Chapter 113\u00a0<\/p>\n
328\u00a0<\/p>\n
Would you like to come in for a drink? The words popped out before I could stop them. \u201cI mean, just for a few minutes, I have orange juice and water.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His face lit up with surprise and pleasure. I\u2019d like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My apartment felt smaller with Derek in it, but not uncomfortably so. He settled into my small couch while I went to the kitchen, grateful to have a moment to collect myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The evening had been so intense, so full of new experiences and emotions, that felt like I needed to catch my breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I grabbed two glasses and the orange juice from my tiny around with genuine interest rather than judgment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
gerator, t\u00a0<\/p>\n
trying to organize my thoughts. When i returned to the living room, Derek was looking\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour place is\u2026 he started, then paused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSmall, I finished for him, settling into the chair across from my\u00a0<\/p>\n
dining\u00a0<\/p>\n
table. \u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0f0b\u00a0<\/p>\n
Derek looked surprised, then shook his head quickly. \u201cNo, no, that\u2019s not what I was going to say at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I waited, curious about his actual impression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I was going to say your place is really nice and put together. It looks simple, but it has this homey feeling to it. Like it belongs to someone who knows what\u00a0<\/p>\n
they want.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words made something warm unfurl in my chest. \u201cReally? That\u2019s exactly why I picked it. It reminds me of the good old days, when things felt simpler.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can see that,\u201d Derek said, taking a sip of his juice. \u201cThere\u2019s something peaceful about it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever I take a deep breath here, I feel like there isn\u2019t any problem in the world that can\u2019t be solved,\u201d I found myself explaining, surprised by how easy it\u00a0<\/p>\n
was to talk to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t usually someone who enjoyed small talk with virtual strangers, but Derek had this way of listening that made me feel heard rather than judged. Maybe that\u2019s why Tristan had chosen him as a friend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tristan. Why did my mind keep circling back to him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018You\u2019re amazing, Derek said suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up at him, confused. \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both of us were still smiling from our conversation, the atmosphere relaxed and comfortable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s rare to see someone who loves the little things the way you do,\u201d he continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Most people, especially women, get caught up in flashy things, expensive things. But you\u2019re like the only person I\u2019ve met in ages who appreciates simple pleasures.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The feel of a motorcycle, the smell of your home, the way a place makes you feel safe. When you talk about those things, you get this bright, genuine smile that\u2019s just\u2026\u201d He trailed off, searching for words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks for the compliment,\u201d I said, feeling heat creep up my cheeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
111\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:32 Thu, Jan 8 R .\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 113\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a compliment, it\u2019s just the truth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Okay, thanks for complimenting me with the truth,\u201d I said, and both of us burst to laughter at the silly exchange.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But our laughter cut off abruptly when a knock came at the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Derek and I looked at each other, the mood shifting instantly from relaxed to alert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Are you expecting anyone?\u201d he asked quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u6797\u5ff532%\u4efd\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced at the clock on my wall. It was after nine o\u2019clock, well past the time when Orion, Sarah, or even Tristan would typically visit. None of them would show up this late without calling first.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said, my voice dropping to match his volume. I have no idea who that could be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I started to get up to answer the door, but Derek was already on his feet, moving to position himself between me and the door\u00a0<\/p>\n
shield.\u00a0<\/p>\n
f protective\u00a0<\/p>\n
The gesture was both touching and slightly irritating, I appreciated the thought, but I wasn\u2019t helpless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Memories Drifted Into Soft Silence by Kyx Frost 113 Chapter 113\u00a0 328\u00a0 Would you like to come in for a […]<\/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-26270","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\/26270","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=26270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26270\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}