Chapter 180 Do Men Also Like to Say One Thing and Mean Another?
The Astor family didn't have any business in Nightfall City, and they knew exactly why they were there.
Tristan had this sharp look on his face.
But he didn't say a word. Instead, he casually picked a dish that Katniss liked and put it on her plate.
"This one's really good. Give it a try," he said.
"Okay." Katniss smiled at Eudora, "Miss Savoy, your cooking is amazing."
"Don't be so formal," Eudora said, "Just call me Eudora like Tristan does."
For some reason, Katniss just couldn't bring herself to call Eudora by her first name.
Seeing this, Eudora didn't push it and turned to Aaron, telling him to listen to Katniss.
It seemed like asking Katniss to call her by her name was just a polite gesture.
Eudora had spent a lot of time cooking, and after they were full, Katniss felt it was wrong to let Eudora clean up by herself.
She rolled up her sleeves to help, but Tristan stopped her. "You two go rest; I'll handle this."
"Alright, then I'll go cut some fruit." Eudora didn't stand on ceremony. She grabbed some fruit from the fridge and headed to the kitchen.
After helping to bring the dishes into the kitchen, Katniss was pulled to the living room by Eudora.
Aaron was playing that game George invented. Katniss, who hadn't played in a while, was eager to join.
"I'll play with you." She took out her phone and sat next to Aaron, then looked at Eudora.
She was playing games with Aaron. Would Eudora mind?
Eudora pushed the fruit plate towards them and said, "Go ahead, didn't you say you need a balance between work and rest? Just don't fall behind on your studies."
"Come on." Aaron was much happier hearing this and nudged Katniss's arm to urge her.
This scene was a bit of an eyesore for Eudora.
Aaron barely spoke with her, let alone had any physical contact.
She hesitated for a moment, then took out her phone. "I'll give it a try, too."
Downloading the game took a while, and during that time, Eudora added Katniss on Facebook.
Eudora's Facebook name was just Eudora, and her profile picture was a few sheets of paper tied with a red string.
Zooming in, you could see ink marks on the paper, giving it a scholarly feel.
It was quite different from Eudora's proud and imposing demeanor.
While Eudora was playing, Aaron suddenly got up and ran to the wicker chair by the floor-to-ceiling window.
It seemed like he was chatting with someone.
"Katniss, are you serious with Tristan?" Eudora asked casually while watching the game download.
But her casual question was a serious topic for Katniss, "Of course, I'm serious."
Seeing her serious expression, Eudora smiled, "Don't be nervous. I was just asking. The Forbes family's situation is pretty complicated. Since you've decided, you can't just break up easily. You know Tristan's temper; he's definitely serious. I'm just worried you won't be able to handle the pressure."
She glanced towards the kitchen, making sure Tristan was still busy.
She moved closer to Katniss, saying, "Don't worry. Once he decides on something, no one can change it. As long as I don't give up, I'll be fine."
From the start, Katniss only knew that the Forbes family's situation was complicated, but no one told her exactly how.
Apparently, Eudora didn't plan to tell her either, just giving her a subtle reminder.
Katniss didn't press further; she was waiting for Tristan to tell her.
Once the game was downloaded, they started playing. Eudora was clueless about the game.
Katniss and Aaron played with her from the lowest level, just to pass the time.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Tristan took a phone call and stood on the balcony. The balcony light was dim.
His tall silhouette and the flickering light of a cigarette between his fingers were barely visible.
Around ten o'clock, he finished the call and came in, bringing with him the cool night breeze mixed with the smell of smoke and alcohol.
He sat next to Katniss and saw her and Eudora playing against Aaron.
But the two adults were getting beaten badly by Aaron.
Raising an eyebrow, he wrapped his long arm around her and took the phone, "Amateur."
With a light remark, he followed it with a kiss on her ear.
In the past few days, the two had become used to intimate gestures, forgetting there were others around.
Aaron, engrossed in the game, said nothing.
Eudora noticed but remained indifferent.
In less than half a minute, Tristan began to turn the tide, killing Aaron's game character three times in three minutes.
Aaron, frustrated, put down his phone and scratched his head, "No way, let's go again!"
"Not playing anymore." Tristan turned off the game, pulled Katniss up, and turned to Eudora, "We're leaving."
Eudora put away her phone and said, "Pick me up here tomorrow morning. We'll go to the airport together."
"No." Tristan refused without a second thought, "We'll meet directly at the airport."
He glanced at Katniss, wishing he could turn one night into two, so how could he find the time to pick up Eudora?
His refusal was straightforward and decisive, leaving Eudora no choice but to change her plan, "Alright, see you at the airport."
Tristan draped his suit jacket over his arm, took Katniss by the hand, and left. They got back into the G-Wagon, started the engine, and drove off.
On the smooth road, the trees on both sides zipped by, and the speed made Katniss feel a bit overwhelmed.
"Aren't you passing by her place on your way to the airport tomorrow? Why can't you pick her up?" Katniss asked casually.
"I don't want her to interrupt our last moments together," Tristan said bluntly.
Katniss was stunned for a few seconds and then asked, "What do you mean?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the temperature in the car seemed to drop a few degrees. Tristan turned to look at her, "You're not seeing me off?"
"I..." She hadn't really thought about seeing him off, but she quickly changed her tune, "Of course, I will."
Tristan's eyes saw through her lie, but surprisingly, he didn't push it.
Instead, he said, "If you're not seeing me off, then don't."
The more she said, the more mistakes she might make. His profile was tense, his thin lips pressed into a line, and his long legs moved, making the car speed up even more.
He was angry. Katniss decided not to say anything and would see him off tomorrow!
Did men also like to say one thing and mean another?
She had drunk some alcohol at the Savoy family's place. Sitting on the sofa earlier, she didn't feel anything, but now, with the car speeding up, she felt a bit dizzy.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were somewhat dazed.
Her long hair was blown into a mess by the wind.
As a result, she was a bit unsteady when she got out of the car and climbed the steps. Tristan followed her, his warm hand supporting her lower back.
He unlocked the door, and as soon as she entered, Tristan pressed against her back.
Behind her was his firm chest, pinning her against the entryway cabinet.
His thin lips brushed against her long hair, then her eye corner, and finally her earlobe.
The tingling sensation made her feel like she was being electrocuted.
But he didn't make any further moves.
"Do you want it?" His hoarse voice instantly broke the tension in Katniss's body.
She responded with a sound.
But he wasn't satisfied, "Say it."
Her ears turned red, almost dripping blood. Her glossy red lips opened and closed, finding it hard to speak.
He continued to tease her, insisting she say it out loud.
She was usually composed, not easily giving in.
But she was action-oriented. Annoyed, she turned around and pushed him.
His tall body hit the wall with a muffled grunt.
The next second, she pounced on him, her hands hooking around his neck to make him lower his head.
So she could kiss him.
They stumbled from the entryway to the living room. Tristan couldn't tell if she was clumsy or doing it on purpose.
After fumbling for a long time, she only managed to undo a few buttons before stopping, leaving him extremely frustrated.
He gave up on letting her take the lead. With a grunt, he flipped the script when she was half-dressed.
Katniss realized later what he meant by not needing to see him off at the airport.
Maybe if she went, he would have shown some restraint and let her get out of bed.
But since she wasn't going, he didn't hold back at all.
As dawn approached, he seemed to want to make up for all the times they wouldn't see each other in the future.
At four in the morning, he finally let her go, feeling sorry for her.
Then he held her without sleeping, occasionally handling some things on his phone or just holding her without moving.
His flight was at ten, and they needed to be at the airport by nine.
At eight, he got ready to leave, gently removing her arm from around his waist.
But her arm wrapped around him again.
"Are you leaving?" Her voice was hoarse. She was too tired to open her eyes.
Her cheek was pressed against his chest, her long eyelashes fluttering like they were sweeping across his heart.
"I'll make you some breakfast before I go." Tristan was worried that no one would cook for her before the New Year.
Yesterday, while she wasn't around, he had prepared some food and stored it in the freezer.
She could just heat it and eat it, all according to her taste.
"No need, I'm not eating." Katniss held onto him, not letting go, "Cooking takes at least half an hour, so just let me hold you for another half hour."
Her tone was soft and gentle, almost like she was being coquettish.
Tristan's lips curved into a smile as he hugged her, "Call me if you need anything."
"Okay." She responded, knowing he was worried about the Astor family members staying in Nightfall City.
Tristan sighed deeply above her.
She opened her eyes and said, "I promise, I'll definitely tell you if anything happens. I won't handle it alone."
"I'll trust you this once." He took her hand down and kissed her forehead.
The room quieted down, filled with the scent of hormones.
Today, he let her off the hook. Before falling asleep, Katniss was preoccupied with the fact that he was leaving.
But she must have been really tired. After chatting with him for a bit, she fell asleep again.
When she woke up again, it was broad daylight. The spot beside her was cool, and the room had lost much of Tristan's presence.
On the bedside table was a note with a simple message: [Gone.]
Her heart felt instantly empty as she held the note for a while before picking up her phone, unsurprised by the many messages.
It was already five past ten, and Tristan's phone was off as he was on the plane.
She sniffled, opened Facebook to handle some work, and suddenly heard the doorbell ringing urgently.
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