"Are you home yet?" Neil asked me as soon as I picked up the phone.
"Just got home. What's up?" I asked back, a little confused, but I knew deep down that Neil just wanted to see me.
The living room was quiet, and Neil's voice coming from the other end of the phone sounded incredibly charming, "I miss you. I want to come over."
Even though I had been trying to stay rational, I had been stuck in a rut, struggling now and then. Neil and I were getting closer, and there was nothing hidden between us.
My heart started beating faster when Neil said that. I felt the excitement of our first meeting; a little bit of attention from him would make me incredibly happy.
I took a deep breath to calm myself down, "Forget it. It's too late. I'm going to take a bath and go to bed."
Neil paused, "Come see me first, then you can take your bath. Anything you want to talk about?"
Actually, there was something I wanted to tell him about what happened tonight; I wanted to hear Neil's opinion.
I was sure Kate wouldn't be showing up in front of me anymore. I didn't believe Bonnie would put up with her. She would have certainly found a way to get rid of her.
As if looking for an excuse to see him, I decided to go next door.
Neil was waiting for me in the yard, sitting on a wicker chair, the soft light in the yard casting on him, making him look like a character from a painting.
I must admit, even though I despised that man, I still appreciated his appearance because eyes didn't lie.
Stella once told me bluntly that I was just attracted by Neil's handsome appearance.
This statement still applied to me.
"What are you doing standing there? Come here, let me hug you." Neil waved at me when he saw me. His gesture made him seem like a cunning fox.
I should have been more open. But at that moment, I was a bit shy.
I slowly walked over to Neil after closing the door. Just as I was about to sit down, he pulled me into his arms without hesitation. I sat on his lap. His familiar smell of tobacco mixed with my favorite perfume scent made me feel complicated.
Neil looked at my profile, his voice deep and magnetic, "Tonight, you finally defended your reputation, didn't you?"
"Yeah, my company's PR department is also dealing with this issue." I nodded, trying to focus on other things.
"I saw. As long as you can clear up some rumors, that's good. But doing so might negatively affect Chloe's parents. They just lost their daughter." Neil said deeply as if testing me.
I cut him off, "What they feel has nothing to do with me. They should have foreseen this when they twisted the truth and blamed me for their pain. Whether it's Chloe or her parents, they brought this upon themselves, right?"
Hearing him so serious about it, I panicked even more.
I suddenly wanted to avoid him. If I could avoid having sex with him, at least that could be an excuse for not getting pregnant. If Neil knew about my thoughts now, he would have probably gone crazy.
Neil's hand slipped under my clothes. I felt a chill on my lower body and shivered. I quickly grabbed his hand to stop his next move and said, "I'm not feeling well today. My back hurts."
"Should I be gentle then?" Neil didn't seem to want to give up.
"Maybe next time. I want to go to bed early." I felt Neil's hand moving. It looked like he wanted to continue, so I immediately tightened my grip on his hand to stop him.
Neil looked a bit dissatisfied when he felt my resistance. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, "What are you thinking about? You're deliberately avoiding this. Don't you want a baby?"
Sometimes, I really thought Neil could be a part-time psychologist or fortune teller. His predictions were too accurate.
"No, actually. I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I just swung by to chat and discuss some things that happened today and get your two cents." I tried to sidestep Neil, but he did something that really got my goat. He grabbed me hard, and I was just about ready to cuss him out.
Neil wrapped his arm around my waist and shamelessly threatened me, "If you dare to leave now, I'm going to follow you home and stick to you like glue until your mom catches on."
"Neil, are you kidding me? You're using this childish excuse to threaten me?" I couldn't help but lay it on the line. He was always calm and mature in front of others, but the words he just spat out sounded more like a three-year-old boy.
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