Chapter 223
I immediately sensed the tension in the air. I nudged Neil gently. “I’ve said all there is to say. You can go now.”
“When did you ever clear things up?’ Neil’s eyes were locked on Russel, even as he responded to me
Russel finally got on his feet. He walked into the living room and shut the door behind him.
My living room was not big. With Neil and Russel, two big and burly guys, it felt a bit cramped.
“Neil, why are you hassling my girlfriend?’ Russel asked in an ice-cold tone.
“I’m just trying to get back with my ex-wife” Neil retorted shamelessly.
“But she’s my girlfriend now. You’re history. As a man, you should accept reality, not desperately cling to her. Russel tried to reason with Neil, but his eyes were filled with anger.
Neil scoffed, seemingly unphased, “As long as I’m alive, I’m not history. And you, after all these years of friendship, this is how you treat me?”
From any angle, Russel was in the wrong here. That was how the outside world saw it, too. Even if I were the last woman on Earth, Russel shouldn’t have gotten together with his friend’s ex-wife.
Russels face changed instantly. He had a flash of complex emotions in his eyes, and clearly guilt was among them. He glanced at me, and I returned his gaze silently. At this point, I could pretty much take anything. If Russel couldn’t handle the pressure and decided to break up with me, I could take that
too.
I took a lot of hits in this life and in my past life. Because of this, my ability to endure had grown stronger.
“I owe you this one. When the time is right, I’ll make it up to you.” Russel explained.
Neils face was stone-cold. “I dont need you to owe me anything, and I don’t need compensation. All I need is for you to break up with Irene.” That’s not going to happen!” Russel was adamant.
I took a step forward, reached out, and held his hand, then stood in front of Neil with him. I won’t give him up either Neil, you need to move on.” Neil’s gaze was fixed on our clasped hands. His teeth clenched, and his eyes filled with bitterness and anger. It was frightening, but there was no turning
back now.
Russel glanced at me, surprised by my initiative. A relieved smile spread across his face. Our hands tightened around each other.
Finally, Neil left, slamming the door behind him with a thud.
My heart skipped a beat.
The living room was quiet again. Russel looked at the half-prepared food on the table and apologized, “Sorry about that. Something sudden came up at -work. I left immediately after my shift, but you still had to wait. Are you mad?
“A little.” I admitted. “I thought you were hanging out with your other friends again.”
“Still thinking about Chloe Reynolds?’ Russel playfully stroked my cheek, bending down to comfort me. “There’s nothing going on between us. You’re all think about every second. But I can’t help but feel a little happy to see you act jealous over me.”
I smacked his hand away. “Then keep feeling happy! You might just make me mad enough to die.”
Russel looked startled, shaking his head immediately. “No, no, no! If I screw up again, you can slap me until you’re not mad anymore.”
“Fine, since you’re so sincere, I’ll forgive you this time. Now, come eat barbecue with me.” As I spoke, I headed to the kitchen and took out the food I had just put away
Russel smiled warmly The once-chilly apartment now felt a bit warm.
While we were eating, I told Russell would be going on a business trip the next day. He asked, “How long will you be gone?”
“About a week, depending on how long it takes me to convince the supplier” I replied.
“That long? What am I supposed to do when I miss you?” Russel seemed upset instantly.
I couldn’t help but laugh, “Who knew that you would be so clingy?”
Russel handed me a piece of perfectly grilled steak and said gently, “I only cling to you”
Cheerfully, I ate the steak, glancing outside from time to time. The rain was getting heavier, as if someone were pouring water from the sky.
I wondered if Neil had left. He was so stubborn that he was probably still standing downstairs, right?
By the time we finished eating, it was late. Russel kindly cleaned up the table, tossed the dishes and utensils into the dishwasher, then brought out a plate of washed fruit from the kitchen and set it in front of me.
“You really are a good man,” I praised him while eating a grape.
Russel sat next to me, turned, and looked at me, “So do I get a reward?”
After some thought, I peeled a grape for him, ‘Here’s a grape for your reward!”
Russel pretended to be indifferent, “Not enough”
“What do you want as a reward then?” I asked helplessly
4
“Look at how hard it’s raining outside. Do you really want me to drive home in this? What if I get into an accident on the way?” Russel bald seriously.
Was he just looking for an excuse to stay the night? Although my apartment was small, I had two bedrooms. He could stay here for the night.
I didn’t respond, and he sighed in disappointment, “Seems like I’m still not good enough. You don’t care about me at all,”
I burst out laughing. “Are you trying to spend the night here? You can, but we’re sleeping in separate rooms!”
Upon hearing this, Russel immediately smiled in satisfaction, “No problem! I’m a good man”
“Then I’ll go make the bed for this good man.” I got up, only to be pulled back by Russel. He drew me into his arms, planting a kiss on my face.
I stared at him in surprise, “I thought you said you were a good man?”
Russel laughed helplessly. “Just because I kissed your face doesn’t mean I’m not a good man, does it?”
Fair point
I started to tidy up the bed in the spare room. The rain was pitter-pattering against the window. I couldn’t resist going over to the window and looking down through the misty glass, but I was up high and it was hard to see anything in the rainy night, so I couldn’t make out what was happening downstairs.
Neil must’ve left by now, right? I thought to myself.
Just as I was starting to feel a bit uneasy, Russel showed up at the door of the spare room. He looked kinda off, “Rena, I can’t stay here tonight. I’ve gotta dash home.”
“What?” I was taken aback.
“I’ve got guests at home. I need to head back” Russel’s explanation sounded a bit forced.
