Lilith’s Pov
I hadn’t laughed this much in forever.
Nolan wasn’t even the type of person to laugh out loud, but the jokes he made? So dry, so serious–but somehow they always made me laugh like a crazy person. And all he ever did in return was chuckle, just a low chuckle that somehow made my heart feel warm.
I felt so… safe around him.
I didn’t know why. I shouldn’t.
I mean, this is Nolan. Killian’s brother. A man with a fiancée.
And yet here I was, standing in his shirt, cooking with him in his kitchen, and feeling like… this was okay?
No, it’s not okay.
I have no business feeling anything.
I’ve been broken enough. I don’t need anything else that will crush me again. Not now. Not ever. That’s what Killian did to me. That’s what I swore I’d never go through again.
So maybe, just maybe, I’ll stay here for like three or four days.
Just to breathe. Just to exist.
And when I go back, I’ll avoid Nolan. Completely.
That’s how the feelings will die.
That’s how I’ll stay safe.
Maybe I’ll stay alone for the rest of my life.
Because I can’t go back to Killian. I hate him now.
I do. And this time, it’s not a feeling that will go away.
“What are you thinking?” Nolan asked, cutting into my thoughts.
I blinked. “Nothing.”
He looked at me like he didn’t believe me. “Okay.”
As we were cooking, I could feel his eyes on me. Just watching anf staring.
I didn’t say anything.
I didn’t want him to stop.
And that scared me.
But it also made my chest do this weird, fluttery thing I hadn’t felt in a long time.
The food was finally ready.
“Do you want to eat now?” I asked him.
He shrugged, that usual calm look on his face. “Only if you’re ready to eat.”
I laughed a little. “Stop.”
“I’m serious,” he said. “Only if you’re ready.”
“Okay, I’m ready,” I smiled, even though I was trying to act chill.
“Then I’m ready too,” he said.
We dished the food and moved to the dining table. Set everything. Took off the aprons. Washed our hands. And sat.
It was silent.
The house was huge, and it was just the two of us.
It felt… intimate. Way too intimate.
We looked like a couple. We weren’t, but it felt that way.
And that made the silence awkward.
So I decided to say something.
“Have you been hearing from Zoey?” I asked, casually, or at least I tried to sound that way.
He said a quiet, “Yes.”
Something about how he answered made the air shift.
His mood. His energy. Something dropped. Just slightly.
I tilted my head. “Are you guys having issues? Did something happen?”
He looked at me. “No. Why do you ask?”
I shrugged. “Nothing. Just… it felt like your mood changed when I mentioned her.”
He shook his head. “It must be your thoughts.”
“Okay,” I said, even though it didn’t feel that way.
I picked at the food on my plate, then asked, “Do you just come here alone? Like, just by yourself?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I like my space. Zoey doesn’t, unless it’s work. Sometimes I just need to be alone.”
I frowned a little. “I don’t think that’s possible. If you like someone, you’d want them beside you.”
He looked at me for a second. “Maybe. But that’s just who I am.”
“Okay”
I leaned back in the chair a bit and tried to smile. “Let’s talk about something. This place is kind of boring.”
He chuckled. “Okay. Ask me anything.”
“What was your most embarrassing moment as a kid?”
He made a face like he had to dig deep. “I don’t know. We grew up in literal perfection. Maybe the day I tried to ride a bike in front of my friends. I didn’t know how to. And I fell.”
I laughed, covered my mouth. “Oh my God! That’s so funny. I’m so sorry. But I know you must have shown them who the real boss is when you finally learned.”
He shook his head. “Nope. I still don’t know how to ride a bike. A bicycle.”
I stared at him. “That’s not true. How is that possible?”
“I don’t know. I was just scared of it. Still am.”
“You?” I blinked. “Nolan? Scared?”
“Yes,” he said. “Why are you so shocked?”
I laughed again. “You are definitely learning how to ride a bicycle.”
He raised a brow. “I’ve had one for years. It’s in the garage.”
“Oh my God,” I said, wide–eyed. “Thank you for telling me. Because after we eat and rest–guess what–you’re definitely learning today.”
“No.” He said.
“Yes.”
There is no backing out.
We stopped talking and just ate in silence after that.
It wasn’t awkward anymore. It was just… quiet. Calm. The kind of silence you don’t want to break.
I reached for the plates when we were done, but Nolan was quick to stop me.
“Leave that,” he said. “I’ll do it myself.”
I shook my head. “I don’t mind.”
He gave me that look–the kind that’s firm but soft. “Just rest, Lilith.”
And before I could argue again, he picked up the plates and walked to the kitchen. Came back. Took the rest.
He was already moving away when he said, “That’ll be all for today. I’m going to my room to work.”
I blinked. “Wow. So you’re running away? Is it because I said we’re going to train?”
He raised a brow.
“Ten minutes,” I said, grinning. “Just ten. I promise. I just want to laugh.”
He squinted at me. “You want to make fun of me.”
“Nooo,” I zipped my lips with my fingers. “Promise. I won’t laugh.”
I was definitely going to laugh.
He sighed, the kind of sigh that meant fine, I give in.
“I’ll get the bike from the garage. Just go out through that door, I’ll meet you outside.”
“Okay,” I said, already walking, my heart weirdly excited.
I waited outside, watching the breeze move through the trees. A few minutes later, he came out with a full–grown adult bicycle. I almost laughed but kept it inside.
“Okay,” I said, reaching for it, “I’ll show you how it’s done.”
He handed it to me with this unimpressed look.
“This is what you want a grown man to do?”
I smirked. “I’m only twenty, remember? Not that grown. And I’m trying to be a good influence.”
“I don’t think I need that kind of influence,” he muttered.
“Oh, but you do. You need to loosen up a little. You’re always so… stiff.”
“I’m not stiff.”
“You are,” I teased. “Now shut up and listen.”
I started showing him the basics–where to place his feet, how to balance, when to pedal.
He was just staring at me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t solve.
“Are you even listening?”
“Yes,” he said flatly.
“Good. Now it’s your turn. Let’s go.”
He held the bike for a second and then stepped back. “I can’t do this. I really can’t. What if someone sees me?”
I looked around dramatically. “Which someone? There’s nobody here. It’s just me.”
“Twenty seconds. That’s all I’m giving you.”
“But you promised me ten minutes!”
“I’m taking that promise back. This feels like… an insult.”
I crossed my arms. “Fine. Don’t do it. I won’t force you.”
He paused. “Okay, okay. I’ll do it.”
I lit up. “Yes!”
He climbed on the bike. I moved in close, gently placing his hand where it should be. His skin was warm. Close. Too close.
And something inside me fluttered again.
Why do I feel this way?
He has a fiancée.
I stepped back quickly and just used my voice to guide him.
He rode forward. One… two… three… four tries.
Then he hopped off. “Nope. I can’t do this. It’s embarrassing.”
“You’re doing fine! I’m literally the only one here.”
“No.”
“Okay, okay. You don’t want to learn.”
“Exactly. Do you know how many companies I own? And I’m here trying to ride a bicycle.”
I laughed. “Alright, Mr. CEO. I was just trying to play.”
VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Dear Wife, I Hate You (by Josephine Mbanefo)