Chapter 15: Chapter 15

“You begged me to unbuckle your belt. Why? Are you imagining something else?”

When Adira asked this while she was in front of him and on her knees, Chadwick stood there like an unmovable tree. He wanted to blame her that his mind only went on worst way because she’s acting weird. Yet the words stuck inside his throat, they can’t just go out of his lips.

Chadwick gulped hard, as if eating a thousand of pebbles. Without saying anything, he looked at the woman in front and watched her holds the belt with her delicate fingers.

“It is because,” Adira’s whisper words carefully slipped from her lips. “It will be hard to remove your belt while standing. I am not going to eat you, so relax.”

Eat.

That’s right.

That is what Chadwick imagined. Her eating him. His what?

With widened eyes and reddened cheeks, he looked back at her who’s currently removing his belt. That made his stomach even more painful, he thinks he’ll explode.

“Okay. I finished unbuckling your belt ho…”

Pooooooooop!

Chadwick did explode… but in another embarrassing way.

Adira slowly looked up and met the gaze of the man who suddenly farted. Since she’s on the floor, the rank and stinky odor reached into her nose faster than him.

The smell is so unpleasant, disgusting and offensive that will make anyone feel so nauseated, even the owner. It is as if the garbage had not been taken out for days.

“Wow,” Adira murmured before she covered her nose.

The embarrassed man, who wanted to find a hole where he can bury himself, ran away and went inside the comfort room. There, he found another hole; a hole where he could drop his bombs.

Adira looked at the closed door of the comfort room.

She did plan of seducing Chadwick, even in that situation, but it ended so funny.

“Gosh. I am about to cry,” Adira said, laughing while wiping the tears at the corner of her eyes.

It is so funny she shed tears while laughing so hard. The awful smell also had its part in making her cry, though.

Meanwhile, inside the comfort room where Chadwick is sitting on the throne, he was covering his face while taking a dump and groaning.

He’s so damn mad for embarrassing himself!

Chadwick is sure Adira would tease him forever.

‘Forever?’

Since when did Chadwick think of being with her forever?

He put his hands down and wondered.

They just married out of business convenience. Soon, there is a possibility that they might separate from each other. Isn’t that the reason why Chadwick tried his best not to fall for her temptation?

‘Did I not?’

Speaking of his temptation, he thought of the thing Adira did to him before.

When she was unbuckling his belt, he imagined lewd scenarios inside his head.

“Oh god,” Chadwick fetched a sigh.

He is so afraid that he is already falling at the devil’s trap. No matter how his beliefs are so firm, a man is a man.

He loves Isa. He still does.

Just being a married man while harboring these feelings for another woman and keeping her around as a friend, makes him so guilty. What’s more about thinking perverted things with his wife?

‘It is because I stayed so long with a pervert woman,’ he blamed Adira, again.

Whenever he’s in this state, ever since that night when Adira ran to the hospital with a crying face, Chadwick blamed her for feeling weird.

He started to wonder what she was thinking, when he did not bother even asking about his wife’s whereabouts before.

Anyway, looking around, Chadwick realized that thinking about this when he is inside the comfort room and taking a dump, isn’t that cool.

So, he finished dumping and reached for the tissue beside him. However, he only found an empty tissue roll.

“Oh? There’s no more tissue,” he murmured.

Another problem arises.

He can flush the toilet, but he cannot go just like that without wiping his butt. It’s not like he can wait here all night and wait for the tissue to come by itself.

There is only one solution. And it is to call his wife.

Chadwick’s mouth opened, “A…”

He tried to call her name.

“A…”

But his mouth automatically closed before he could complete her name. That repeated almost ten times, until he gave up on asking for help.

Sobbing without tears, Chadwick bit his lower lip and hanged his head low in sorrow.

Farting is enough.

He can’t add more embarrassing situation that will give her reason to tease him.

Losing hope, Chadwick’s eyes accidentally saw the magazine near the sink.

‘Tissue is paper,’ Chadwick said to himself. ‘And magazine is also a paper,’ he added.

Desperate not to ask for Adira’s help anymore, Chadwick grabbed the magazine and pierced one page. He looked at the page while his hand trembled.

“You are the only one who can save me now,” he whispered.

A moment later, Chadwick confidently went out of the comfort room. As soon as he came out, he saw Adira waiting outside.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him.

“How?” she murmured.

Grinning in triumph, Chadwick replied, “What?”

“I am just shocked that you came out.”

“What do you mean? Do I need to stay inside forever?”

“I mean…” she mumbled, then sneered. “There is no toilet paper inside. How the hell did you wipe your butt?”

This time, it was Chadwick who had his eyes wide open.

Adira knows!

Adira already knows that there’s no toilet paper inside the comfort room!

“Y-You already know about that?!” Chadwick shouted, blushing.

His wife nodded her head. “I do.”

“Then why didn’t you say so?! You did it on purpose! Right?!”

He accused her again.

“I will always be a villain in your eyes. Wow.”

When Adira replied like that, Chadwick’s lips pursed in line. He is accusing her again.

“I know how much you hate me,” Adira said. “But it is kinda rude to always look at me as if I am the most evil villain that exist.”

Bit by bit, Chadwick avoided her gaze. He felt guilty all of a sudden.

His wife helped him unbuckling his belt. After he did, he dashed inside the comfort room; on which, did not give Adira the time to warn him.

However, looking back at Adira’s schemes before, she really seems so capable of doing that on purpose.

“Look. I even prepared a tissue for you in case you ask me for help,” Adira broke the long silent, and then showed the tissue in her hand.

Chadwick stared at the tissue, which gave him the courage to open his mouth and apologize.

“Sorry,” he said.

“Hmmm?”

“I am so sorry,” he repeated.

“For what?”

Chadwick grumbled and stomped his feet once, as if he’s a cute kid who couldn’t say sorry in nice way.

“I don’t know,” he said with little groan in the end of his sentence. Next, a mellow and shy voice followed, “But it seems I really need to say it.”

“Sorry, huh,” Adira repeated the words that her husband told to her. She looked back at him and said, “Sorry is for the things that you accidentally do. Not for the things that you always do.”

Chadwick tilted his head and met her gaze again.

Didn’t he also apologize many times before because he always misunderstands her?

“Fortunately, I’m used to it,” Adira even added.

She is so used to Chadwick blaming her, cursing her, pushing her away and accusing her that she does not see the worth of getting an apology. That what it shows to Chadwick. And he hates that. He really hates it.

Adira turned around, planning to go back to her room. She thinks it’s unnecessary for her to seduce him when things become awkward between them.

Grrrrrrrllll.

But she changed her mind.

Adira turned around and looked at the man who had his stomach grumbled just now.

How come his stomach roared so loudly at this moment? It was as if the heaven gave them a chance to loosen the strain atmosphere.

On the other side, Chadwick held his tummy while being so angry of himself. He doesn’t know what’s wrong with him right now, that he keeps on showing embarrassing things to his wife.

If today Friday the 13th?

No. Today is 13th of May, and it is Thursday.

“You haven’t eat anything,” Adira said, walking back. “I’ll cook you a dinner.”

May 13 of Thursday. Surely, Chadwick won’t forget the day that his wife will cook for him for the first time.

Without talking that much, the two went to the kitchen together.

If only Chadwick isn’t injured, he can cook for himself. He’s been living alone for many years so that’s not a hard task.

But for Adira to cook?

That rich lady who never tastes hardship in life when it comes to financially?

Chadwick heard there are many servants in the Hale’s mansion where Adira lived before.

The fridge is almost empty, given that the couple don’t spend too much time inside their house.

The two don’t have the time to go to the supermarket right now. So, Adira used the new service everyone is using nowadays.

Using an app, she asked someone to buy the fresh ingredients real fast. With just a single click, the ingredients were delivered outside their house after some minutes.

Adira brought them into the kitchen. She bought fresh clams which have natural sweets in them. Then there is also pasta, baby plum tomatoes to add some colour to the plate, olive oil, parsley, chilli and garlic.

All of the ingredients are so simple, but if they put together, they made the most unbelievable flavour. In fact, Chadwick could guess what will be the dish she’ll make.

‘She can cook bongole pasta?’ he wondered. It is a famous dish among Italian restaurants, and it will be hard to pull unless you’re used of cooking it before.

Nevertheless, Chadwick decided to shut his mouth and just watched Adira cooks.

She placed the fresh clams in a large bowl of cold salter water, then she left it soak for 5 minutes. The clams look so clean but she wanted to make sure to remove all sand inside the shells. She drained and rinsed them under running cold water afterwards.

The she sliced the herbs needed, the sliced garlic, chopped fresh chilli and half of chopped parsley.

Adira placed large frying pan on the stove and poured enough olive oil. She saute the garlic on a gentle heat until the garlic is golden in colour, before she added the next herbs.

She, then, turned up the heat. She added the halved tomatoes and clams before covering the lid.

Couple of minutes after, the clams started to open as they cook. Adira shook the pan a little while keeping the lid on so that the clams will be cooked evenly. While waiting, she cooked the spaghetti.

For the last, she used tongs to add the pasta to the clams and finish to cook for another 3 minutes. This way the pasta will absorb the broth released from the shells and create a velvety sauce.

Chadwick watched the whole scene with sightly opened mouth.

He could not believe it.

He really could not believe that Adira could cook!

Then how about the taste?

Even if you can cook like that, he had to know if that taste is good.

Adira set up the table for them to start eating. Chadwick sat down, and Adira also perched at the seat across him.

Chadwick looked at the fish before him. Just the look of it made him drool. He cannot wait to eat, even if he only had his left hand to feed him.

“This will go best with cocktail,” Adira said.

When he lifted his head, he saw her pouring beverages drink onto their glass.

“Hey, you are going to drink?”

“Do you think I would like to make you drunk so I can seduce you?” she answered, placing the bottle on the top of the table. “This is not alcoholic.”

Chadwick sighed in relief.

“Actually, I did plan of seducing today. However, I changed my mind. Thanks to your fart.”

“Hey!”

“The smell is so awful, honey.”

“Why are you talking as if you don’t fart!? Everyone fart!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now eat. The food will turn cold.”

Hissing, Chadwick grabbed the fork and poured his anger toward his hand. Then he tasted the bongole pasta cooked by his wife.

Eureka!

As soon as it reached his taste bud, he could see ocean and bright sky at the same time.

‘How… How it is possible that she cooks so good?!’

Usually, a busy woman like Adira who has time to make herself so pretty and sophisticated, is a type of woman who cannot cook.

But she can.

She is so good at work, but also good in cooking?

If Chadwick does not know her personality, he will agree that she’s so talented and perfect.

He continued eating until he almost emptied the plate.

Unable to contain his curiosity, the words just slipped from his mouth.

“How?”

Both stopped.

Chadwick also did not know why he thought of asking this. But since he did, there’s no backing out.

“Are you curious why I know how to cook?” Adira completed the question for him.

“Hmmm,” he murmured, looking back at her. “How?”

“Well, I live separately from my father. So, I have no choice but to learn how to cook. My palate is so sensitive.”

Chadwick did not know about this. He thought that as the only daughter of the billionaire chairman, she’s living like a princess in their mansion.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Did you fall in love with me?”

“As if,” Chadwick mumbled, then took the last bite of the pasta.

“Right,” Adira agreed. “You only have Isa in your heart.”

“That again.”

He placed the fork down on the table.

“I told you that we are not in that kind of relationship. We’re just friend.”

“But you did not deny your feelings.”

“...”

That’s right. Chadwick can’t refute to that. He did love Isa a lot before he got married. And if he is still feeling that right now, then he is the real villain between him and his wife.

“Liking someone when you’re married,” Adira said, taking a sip on the drink. “Then, if I also fell in love with another man, that makes us the same.”

Chadwick’s right hand clenched. He used that since it was covered with a cast and Adira won’t be able to see his reaction.

“But that is impossible to happen,” Adira added, laughing.

Chadwick grabbed the glass and drank the cocktail in one shot.

Even though she said that it is impossible for her to like someone else, he still feels awful.

Why?

Is it because of his pride as her husband?

Or because that means Adira won’t give him the attention she’s giving to him so far?

The two finished their dinner without talking further about that topic. It was because Chadwick fell in silence and he never looked at her eyes again.

Since he is injured, Adira presented to wash the dishes. Then Joshua entered.

Leaning against the closed door, Chadwick stayed there. In deep thoughts, he wondered about these sudden changes in his mind.

He did not care at her before. But look at him getting bothered when she talked about the non-existent guy whom she might like in the future.

If by chance she does like someone else, then she and he will be in the same situation. They are both living as married people who likes another people.

“Maybe. I just need to sleep. Right. Let’s just sleep for tonight.”

He was about to move and throw himself to bed, when suddenly, he heard a scream.

“Ahhh!”

Not hesitating, Chadwick dashed out of his room and went to the kitchen where he heard the shout.

When he got there, he saw pieces of broken glass and Adira looking at the blood on her finger. His face turned pale, and his knees weakened. Even so, he used his strength to approach her and ask what happened.

“Did you break a glass and pick it up?” he asked.

“No,” Adira answered. “Only fools do that.” She looked at him and added, “Inside the cabinet, the glass was leaning on the door, so it fell down as I opened the door. I avoided it but a piece of the glass reached my finger. Thankfully.”

“Thankfully?!” he gasped. “What do you mean thankfully? You got hurt!”

“You are overreacting, Mr. McElroy. What I mean is, I would rather choose having my finger cut than my face. It will ruin my beauty.”

“Idiot,” he mumbled, staring at the blood dripping on her finger. “You need to feel sorry for your finger too.”

Next, he grabbed her hand and…

“...!”

Adira’s breath stopped for a second.

She watched him suck the blood on her finger, even licking at the end.

The man, who did not know what the hell did he just do out of impulsiveness, pulled his mouth away.

Gulping, he lifted his gaze.

Heat reached his cheeks.

He did not mean to do that.

‘It just… just… there was this crazy bug inside my head that asked me to do this crazy things as soon as I saw her wound!’ he tried to defend himself.

But in front of the malicious wife, he just couldn’t find the right words.

What if he uses words that will misunderstand his intention?

What if Adira thinks that he has feelings for her when he knew he’s just acting out of kindness?

‘Kindness? Who licks someone’s blood out of kindness?’

He is so puzzled, as if he’s been finding the answer for long days but he always goes back to zero.

“Honey,” Adira called him in husky tone.

Chadwick looked up and met her gaze again.

“You seduced me first,” she said, before she pulled his collar and kissed his lips.