Chapter 173 I'll Give You Two Choices
Katniss folded the scarf and put it on, answering Saskia's questions with a serious tone. "I said it was impossible for him to like me, but since he does, what else is impossible?"
When it came to Tristan's family issues, she couldn't say she wasn't worried. But she trusted Tristan to handle it. She'd been with him long enough to know that if he set his mind to something, he'd get it done. He never tackled anything he wasn't sure about.
"When I told you he liked you, you didn't believe me," Saskia pouted. "See, you value romance over friendship. You didn't even believe me."
Katniss, used to Saskia's sarcasm, pushed the menu towards her. "Alright, my treat. Order whatever you want."
"Then I'll splurge a bit," Saskia said, picking a few dishes they both liked.
Finally, she got to the main topic. "Is that little house of ours enough for you two to mess around in? And that bed in your room is, at best, average. It's not soft enough; it's too hard and affects Mr. Forbes' performance. So, how long do you plan to stay?"
Katniss frowned more with each sentence. "I want to find a place, but I don't have time. Can you put up with it for a few more days? But speaking of which, where have you been staying these days?"
"Nicholas, that jerk, has been dragging me out for social events and drinking every night," Saskia said.
Both Katniss and Saskia knew what Nicholas was up to. But Nicholas didn't know Saskia could hold her liquor, so despite all his efforts, he never managed to get her drunk. If he wasn't afraid of losing face in front of Tristan, he would have wanted to ask Tristan for some tips. Both of them started with having sex before pursuing a relationship, so why was it so hard for him?
"Then hang in there; don't ruin his stomach with all that drinking, or the Kennedy family will come after you. I'll move out as soon as I find a place." Katniss wanted to take the weekend to look for a place. If she didn't have time to go out, she would look for an agent online.
Saskia patted her on the shoulder. "Nicholas' days are numbered. It all depends on how fast you find a place."
Hearing this, Katniss couldn't wait for the weekend. While waiting for their food, she started looking for suitable places online. But this couldn't be rushed. Considering Sophia's future rehabilitation after being discharged and Tristan's occasional visits, it would be inconvenient for her and Sophia to live together. After thinking it over, she still hadn't found a suitable place by the end of the meal.
She was busy all afternoon, and in the evening, Tristan took her to the Wilson family's house for tutoring. This time, he didn't go in, waiting at a corner not far from the Wilson family.
The spot was perfect. From his car, he could see the study on the second floor where she was tutoring Donna. With the window half-open and the car window half-down, he could faintly hear her teaching Donna.
When he got tired of sitting, he got out of the car to smoke a cigarette. For the first time, he felt that two hours was a bit long. He was getting impatient when he finally saw her leave the Wilson family.
The Daniels were seeing her off at the door. Under the moonlight, she clutched her bag tightly and quickly ran towards his car. She opened the passenger door, ready to get in, but saw him sitting in the passenger seat.
Due to inertia, her body leaned forward uncontrollably, directly into his arms, her hand instinctively landing on his firm waist. He grabbed her arm, his other hand holding her as she fell into him, his fingers gently rubbing her back.
He bent down and kissed her on the lips. "Why did it take so long?"
"How is it long? Two hours is just right." Katniss looked up. The car's interior light was on, and his features were deep in the backlight. Though she couldn't see clearly, his lazy and noble aura was palpable.
She raised an eyebrow and said, "Should I drive?"
"I'll do it, and you rest." Tristan exerted some force, lifting her to take half the seat. One of his legs was already out of the car, and he got out completely once she was settled.
Neither of them had eaten yet, so they found a restaurant on the way to the hospital for dinner. But halfway through the meal, Tristan's phone rang.
He quickly answered, and what the other person said made his face darken. "Don't worry, I'll have Ryan look for him right now. Rest assured, since we came to Nightfall City, we've familiarized ourselves with some places. Ryan knows all the places he might go."
Eudora's anxious voice came through intermittently, "Tristan, I'm really worried. He's just a sixteen-year-old kid, and he doesn't have any money on him. Where could he go? Can you come over now and take me to look for him?"
Was Aaron in trouble? Katniss instantly guessed, put down her knife and fork, and waved at Tristan, signaling him to go quickly.
"I'll have Ryan go first." Tristan quickly hung up the phone, looked at her barely touched dinner, and said, "You finish eating, I'll take you to the hospital and then go."
"I'll have the waiter pack it up, and I'll eat it at the hospital. I'll take a cab; you go check on Aaron." She said as she waved to the waiter. Aaron had offended Stanley, and if he ran into Stanley's people, there would be trouble.
"It's still pretty far to the hospital. If you pack the food, it'll get cold. You eat, and I'll have Ryan go look for him first." Tristan's tone was firm as he called Ryan and gave him instructions.
If he went, it would mostly be to comfort Eudora and check surveillance footage to find Aaron. These were things Ryan could handle; it didn't have to be him.
Seeing that he was determined not to leave, Katniss had no choice but to eat quickly, finishing in ten minutes. Tristan took her to the hospital, watching her enter the inpatient building before turning the car around and heading straight to Celestial Villas.
She arrived later than usual, and Matilda quickly brought her dinner. "I'll heat it up for you," she said.
"No need, I've already eaten." She forgot to tell Matilda in advance. "I'll save it for breakfast tomorrow. How's Mom?"
"Dr. Perez said the targeted therapy is going well. The treatment should be finished around New Year's." Matilda put down the dinner, unable to suppress her smile. New Year's was just about a month away.
This meant that in a month, they could leave the hospital! From the time Sophia got sick until now, they had been entangled with the hospital for years. These days were finally over.
Katniss took off her coat and saw that Sophia was sleeping with her eyes closed. She couldn't help but be curious. "Why is she sleeping so early?"
"Dr. Perez had her exercise her fingers and practice speaking today. She might be tired, but her finger movements have improved a lot." Matilda was smiling, but then she noticed the hickeys on Katniss's neck.
Although she was wearing a scarf, it was still visible with a slight tug. Her smile faded a bit. She glanced at the sleeping Sophia and then led Katniss to the sofa. "Katniss, have you been seeing Tristan again recently?"
"Yes." Katniss didn't deny it. Seeing Matilda's complicated expression, she decided to be straightforward. "I'm with him now."
Matilda's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean by 'with him'?"
She couldn't understand what that meant! Maybe she was just as disbelieving as Katniss was when she was confessed to.
"He proposed it, and he's serious about it," Katniss said. Although he hadn't mentioned 'love' or 'like,' with his personality, every word was sincere, and his actions were clear.
She couldn't forget the cool touch of his fingertip on her chest when he said he wanted her heart, a feeling that moved her deeply and was impossible to resist.
"It's good if you two are together, as long as you're happy. But the Forbes family is complicated, and I'm afraid you'll get hurt." Matilda had long known that Katniss loved Tristan.
In the year they had been here, she had seen Katniss daydreaming countless times. Katniss had a few photos of Tristan taken secretly during meetings on her phone. Even after changing phones, the photos were still there. This was enough to show Tristan was deeply ingrained in her, a part of her she couldn't shake.
"For now, I'm not overthinking it. Don't tell Mom yet, or she'll worry," Katniss said.
Mutual affection and establishing a relationship were just the beginning of a romance, not the end. But if there were no beginning, there would be no end. Right now, things aren't stable between her and Tristan. Overthinking things before their feelings settle down wouldn't be good for their relationship.
"Okay." Matilda nodded. She was about to say something when Katniss's phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number. She got up and walked to the door to answer it. The caller had a strange accent. "Is this Ms. Grey?"
"Yes, who is this?" she asked.
"I have a kid in my car who says he's looking for you. He's at the hospital entrance now, but he doesn't have money to pay the fare." The driver looked back at Aaron. The ride wasn't short, and the fare wasn't cheap.
Hearing this, Katniss quickly ran downstairs, not even bothering to put on her coat. She told the driver to wait at the hospital entrance and hung up the phone as she got into the elevator. Rushing out, she immediately saw Aaron standing by the taxi.
Aaron was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, shivering in the chilly night breeze. She quickened her pace, thanked the driver, paid the fare, and then pulled Aaron into the hospital. Once inside the inpatient building, it was much warmer.
Katniss held Aaron's cold arm as they got into the elevator. "How did you find this place?"
"I know you come to the hospital every Friday." Aaron moved his arm, breaking free from her tight grip, and leaned against the elevator wall.
"They're still looking for you." Katniss immediately took out her phone to call Tristan. But Aaron suddenly snatched the phone away, raising his arm high and looking angrily at Katniss. "I don't want to see them. You can't tell them!"
Katniss looked up at him. "But you ran away, and they're very worried. It's late now, and they're still out looking for you!"
Aaron snorted coldly. "That's their choice!"
"It's very late, and it's hard to see the road while driving. If they keep looking blindly, it could be dangerous." The atmosphere in the elevator was tense. Seeing Aaron angry like a little lion, Katniss softened her tone.
But Aaron was very determined this time. "I'll give you two choices: either I leave, or you don't notify them."
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