Chapter 148
Calvert was the kind of guy who talked a big game about being scared, but everyone knew he was all bark and no bite, Skyler, on the other hand, was different. He’d always be like, “Man, I’m freaking out here, right before he’d dash headlong into the fray.
Wasn’t there a hint of sarcasm in his last remark? Was Skyler implying that things were moving too slowly?
Everard thought it would be insane to rush Cordelia, given her young age.
Everard glanced over with a cool gaze, taking a bite of his burger as he said, “You might think it’s slow, but Cordelia thinks I’m moving fast, and that’s all that matters.”
Skyler was speechless.
Everard was showing off!
Everard continued, unfazed, “Besides, you want to speed things up, but can you even? You don’t even have a date, man.”
Skyler thought he should never have gotten lippy, asking about Everard’s date.
Skyler felt speechless and calmed down after a moment.
He carried on, “Boss, you’re slipping. Just a breakfast with Lia, a little chitchat, and then you don’t see each other all day, no texts? You two don’t look like you’re in love.”
Everard didn’t respond, just coldly ordered, “Return that painting.”
Skyler pouted, “You had me dash off last night to get it, and now you’re sending me on another late–night return mission. You’re heartless, boss. I’m angry”
He grumbled, but his feet were already carrying him out the door.
Once he was gone, Everard’s gaze drifted to the door, where a young couple strolled past Midnight Scent, sharing an ice cream cone, the picture of love.
He couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, his relationship with Cordelia was missing that spark of romance, which was why she remained unmoved.
Everard set down his fork and, on impulse, grabbed his phone and googled, “What do couples do when they’re dating?”
Monday rolled around, and Cordelia sensed something was off. Everard kept giving her these eager, expectant looks over breakfast, and she couldn’t figure out what was up with him.
After breakfast, as she was about to head to class, she noticed Everard following her out. He sauntered over to a bicycle parked by the door, hopped on, and balanced it with his feet before gesturing to the seat behind him, “Hop on.”
Cordelia eyed him, puzzled.
Everard didn’t look back, adding “I’ll give you a ride to school.”
Cordelia was confused, She glanced toward school, no more than a half–mile away. Did she really need a lift? And on a bike?
Hesitant, she heard Everard’s low voice, “I’m good at this.”
Good at what?
Cordelia felt helpless but walked over. She was still a little dazed as she sat on the back of the bike when Everard was heard again, “Hold on tight, Sweetie.”
Before she could ponder further, the bike lurched forward. As she swayed backward, her hands instinctively grabbed the hem of Everard’s clothes.
Chapter 148
He was wearing a black hoodie, loose–fitting and casual Clutching it, she could make out the subtle lines of his back muscles under the fabric, a youthful silhouette.
He pedaled fast, and Cordelia felt the breeze whisk past her ears. Before she could soak in the moment, they were already nearing the school gates.
With a sharp brake, the bike’s tires screeched against the pavement. Cordelia, propelled by momentum, toppled forward onto his back, her arms wrapping around his waist to stay upright.
Everard looked down at her hands encircling him, a smirk on his lips. He felt her embrace from behind and thought, for a fleeting second. How perfect it would be to freeze this moment in time.
Cordelia was startled. After steadying herself, she realized his hoodie smelled of fresh laundry detergent, surprisingly pleasant.
And his waist was quite sexy. Through the fabric, her palms could feel the strength in his body, powerful and robust.
She thought, “Stop thinking that.”
A flush of warmth spread across her face, and she hastily hopped off the bike, darting toward the school without a backward glance, muttering to herself, “To be or not to be, that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune…“.
She recited the text, but her mind flashed back to the sexy waist he had shown when he changed his clothes that she had seen so long ago.
She blushed.
Her voice grew louder, trying to drown out her wandering thoughts.
After settling into her classroom seat, the first lesson of the day was language arts. The teacher entered early, standing at the podium, “Quiet down. All you do is chatter.”
The students protested, “Class hasn’t started yet.
The teacher snapped, I’ve got something to say. I saw Cordelia on my way here. She’s been accepted to Superiority College but remains humble, using every moment to study, reciting the text on her way to school. You all should take a page from her book.”
Cordelia was embarrassed.
What a delightful misunderstanding.
Her cheeks burned as she kept her head down, the heat only subsiding after two periods. That was when she noticed Merry, Little Parrot, acting strangely.
Merry had been furtively busy with something all morning and was now on a heated phone call.
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