The casual way he said it, like spending time with me was something he genuinely enjoyed rather than just tolerated, made warmth spread through my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe lunch wouldn\u2019t be as awkward as I\u2019d feared. Maybe we could just be siblings grabbing food together, like normal people did. Maybe I was overthinking everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s that new sandwich place down the street,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
suggested. \u201cLeah says their turkey club is\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSounds perfect,\u201d he said, then reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze, shocked by the intimate gesture. My eyes widened as I stared at him, wondering what he was doing, why he was touching me so tenderly when we I thought we\u2019d keep things simple between us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes locked with mine for a moment that stretched too long, his fingers lingering near my cheek before he slowly pulled his hand back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hair was bothering you,\u201d he explained quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was surprised again, because Tristan hardly ever explained himself. He usually just did what he thought was right and expected people to understand his reasoning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After lunch, we went back to our respective offices. The afternoon passed quickly, both of us buried in work and pretending that small moment on the sidewalk hadn\u2019t happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When closing time arrived, Tristan appeared at my office door and insisted we ride home together like usual. But I was determined to maintain some independence, so I told him I\u2019d take my car instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked disappointed but didn\u2019t push the issue, which I appreciated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later that evening, we met up at Orion\u2019s house. Tristan spent most of the time talking with Orion about something they were trying to make sure I and Sarah had no part on, while Sarah continued to be completely nice and welcoming to me. I was starting to really like her \u2013 she had this way of making everyone feel included and valued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Liam was awake when we arrived, and I scooped him up into my arms the moment he reached for me. He was such a sweet baby, all chubby cheeks and curious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I was playing with him, I felt someone watching me intently. I looked up to find Tristan staring at\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
10%\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:38 Sat, Jan 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 69\u00a0<\/p>\n
me with an expression I couldn\u2019t quite read.\u00a0<\/p>\n
10%\u00a0<\/p>\n
When our eyes met, he didn\u2019t look away or seem embarrassed about being caught. He just smiled that soft smile that made my heart do complicated things.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why does he always do this, I can\u2019t help but wonder\u00a0<\/p>\n
We stayed until nearly midnight, talking and laughing and feeling like a real family again. When we finally decided to leave, Orion and Tristan ganged up of me about driving home so late.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not safe,\u201d Orion insisted. \u201cYou should ride with Tristan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI drive late all the time, so why can\u2019t I now?\u201d I protested, but they wouldn\u2019t hear any of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the end, I gave in and climbed onto the back of Tristan\u2019s motorcycle, leaving my car at Orion\u2019s for\u00a0<\/p>\n
the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before heading home, we made a detour to the hospital to check on Seraphine. She was recovering \u2013 well from her injuries, the doctors said, and would probably be released within the week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
But something about her behavior bothered me, though I couldn\u2019t quite put my finger on what it was\u00a0<\/p>\n
at first.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the next few days, as Tristan and I settled into a routine of work, lunch, visiting Orion \u2013 who still hasn\u2019t resumed, not that we mind \u2013 and then stopping by the hospital, I started to notice things about Seraphine that made me uncomfortable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was getting very close to Tristan. Too close, in my opinion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe they\u2019d always been friends, I didn\u2019t really know their history, and it wasn\u2019t my place to ask. But her behavior seemed deliberately calculated to get his attention and keep it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d call him at unreasonable hours with excuses about being scared and needing him to stay with her. Without fail, he\u2019d drop whatever he was doing and rush to the hospital, usually dragging me along so I wouldn\u2019t be left alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our routine became predictable: garage, lunch, Orion\u2019s house, then Seraphine\u2019s hospital room before finally going home. Sometimes she\u2019d call during the day with some new emergency or need, and Tristan would immediately abandon his work to go see her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He always brought me with him, which I appreciated, but I couldn\u2019t help noticing the look on\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:38 Sat, Jan 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 69\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seraphine\u2019s face every time I walked through the door behind him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her expression would shift from hopeful to disappointed in a split second, like I was ruining whatever plan she\u2019d had in mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t know if Tristan was completely oblivious to her behavior or if he was enjoying the attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was no way he couldn\u2019t notice how she hung on his every word, how she found excuses to touch his hand or arm, how she always seemed to need something whenever he started to leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t trust her. Something about the whole situation felt off, manipulative in a way that set my\u00a0<\/p>\n
teeth on edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But then I\u2019d remember what she\u2019d been through \u2013 the abuse, the near\u2013death experience, the fear and trauma that came with surviving something like that. I\u2019d remember my own struggles with Daxon, my own moments of desperation and need for comfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How could I judge another woman for seeking safety and protection after what she\u2019d endured? How could I let my own feelings about Tristan cloud my compassion for someone who was genuinely suffering?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to push down my doubts and suspicious thoughts. This wasn\u2019t about jealousy over a man. This was about supporting another survivor, even if her methods of coping made me uncomfortable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today, I found myself alone in Seraphine\u2019s hospital room while Tristan went to get something she claimed she desperately needed from the gift shop. I\u2019d wanted to go with him, but he\u2019d asked me to stay\u00a0<\/p>\n
behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe specifically said she wants to talk with you,\u201d he\u2019d explained. \u201cShe\u2019s hoping you two can get to\u00a0<\/p>\n
know each other better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d hated the idea but agreed for his sake, not wanting to seem petty or unreasonable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But we\u2019d been sitting in awkward silence for ten minutes now, and she hadn\u2019t said a single word to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If she\u2019d really wanted us to get along, wouldn\u2019t she at least try to start a conversation?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI see the way you look at him,\u201d she said suddenly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I raised my eyebrows slowly, trying to figure out where this conversation was heading.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse you?\u201d I asked a frown appearing on my face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:38 Sat, Jan 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
Memories Drifted Into Soft Silence by Kyx Frost 69 The casual way he said it, like spending time with me […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-second-gear-of-love-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26226\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}