet City to Nightfall City?" Saskia asked, staring intently at Katniss.
Katniss met her gaze for a few seconds and then said without thinking, "No way. He wouldn't come to Nightfall City for me. You're overthinking it."
She shook her head, amused.
"Who said he came to Nightfall City for you? I was just asking you to guess. What were you thinking?" Saskia feigned surprise. "Or is that what you secretly hope?"
"I don't," Katniss said, burying her head in her food, not wanting to continue the conversation.
But she kept telling herself that Tristan's appearance was just a minor blip. She needed to stay calm and composed.
As the long night wore on, the cool breeze of Nightfall City blew through the window, but Tristan, standing by the window, still felt restless.
With a cigarette between his fingers, he used one finger to scroll through his phone. No missed messages or calls.
He exhaled a smoke ring, confirmed that his phone bill was paid, and then, with a dark expression, threw the phone on the bed.
After a moment of thought, he picked up the phone again and called Ryan.
Receiving Ryan's call to meet at Celestial Villas an hour early on Monday evening, Katniss was a bit surprised.
She had thought it would take many failed attempts to finally arrange a meeting with Tristan.
On Monday morning, she picked out a slightly professional outfit from her wardrobe.
After taking off her pajamas and getting ready to change, she hesitated for a couple of seconds and switched to a more casual outfit.
At 5:50 PM, she arrived at Celestial Villas on time and rang the doorbell.
The doorbell responded, but no one was inside. It was probably remote-controlled.
She sensibly swapped her shoes at the door and spotted Tristan's tall figure by the living room's floor-to-ceiling window.
He was rocking a white T-shirt and sweatpants, with black slippers on his feet and short hair falling over his forehead.
This laid-back look was something she had seen countless times at home a year ago.
Seeing it again now made her heart skip a beat.
"Mr. Forbes," she addressed him formally, treating him like a client since they were no longer in a boss-employee relationship.
Tristan was also checking her out. Her golden hair had a few streaks of blue, giving her a pure yet playful vibe.
She wore jeans and a short black-and-white striped top, showing a hint of her waistline.
Her taste in casual clothes had definitely leveled up, and she stood in front of him with a polite smile.
His throat tightened, and in a low voice, he said, "Sit."
He plopped down on a single sofa first, and Katniss perched on the edge of another sofa, keeping the maximum distance between them.
"About Aaron's tutoring, I hope you, as his current guardian, can help me make sure he shows up for my classes on time." She got straight to the point, looking at him. "Whether I can teach him well is on me, but he needs to sit down and listen first."
Tristan didn't stray from the topic. "No problem. I can make sure he's in the study on time. The rest is up to you."
"Can I also know a bit about his background?" Katniss wasn't being nosy; Aaron's situation was special. To get him to study well, she needed to understand his psychological state.
Tristan raised an eyebrow. "Sure, you ask, I'll answer."
"Are his parents no longer around?" Katniss asked.
"They died in an accident when he was just starting sixth grade," Tristan said.
Katniss felt a twinge of sympathy. "I heard he has a sister. Are they close?"
Tristan replied, "They've only met three times since birth."
This answer surprised Katniss greatly. Siblings from the same parents had only met three times?
It seemed their relationship was complicated, but she didn't want to pry too much.
"Any other questions?" Tristan turned his head to look at her.
Katniss quickly shook her head. "No, that's all."
"Then let's talk about our personal matters." Tristan's expression was unreadable, and his words made Katniss tense up.
She blinked a few times, confused. "What personal matters do we have to talk about?"
"Really?" Tristan's indifferent eyes locked onto her face. "You have nothing to say?"
Without thinking, Katniss denied it. "Mr. Forbes, I really have nothing to talk about with you. If there's nothing else, I'll go upstairs to tutor Aaron."
She got up and started walking upstairs. After two steps, Tristan casually said, "Aaron went with Ryan to get a haircut. He might be a while."
"Then I'll wait in his study." She really didn't want to be alone with Tristan.
Tristan didn't stop her, just reminded her, "While you're waiting and tutoring, think about whether there's anything you've forgotten to tell me."
As he spoke, he stood up and returned to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the bright moon outside.
Katniss glanced back at him for a moment before heading to the third floor and entering Aaron's study, which was still a mess.
She tidied up the desk and organized a corner of the bookshelf, placing the eighth-grade materials she had brought.
Then she sat by the desk, thinking. What could she have forgotten to tell him?
Wasn't he pretending not to know her? So what was there to say!
After about twenty minutes, the study door opened, and Aaron walked in.
Katniss turned her head and was stunned. His dyed hair was now a buzz cut.
The earrings were gone, and the tattoo behind his ear had been removed.
His previously colorful clothes were replaced with a simple white T-shirt and sweatpants, and he wore white slippers.
He looked completely different from when she first met him. He used to be a troubled kid, but now he looked like a cheerful, handsome boy.
Aaron was good-looking, and if the murderous look in his eyes were less, it would be even better.
"You really don't give up, insisting on tutoring me!" Clearly, he blamed Katniss for his transformation.
Katniss frowned. "You look like a well-behaved kid, but it's a pity you couldn't talk nice."
If he didn't speak, Katniss would have wanted to pat his head.
"Don't just stand there. Find something to do." She turned back to her phone.
Aaron was stunned for a few seconds, watching her play with her phone.
He then sat at the desk, took out a hidden game console from the drawer, and started playing.
The room was filled with the sounds of the game console and her phone's videos.
Outside, two figures listened clearly.
Ryan was curious. "Is this a tutoring session? Ms. Grey seems to be here to play."
"Go get them some fruit," Tristan said, heading downstairs, seemingly unbothered by their behavior.
Ten minutes later, Ryan brought up some fruit. Katniss had already heard the footsteps and put away her phone, kicking Aaron.
Aaron instinctively hid the game console and grabbed the materials Katniss had prepared.
When Ryan entered and saw their serious expressions, he twitched his mouth and went to find Tristan.
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