Chapter 59
Jessica knew what Zachary meant, so she kept mum from the lobby all the way up to the room. She just… didn’t know how to start.
Whatever Robert said while dropping her off–those caring words–Zachary had probably heard every word of.
Standing just inside the doorway, she looked at Zachary, who was switching out of his outdoor shoes, and blurted in one breath, “The guy who sent me back earlier? We had dinner at his place. Elsa and the others were there, too.
“He’s my teacher’s son. We basically grew up together, from grade school through high school. He’s always looked out for me–basically a brother figure to me. I like him, but never in a romantic way.”
“Okay.”
Zachary had finished changing his shoes and quietly placed the indoor slippers in front of Jessica. He even crouched down to help her take her shoes off and switch into them.
“Aren’t you upset? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
She stood there like a confused robot, allowing him to help her with her shoes while still stuck on the earlier topic.
“I’m not upset.”
“Yeah, right. Like you weren’t the one who kept calling me ‘honey‘ on the phone and ending the call with ‘love you‘. You were obviously j—”
Jessica stopped herself right there before she could let the word “jealous” slip out. It didn’t seem appropriate to describe his feelings for her. So, she swallowed it.
After helping her into her slippers, Zachary rose. That was when she finally realized—while she had been rambling like crazy, he had been crouched down, helping her change her shoes,
She was stunned. The pressure in the air seemed to rise with him as he straightened to his full height.
At only five–foot–five, Jessica felt like a kid standing in front of someone nearly six–foot- three, cornered at the doorway with no way out.
“Stay away from those other guys,” he said quietly. “Or I won’t mind making our relationship public.”
His tone was eerily calm, but the weight of his words came crushing down on her. Honestly,
Chapter 59
she wished he would just yell at her. That would’ve been less terrifying.
“I got it,” she mumbled, though she believed she had done that enough. “Don’t be mad anymore, okay? I got these flowers for you.”
2/3
Jessica felt like she was trying to cheer up a grumpy child. Zachary’s eyes flicked down to the bundle of flowers she was awkwardly holding, and the dark look in his eyes suddenly softened.
She adjusted the flowers, then shoved them into his chest and ran off into the room. He stood there, stunned.
It was the second time she had given him flowers. The first was an accident. This time, she had picked them just for him.
A smirk crept onto Zachary’s lips. Holding the flowers, he walked over to the coffee table in the living room.
After her shower, Jessica came out in the same pajama set from yesterday, now freshly dried. She clutched the collar around her neck and winced, her brow scrunching as she hissed through her teeth.
“What’s wrong?” Zachary asked, pausing mid–motion after inserting the flowers in a vase.
“I scratched myself,” she muttered, looking around. “Where’s the first–aid kit?”
“Sit,” he said, nodding toward the couch.
Jessica glanced up, locking eyes with Zachary’s ever–unreadable gaze. Without a word, she obediently shuffled over to the single armchair and plopped down while waiting for him.
She was exhausted, sprawling sideways with her legs dangling off the edge. Pulling out her phone, she noticed that the group chat had exploded with more than 99 messages.
She tapped into the conversation and saw a screenshot sent by Elsa–of Zachary’s Instagram story. It was a photo of the wintersweet flowers.
Jessica tilted her head toward the vase nearby, then read the caption he had written. “Stunning.
Shirley: “Jess, is your husband grinning from ear to ear right now or what?”
Jessica: “It’s just flowers. What’s the big deal, guys?”
Shirley: “Let me educate you real quick. There’s a certain poem about wintersweets. ‘When we first met, you were the stunning moment I couldn’t forget. A dream I never saw coming, and a peace I didn’t expect. Even if we’re worlds apart, I’ll still be quietly guarding you from afar.‘
Jennifer: “You’re so freaking awesome, Jess. You literally just seized that man’s heart.” Jessica: “No way….”
Chapter 59
3/3
She slowly put away her phone, her eyes staring hollowly at the wintersweet petals scattered all over the table.
Jennifer: “Look what he wrote. Stunning? He’s probably talking about a person, not the flowers.”
“Did I… send him the wrong signals again? No wonder he’s not upset anymore,” Jessica mused. Amid her daze, Zachary suddenly reappeared before her. “Okay. Where did you hurt yourself?”
