Chapter 289 - 276: Are We Still Friends?
Georgia Thorne held her pen, gazing at the scenery outside as she slowly put it to paper. The lines from her hand were sharp, and a form gradually began to take shape.
Justin Sullivan watched from the side. She had always had a talent for this. He sat quietly beside her.
This continued until lunchtime, when Evan Shelby came over to call the two of them to eat.
Evan Shelby didn’t know about their relationship yet. When Georgia Thorne called Justin Sullivan "uncle," Evan Shelby froze for a moment and looked at them, confused. "Nina, what did you call Jean?"
"Teacher Shepherd, you didn’t know?" Georgia Thorne saw his growing confusion and explained, "I was adopted by a family named Thorne, and Jean happens to be my adoptive mother’s younger brother."
"Oh, so that’s how it is."
Evan Shelby looked at them. Justin Sullivan’s eyes still held adoration for Georgia Thorne. ’If she’s suddenly calling him uncle, that creates a huge generational gap. How can they ever be together in the future?’
Justin Sullivan didn’t like hearing Georgia Thorne call him uncle. It was truly grating. He said, "Nina, you’ve already cut ties with the Thorne Family. We’re not an elder and a junior anymore, are we?"
"Okay, then I’ll just call you what I used to, Brother Jean."
"Just call me Jean!" Justin Sullivan said with a frown.
’Brother Jean... that was a childhood name. He remembered that when Georgia Thorne first started liking him, she would occasionally work up the courage to call him simply ’Jean,’ with the intimacy of a lover.’
"Okay, Jean!" Georgia Thorne said his name earnestly.
Justin Sullivan turned his head to look into her eyes, a trace of resentment stirring in his heart.
’Unfortunately, she no longer has those kinds of feelings for me now. It’s mostly just the affection one has for a friend.’
After lunch, the two of them went for a walk outside.
Georgia Thorne kept her head down. The withered grass underfoot was yellow, revealing patches of soil.
She searched for a topic of conversation. "How are things going with you and your fiancée?"
"It’s... fine."
"Since you’re already engaged, when are you planning to get married?"
"I don’t know!"
"..."
Suddenly, both fell silent.
Georgia Thorne’s gaze drifted to the distant mountain range. It looked so close, but it was actually very far away.
Justin Sullivan followed her line of sight and clenched his fists tightly.
’Getting engaged wasn’t what he wanted. Since he couldn’t marry the person he wanted to marry, what difference did it make who he got engaged to?’
’So he had agreed to the engagement, but he regretted it the very day it happened.’
’He had personally heard Elliot Sheridan speak of his wife in a boastful tone. Back then, he’d clung to a sliver of hope. As long as they didn’t publicly announce their relationship, he had a chance. He wanted to drag out his own engagement for as long as possible.’
’But not long ago, Elliot Sheridan had openly appeared at an event with Georgia Thorne and announced their relationship to everyone.’
’He hadn’t been there in person, but he had heard about it. It was easy to imagine that news of their relationship must have spread to everyone.’
Justin Sullivan took a deep breath, pushing aside his melancholy. "What about you? Are you and he doing okay?"
"We’re doing great!"
’How great is "great"?’
’Justin Sullivan couldn’t grasp the concept, because he had never truly been with Georgia Thorne. It was probably even better than how things were before he went abroad.’
’Great. Then that’s good.’
’Speaking of which, he really missed his old life. How wonderful would it have been if he hadn’t gone abroad back then?’
’Then the person with Georgia Thorne now would be him, wouldn’t it?’
After their walk, they returned to find Evan Shelby instructing students on their painting.
Georgia Thorne returned to her chair and continued working on her unfinished painting.
She looked at Justin Sullivan, who was beside her. "Aren’t you going to paint, too?"
"No, I’m not suited for painting anymore!" Justin Sullivan refused decisively.
She hadn’t finished the painting when she got a call from Elliot Sheridan, asking what she was doing.
"I’m out sketching!"
"Where?"
"In a suburb really far from the city..."
Before Georgia Thorne could say where, Elliot Sheridan on the other end of the line recited the exact address.
She froze for a second, then remembered the tracking app he had installed on her phone was still on. "I used to come here a lot. I can get back on my own. I’m hanging up now!"
She looked at her phone, thoroughly frustrated. ’I have no privacy at all.’
She turned back to see Justin Sullivan staring intently at her painting. "Is there something wrong with it?"
"You’ve gotten even better than before." ’Much more brilliant, too.’
When Georgia Thorne finished her painting, Evan Shelby said he wanted to take it to have it framed later.
"Teacher Shepherd, my painting is really bad," Georgia Thorne said, embarrassed.
"Nonsense. I heard from Jean that you got into Archetype Company, didn’t you? That’s not a place just anyone can get into." Evan Shelby carefully put the painting away. "By the way, are you two staying for dinner tonight?"
Justin Sullivan looked at Georgia Thorne expectantly. He hoped she would be able to stay.
"I can’t. I have to go back. My husband is waiting for me at home!"
"Nina, you’re married?"
"Mhm, for over half a year now!" Georgia Thorne broke into a sweet smile. "Teacher Shepherd, I’ll bring him to visit you next time."
"Great, great!" Evan Shelby replied with a smile, while stealing a glance at Justin Sullivan.
Justin Sullivan showed no sign of shock. He must have already known.
In winter, nightfall comes early.
Georgia Thorne got into Justin Sullivan’s car. It was just after five when they got back to the city, but the twilight was deepening, and the streetlights on both sides of the road flickered on.
"You can just drop me off at the next intersection," Georgia Thorne said suddenly.
Justin Sullivan did as she asked, stopping the car by the side of the road at the intersection.
Georgia Thorne pushed the car door open, but Justin Sullivan called out to her.
Georgia Thorne turned back, her expression earnest as she looked at him. Justin Sullivan’s throat tightened. "Nina... we’re still friends, right?"
"...Of course we are!"
"Goodbye!"
"Yeah, goodbye!"
Being friends with Justin Sullivan wasn’t as hard as she had imagined.
On the contrary, she felt a sense of relief. Gaining a friend was a good thing.
But for Justin Sullivan, it was not such a comfortable matter.
When Georgia Thorne got back to the apartment, Elliot Sheridan wasn’t home yet.
Washing vegetables, cooking dinner... it felt as if time had rewound to the past.
Just as the meal was almost ready, she got a call from Elliot Sheridan. He said he would be back very late tonight and that she shouldn’t wait up for him.
Georgia Thorne just said, "Oh," her mood immediately sinking.
’If he’d said so earlier, I wouldn’t have bought so much food.’
Georgia Thorne ate dinner by herself, then showered and watched TV in bed as usual.
By eleven, Elliot Sheridan still hadn’t returned, so she decided to turn off the light and go to sleep.
She didn’t sleep well. She heard a sound from the door, and before she could even react, a body was already pressing down on her.
The familiar scent, the familiar warmth—she knew it was Elliot Sheridan.
She shifted. "You’re crushing me!"
Elliot Sheridan grunted, wearily rolling off of Georgia Thorne. Still fully clothed, he lay down beside her, pulling both her and the blanket into his arms.
His mood seemed off. Georgia Thorne turned to get closer to him. "What’s wrong? Did something go wrong at work?"
"No!" Elliot Sheridan held her tighter, his eyes closed in a clear sign he didn’t want to talk about it.
If he didn’t want to say, she wouldn’t force him. She just couldn’t help but wonder what was bothering him so much.
Mulling it over, she gradually fell asleep in his arms.
After Georgia Thorne fell asleep, Elliot Sheridan opened his eyes and stared at her fixedly. A deep, indissoluble affection filled his dark eyes, and he wrapped his arms around her even more tightly.
They both slept until dawn.
「The next morning」
When Georgia Thorne woke up, she found most of her body pressed against Elliot Sheridan.
She had barely moved when a certain someone woke up.
’Who was it that said you can’t provoke a man in the morning because their desires are so strong?’
Just as Georgia Thorne was about to get up, the man beneath her pinned her by the shoulders, and with a flip, she was forced down on top of Elliot Sheridan.
His sharp eyes, filled with intense possessiveness, were staring hard at her. She could now feel Elliot Sheridan’s intense desire quite clearly.
"Stop messing around, I have to get up!" she said, carefully wiggling her body to avoid his hardened arousal, trying to escape.
"Don’t get up. ’Sleep’ with me for a bit."
This "sleep" was definitely not the usual kind of sleep. Georgia Thorne’s face flushed red as she decisively refused, "No!"
"’No’ is not an option!"
The passionate lovemaking left them both utterly exhausted. Georgia Thorne lay limply under the covers, her eyes closed and her chest heaving dramatically.
"Don’t you have to go to work today?"
"Shameless!" She shot him a glare. ’Was this his version of "The spring night is too short, the sun is already high, so the sovereign skips morning court"?’
"Shameless? What good is having face? Is my pride more important than my wife?"
The man was thoroughly satisfied.
If Georgia Thorne’s stomach hadn’t started growling, Elliot Sheridan would not have been willing to let her go so quickly.
’She’s even more exquisite than I imagined.’
Having Georgia Thorne back in his arms made Elliot Sheridan’s days incredibly blissful. He never wanted to let her go again.
The two of them messed around until high noon before finally getting up, mainly because Georgia Thorne seized the opportunity to scramble out of his arms while Elliot Sheridan was on a call.
Georgia Thorne rushed into the bathroom, not forgetting to lock the door behind her, terrified that Elliot Sheridan would follow her in.
Seeing the two toothbrushes in the cup, the blush that had faded slowly crept back onto her cheeks. After brushing her teeth, Georgia Thorne came out to find Elliot Sheridan still on the phone.
Elliot Sheridan beckoned to her and mouthed the words, "Bring me my shirt."
Georgia Thorne pouted, but she picked a clean shirt from the closet and handed it to him. He took the shirt and simultaneously shoved the phone into her hands. "My mom wants to talk to you for a bit!"
"Huh?" Georgia Thorne looked at him in a panic, her hands trembling so much she wanted to just throw the phone back at him.
But Elliot Sheridan had already stepped into the bathroom, giving her no chance to do so.
"Are you Georgia Thorne?" It wasn’t until Sharon Ennis’s questioning voice came through the phone that Georgia Thorne finally gripped it tightly and replied, "Yes. Hello, Auntie!"
Although Sharon Ennis didn’t usually like to socialize much, she still had a few good friends she saw from time to time.