Resign with Grace, Return with Fire Chapter 27
“I’m fine, but you… That has to hurt, right?” Ariana asked.
I smiled. “I’m thick-skinned. It’s no big deal. It’s a good thing your face didn’t get hurt. I’d feel awful if you ended up disfigured.”
Ariana blushed; even her ears became a suspicious shade of red.
An ugly look crept onto Sandra’s face. She’d been completely left out while Ariana and I chatted and laughed. She snapped, “Your tenderness belongs to me, Fred. I won’t let you be gentle to other women!”
With that, she rushed over again, trying to pull us apart.
Her repeated outbursts finally enraged the other moviegoers around us. They had watched the whole thing, and her voice had been interrupting them. At this point, they’d had enough and started complaining.
“Seriously? Can you knock it off? The guy already has a girlfriend, so let go. Why cling to him like that?”
“Yeah, you’re acting like a crazy person! You can’t compare to his current girlfriend at all, and you’re slandering her, making her out to be some horrible homewrecker. If I were him, I’d be fed up, too!”
“You’re like a piece of chewed gum. It’s impossible to shake you off. That’s terrifying!”
The chorus of complaints grew louder and soon attracted the attention of the cinema staff. To avoid ruining everyone’s movie experience, they stepped in and forcefully pulled Sandra away.
Once the cinema fell silent again, I turned to Ariana and whispered, “Thanks for earlier, Ariana.”
She smiled faintly. “It was nothing. In fact, I should be thanking you. You saved me back there. That was a life- saving favor, and I have no way to repay you, unless I…”
She leaned close as she spoke, her warm breath fanning across my face.
A shiver ran through me, and my heartbeat kicked into a fast, pounding rhythm.
I hurriedly changed the subject. “Uh, since we helped each other out, let’s call it even this time.”
“No way. To thank you, come by my place after the movie,” Ariana said. Her eyes were bright as she looked at
She wanted me to go to her place? My heart jumped straight to my throat. This was moving a little too quickly, wasn’t it?
While I wrestled with how to politely decline, Ariana flashed a playful smile. A hint of triumphant mischief glinted in her eyes.
“What are you thinking? I want you to come to my place to pick the cat up. My allergy to cat hair is getting pretty bad. I can’t keep the cat anymore,” she said.
Only then did I notice the patches of red rashes along her neck. I quickly agreed and even placed an order to send her some allergy medication.
After the movie, I went to Ariana’s place to pick up the cat. I said, “You can come by my place anytime if you
miss her. After all, you’re her mom. I’ll always welcome you.”
“Then I’ll entrust her to you, Cat’s Daddy!” She smiled sweetly, her eyes soft with affection as she looked at me.
Under her gaze, my ears warmed up involuntarily. Something unfamiliar bloomed in my chest, and I said my goodbyes in a hurry to keep things from getting out of hand. Then, I practically fled her apartment.
As I left, I could’ve sworn I heard her laugh softly. “So cute.”
I had barely calmed down after leaving the apartment when I saw Sandra standing by the door, her eyes red-
rimmed.
She was both angry and aggrieved when she saw me come out. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears as she asked, “Isn’t that woman the actress you hired, Fred? Why did you come out of her place?”
