After the Cold Marriage His Crazy Love (Iris and Julian) novel Chapter 37

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In the living room, Julian sat on the sofa in casual clothes, looking at his phone. A glass of water sat on the coffee table in front of him.

Back in the day, if they ran into each other at home during a holiday, Iris would’ve left right away. She hated the awkwardness and the cold silence.

Then she remembered what he’d slurred last night. “If you’d just make a move on me once… I’d…”

Iris had no idea what he’d finish that sentence with. But she could try.

She gathered her courage and sat down on the sofa. She set her bag in the corner beside her.

Julian stiffened a little. He slowly lifted his eyes from his phone and looked at her, his expression darkening slightly.

He stared at her for a few seconds.

His

gaze made her flush and go rigid. Her heart raced. She leaned back nervously, not knowing how to break the silence.

After a long pause, she blurted out a greeting. “Morning!”

“It’s already noon,” Julian said, his tone soft.

Iris glanced at the sun outside the balcony. “Good afternoon, then.”

Julian looked at her outfit, then at the bag she’d set down. “Are you heading out?”

Iris nodded again. “Yeah.”

“In a hurry?”

“Not really.”

Julian put his phone down and stood up slowly. “I’m not a great cook. How about salad?”

Iris finally realized he’d thought she wanted him to make lunch because she’d sat down and wasn’t in a rush to leave.

She stood up nervously and followed him toward the kitchen. “I didn’t ask you to make me lunch.”

Julian stopped and turned to her. “You wanna eat out?”

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12:38 Tue, May 5 .

Chapter 37 A Quiet Morning Together

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Iris shook her head, staring at him quictly.

This had never happened before. She’d always hidden away during holidays, avoiding Julian as much as possible to skip the awkwardness.

Today, she’d sat right next to him and stayed.

Julian stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking down at her conflicted face. “You got something to say?”

“I’ll cook,” Iris said softly, hurrying past him.

Julian stood there, stunned for a few seconds. He turned and watched her rush into the kitchen and close the door behind her.

Iris walked into the kitchen, leaned her hands on the island, and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Then she turned to check the fridge.

Lucky for her, she usually cooked dinner. The fridge had some food–not much, but enough for two.

She filled a pot with water and set it to boil for pasta.

Then she pulled out broccoli, beef, and potatoes from the fridge.

Next, she grabbed a bag of chili peppers and froze.

She stood in front of the fridge, staring at the peppers, unsure.

Before they got married, they’d eaten together a few times. But it was always steak or sushi.

She had no idea if he liked spicy food.

Iris was deep in thought when the door opened. Footsteps came closer, and Julian’s soft voice rang out. “I can handle spicy food.”

Iris jumped, snapped out of her thoughts, and quickly closed the fridge. She held the chili peppers tight and walked toward the island.

Julian rolled up his sleeves gently, picked up the broccoli, and put it in the sink to wash.

With him there, Iris felt extra nervous. She couldn’t relax.

She started cutting the beef into chunks for stew.

Julian washed the broccoli floret by floret, placed it in a colander to drain, then slid it next to

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Chapter 37 A Quiet Morning Together

Iris. He picked up a potato and began peeling it.

He washed his hands after handling each potato–three potatoes, three hand washes.

Iris glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then looked at him properly.

After finishing the last potato, he washed his hands again.

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“You’re a total clean freak,” Iris said softly, a hint of a smile in her voice.

“It messes with my life,” Julian said, his voice a little deeper.

Iris looked curious. “Cause you have to wash your hands all the time?”

“No. Other things.”

Iris was confused. Isn’t being a total clean freak just about being too tidy? What else could it be?

Must be a mental thing.

Julian placed the peeled potatoes in a pot, carried it to the sink to add water, and then called her softly. “Iris.”

“Hmm?” Iris stopped what she was doing and turned to him.

“Is there medicine for OCD?”

“I research drugs, but I’m not a doctor.”

Julian smiled faintly, put the pot on the stove to boil, then turned back to the ingredients.

Iris quickly looked down and seasoned the beef chunks with a little salt and pepper.

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