Dead at Heart (Ariel and Jayson) novel Chapter 853

The drive from Kalyndra to Nacledra took nearly 13 hours.

Ariel was honestly amazed at Jayson's stamina. After so many days of driving nonstop, he didn't look tired at all. Whenever she wanted to stop and explore somewhere, he just calmly went along without a fuss.

Noticing Ariel hadn't brought along that small bag of fruit, Jayson raised an eyebrow and asked, "You ate them all?"

Ariel felt a little embarrassed to admit she had thrown them away because they tasted awful. She turned to the window and said, "Yeah, they were really sweet. You missed out."

Truth was, they were overwhelmingly sugary with a strong artificial flavor. She felt like her tongue had been attacked.

Jayson tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel. "Do you know what those fruits are called?"

Ariel turned to him. "You do?"

Next time, she would make sure to avoid that fruit altogether.

He tilted his head and said, "They're called Dumbyr."

Ariel frowned, confused. "What does that mean?"

Jayson put on a song. "They say if you eat them, you'll get smarter. Looking at you now, maybe it worked."

Ariel felt something was off but couldn't quite place it.

Later, when they stopped at a rest area, she looked it up online. After finding out the truth, she just sat there speechless.

Dumbyr was a term for low-quality fruit coated with sugar and coloring, often sold to unsuspecting tourists.

She suddenly wanted to dig that bag out of the trash and throw it in Jayson's face.

The journey was relatively easy.

When they arrived in Nacledra, it was 4:00 am. The sky was still dark.

Jayson drove straight to a seaside villa, isolated from other houses nearby.

After checking in, Ariel was already exhausted. The staff helped carry all their luggage inside with excellent service.

She wanted to quickly take a shower and go to sleep, but after checking, she found that the two-story place had only one large bedroom with a floor-to-ceiling window.

Though they had been sharing a bed ever since Jayson's broke, there had been no real progress between them.

She slipped under the covers quickly.

Even though she had been in the car for so long and was exhausted, she felt strangely energized and just couldn't fall asleep.

Just then, she felt the bed sink beside her. Jayson's presence was so close and unmistakable.

Ariel kept her eyes shut tight, afraid to open them.

Even though they had slept together before, that had been an accident, and one influenced by drugs. Her memories of it were fuzzy.

Now, fully awake, she felt nervous. She had never felt like this at home.

Jayson didn't move after lying down. His breathing was steady and calm.

Ariel thought to herself that he must be really tired. It would be strange if he didn't sleep.

Only then did she cautiously open her eyes and turn around.

She expected to see him lying flat on his back, as he usually did at home.