Chapter 290\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone drank and then we started passing around food, the conversation flowed easily with\u00a0<\/p>\n
everyone sharing stories and laughing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I noticed Derek and Kiara kept shooting glances at each other when they thought the other\u00a0<\/p>\n
wasn\u2019t looking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
About halfway through dinner Sarah stood up and I knew what was coming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKiara, Derek, would you two mind helping me bring out the next course?\u201d she asked innocently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot to carry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw Derek\u2019s eyes narrow slightly, clearly suspicious, but he stood anyway because refusing\u00a0<\/p>\n
would be rude.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d Kiara said also standing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They followed Sarah to the kitchen and Leah leaned over to whisper in my ear, \u201cThink they\u2019ll kill\u00a0<\/p>\n
each other in there?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI give it fifty fifty odds,\u201d I whispered back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the kitchen we could hear Sarah directing them to grab different dishes, clearly positioning\u00a0<\/p>\n
them so they had to work together, there was the sound of plates clinking and low voices but no\u00a0<\/p>\n
yelling so that was a good sign.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They emerged a few minutes later both carrying serving dishes and I noticed their hands had\u00a0<\/p>\n
brushed when they\u2019d both reached for the same platter, the look they\u2019d exchanged had been electric,\u00a0<\/p>\n
filled with hatred but I knew that kind of hatred.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything okay?\u201d I asked sweetly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFine,\u201d Derek said shortly, setting down his dish and returning to his seat quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kiara said nothing but I saw the slight flush on her cheeks as she took her own seat, avoiding\u00a0<\/p>\n
looking in Derek\u2019s direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rest of dinner passed with more good food and conversation, Cara told a story about a\u00a0<\/p>\n
III\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 290\u00a0<\/p>\n
LIM\u00a0<\/p>\n
mishap at her job that had everyone laughing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maya talked about a trip she was planning, Leah gave us updates on her recent marriage and\u00a0<\/p>\n
how her husband was adjusting to married life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When it came time for dessert Sarah enlisted Derek and Kiara\u2019s help again, this time to clear the\u00a0<\/p>\n
dinner plates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re really pushing it,\u201d Orion murmured to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the point,\u201d Sarah whispered back with a mischievous smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This time when they went to the kitchen we heard raised voices and everyone in the dining\u00a0<\/p>\n
room went quiet, pretending not to listen but clearly listening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know anything about me,\u201d Kiara was saying, her voice sharp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know enough,\u201d Derek shot back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh really? Enlighten me then,\u201d Kiara challenged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we not do this here?\u201d Derek asked, his voice strained like he was trying to hold something\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the one who started it,\u201d Kiara pointed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was a long pause and then we heard Derek say quietly, \u201cI didn\u2019t start anything, you did\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He paused stopping himself but everyone knew what he wanted to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes widened and I looked at Sarah and Leah, they definitely had history, significant history\u00a0<\/p>\n
by the sound of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
None said anything again, and I wondered what was happening in there, then they came back\u00a0<\/p>\n
out both looking composed but I could see the tension in their shoulders and the way they both\u00a0<\/p>\n
carefully avoided looking at each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDessert will be ready in five minutes,\u201d Sarah announced cheerfully, pretending she hadn\u2019t heard\u00a0<\/p>\n
any of their conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After dessert everyone moved to the living room for coffee and more casual conversation, I\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
TUW, Jull AJ\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 290\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u5fc5\u970014%\u00a0<\/p>\n
maneuvered it so that the only available seats were in the loveseat and Derek and Kiara both hesitated when they realized they\u2019d either have to sit together or remain standing awkwardly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kiara sat first, settling on one end and leaving just enough room for one more person, Derek stood there for a moment looking like he\u2019d rather sit on the floor but finally lowered himself onto the opposite end of the loveseat, leaving as much space between them as physically possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throughout the rest of the evening I watched them, they barely spoke to each other directly but there was awareness between them that was impossible to miss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every time one moved the other seemed to notice, and when their eyes did meet they quickly removed it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Around ten people started making their moves to leave, Cara and Maya were first thanking us profusely and promising to get together again soon, then Leah gave me a meaningful look and a hug before heading out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Memories Drifted Into Soft Silence by Kyx Frost 290 Chapter 290\u00a0 Everyone drank and then we started passing around food, […]<\/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-26447","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\/26447","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=26447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26447\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}