Chapter 362/Do you like me?
Chapter 362
Julie’s point of view
His large hand froze mid-stir for a fraction of a second, as if the question had struck a raw nerve inside him. However, he quickly recovered, never lifting his eyes from the bubbling pot. He let out a short, scoffing exhale from between his lips, answering with absolute detachment, "I don’t know."
I curled my mouth in disgust and dissatisfaction at his vague response, returning to chopping the rest of the potatoes with a slight violence that made a sharp clatter against the board. "What the hell do you mean, you don’t know? Are you an animal that just reacts without a conscious mind?"
He finally turned his head and neck toward me, locking his piercing eyes deep into mine with a heavy, stone-cold rigidity. He said with absolute finality, "Exactly what you just heard. No clear reason."
I continued pressing the sharp blade of the knife against the cutting board with utter coolness, asking in a low, cunning murmur while keeping my eyes fixed on the vegetables, "Tell me honestly... do you like me?"
His eyebrows shot up in intense disbelief and shock at my audacity. He asked with a scathing scoff and a degrading look, "You?"
Then he let out a short, sharp, and provoking laugh that filled the small kitchen. He added decisively, "Never. Not in any way, shape, or form."
A faint, mysterious, and mocking smirk played on my lips as I finished chopping the potato with absolute coldness, completely indifferent to his insult. He noticed my expression and my eerie calmness, knitting his brows in suspicion and paranoia. "What is it?" he asked sharply, irritated. "Why the hell are you smiling?"
I gave a light, dismissive shrug, refusing to look at him or give him an answer to satisfy his curiosity. "Nothing worth mentioning... just fleeting thoughts."
On high alert, he took a wide step toward me, blatant suspicion consuming his features. "And what’s the secret behind that goddamn provoking smirk on your face right now? Talk!"
I completely ignored his question and his mounting anger as if he hadn’t spoken a word. Gathering the diced vegetables with my slender fingers into a large glass bowl, I picked it up steadily and took an aggressive step forward, slamming it down hard into his hands with a loud clatter. "Take it," I snapped. "I finished the chopping exactly as you requested, without any mistakes. Go finish your grand dish."
He grabbed the glass bowl from my hands with rough resentment, quickly dumping the vegetables over the sizzling meat in the pot. Then, he grabbed the kettle of hot water and poured it carefully; a thick, suffocating cloud of white steam instantly billowed up, masking his face and features for a few seconds before he slammed the heavy iron lid tightly over the pot, choking out the sound.
I stepped back with smooth strides, pulling a clean cloth to wipe down the moisture and scattered peelings from the marble countertop. I heard him exhale a sigh of relief and exhaustion, a mocking tone bleeding into his voice as he said, "Thank God I actually know how to cook skillfully... otherwise, we would have spent this entire night without a single bite to eat."
I curled my lips in sheer dismissiveness, aggressively shaking out the cloth. "If we went without food for a day or two, Jake, we wouldn’t drop dead from hunger. Don’t exaggerate and try to turn yourself into a culinary hero."
He moved with heavy, staggered, and slow steps toward the corner of the kitchen, sinking heavily and painfully onto a small wooden stool. A sharp, muffled groan of agony escaped his clenched teeth as he clutched his injured side. "My entire body hurts, tearing apart and cramping up because of your blows... damn you and your underlying madness!"
I slowly turned toward him, locking my cold gaze onto his exhausted, broken frame. I spoke with a venomous, satisfied tone that warmed my heart, "That’s excellent. It’ll make you think twice and plan carefully next time before you ever dare touch me, or come anywhere near my body without my full, genuine consent. Because next time, I’ll cut off something else."
He leaned his back against the wall stubbornly, grinding his teeth hard as he glared at me in a final show of defiance. "I will never touch you again for as long as I live. I’ll treat you like a dead piece of wood even if you’re the one begging for it and crying for me."
I took a slow step forward, my eyes narrowing with a lethal, fatal feminine cunning. "Are you telling me with such confidence that you don’t want me?"
He nodded with absolute certainty and conviction.
"Exactly. That’s exactly what I’m saying and meaning. You are completely done to me."
My slender fingers reached out with excruciating slowness, a subtle, unnoticeable movement along the marble surface as my grip tightened firmly around the handle of the large, razor-sharp metal knife with an eerie, terrifying calmness.
I moved with smooth, silent, and light strides like a predatory panther toward his wooden stool. His back was completely turned to me as he rubbed his neck in exhaustion, his eyes closed.
In a split, terrifying second, I leaned my upper body forward from behind his broad back, pressing the cold, lethal edge of the metal blade directly against the warm skin at the curve of his neck. The sudden ambush and pure terror made his entire body lock up instantly like stone.
I tilted my head toward his earlobe in blatant defiance, my warm breath fanning his skin as I whispered, "Last night... that wasn’t what you were saying, Jake!"
[I know I’ve been away for a long time, but don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you this month.
We’ve come a long way in the story and it will probably end soon. I don’t know the end yet. It might not end anytime soon, lol ...I will do my best ]