Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 336

"Have you heard from Ethel?" I ask. "Onai?"

He speaks after a moment. "Nothing good so far."

"Oh. When will-"

"Just don't ask about them," he says forcefully. "If they're alright, you'll know."

I don't say anything after that. I walk straight to the kitchen, and he trails behind. The lights feel even brighter down here than upstairs. I take refuge in the dimly lit pantry. What are we down here for? One thing. Tea. The usuals are right in front of me. Green. Black. Ginger. But what we really need right now is... Ah, sleepytime. Time to knock this cranky boy out.

I reach towards the nearest shelf, but the usual problem happens when I use anything in this house. I'm about ten million feet too short. Geez. I hop for it. My hand doesn't even make it to the green tea, let alone the sleepytime above it. Plan B: get a chair.

Before I can turn around, I feel him against me. Well, not quite. Our bodies don't touch. I don't feel him against me, but I feel him. There. Behind me. Over me. He doesn't even have to lift his arm all the way in order to reach the shelf I'm going for.

"Which one?" he asks.

It takes me a second to process his words. "Sleepytime."

He pulls one bag out.

"Don't you want some?" I ask.

He sighs and pulls out another.

"Thanks." I smile and take mine. "We're going to have to invest in a stool or something."

He hms.

He boils the water. I get the mugs. Before I know it, we've got two steaming cups sitting on the kitchen table. I bob my tea bag up and down in the water, looking in every ten seconds. He just waits, not touching his.

"You know that doesn't make it go any faster," he says.

I shrug. "I think it does." I start bobbing his bag too.

He sighs, nudging my hand away. "I can do it." He starts bobbing his bag, and I laugh.

"I bet I can do it faster than you," I say.

"First of all, it's not a competition. Second of all, you started before me so..."

Eventually, we settle down on the couch in the living room.

"What do you want to watch?" I ask, scrolling through the channels.

He shrugs. "I need to get back to work."

"One movie won't hurt," I say. "Or just something until you're done with your tea."

He tightens his grip on his mug.

"So...?"

"Whatever," he says.

He claims he doesn't care what we watch. That is, until I put on Trolls.