Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 1548

Norah looked a bit downcast and let out a soft huff. "I know you wouldn't care. You'd rather I develop a thing for Adrian, so I'd stop bothering you. That would make you happy, wouldn't it?"
Xavier only furrowed his brows slightly in response, his tongue lightly tapping against his back teeth, but he didn't say a word.
"Now, can you help me move the ladder?" Norah asked, looking up at him.
Without a word, Xavier turned to help her with the ladder.
As she watched him, Norah suddenly asked, "Why did you get mad earlier?"
Xavier stiffened slightly but denied it coolly: "I wasn't mad."
Norah raised an eyebrow playfully and whispered, "You were totally mad!"
Ignoring her, Xavier quickened his pace as he moved the ladder.
He positioned it under the rose wall. "Tell me how to prune, and I'll do it for you!"
"No need, you'd probably chop off all the flowers," Norah countered, dissatisfied. "I'll do it myself."
Unable to convince her otherwise, Xavier watched as she climbed the ladder, a sense of worry creeping over him as he held the ladder steady for her.
As Norah was trimming off the excess branches and dead leaves, she looked down at Xavier. "There might be more leaves falling in a few days. I won't be here, so it'll be up to you guys."
Looking up at her, Xavier saw a radiant beauty standing high in the sunlight. She seemed like the morning sun, full of vitality, and he felt dazzled by her. He felt their gap more clearly now. He was like a dried leaf, living in the shadows, waiting to decay while she shone brightly.
Lowering his gaze, Xavier answered calmly, "No worries, I'll clean it up later."
Norah continued to climb, "Let Zachary do it. Look at him, he's getting fatter and needs to exercise."
Distracted, Xavier responded, "Alright."
"And when I'm not here, make sure to water my flowers regularly. The spider lily can wait till the weekend, but the roses and sunflowers need watering daily."
"Alright."
"And take the cat out for walks often. It's becoming a lazy furball."
"Alright."
"And you should cut back on smoking. You're too hooked on it."
Raising his head to look at Norah, who was still working on the flowers and talking, Xavier jested, "You seem to be leaving for a long time. You're detailing everything so meticulously."
Norah blushed, and her eyes darted around. She just wanted to talk more with him. He was always so tight-lipped!
Xavier noticed her reddening earlobes glistening in the sunlight, and he felt a sudden restlessness. He reached for a cigarette but remembered they were upstairs.
Distractedly watching Xavier, Norah reached for a dead leaf. Suddenly, a large bug was startled and flew straight at her.
Terrified, Norah leaned back to dodge the bug and slipped. She fell off the ladder.
"Ahh!" She couldn't help but scream out.
In a split second, Xavier rushed forward and caught Norah in his arms.
With her eyes closed and her face as white as a sheet, Norah landed safely in Xavier's strong arms. She opened her eyes, panic-stricken.
"What just happened?" Xavier asked, frowning at her frightened expression.
With her heart pounding, Norah stuttered, "There was a big bug!"
Xavier couldn't help but laugh. "And here I thought you were brave!"
Norah's face remained pale as she shot back, "You're making fun of me! I'm terrified of bugs!"
"It's okay," Xavier reassured her, seeing how scared she was.
Only after they finished speaking did Xavier realize he was still holding Norah and quickly set her down.