Chapter 19: Chapter 19
That afternoon, as usual, Joel came to pick Primrose up from work. Primrose was still shy because of Nancy's jokes in the morning, so she did not dare to look directly at Joel, always avoiding his eyes.
"Didn't you promise yesterday that you wouldn't keep me at a distance from you anymore? Is punishment not enough for you?"
Joel's hand is on the steering wheel, lightly clenched, and his calm voice can't be heard clearly. His eyebrows rose slightly, causing Primrose to feel invisible pressure again.
She can claim that if she says something wrong, Joel must have the power to make her regret it.
"No, it's because I'm not feeling well today, feeling a bit tired."
Primrose rested her head on the recliner and closed her eyes to rest. Joel also suddenly realized that Primrose had only slept for a few short hours yesterday because of him, so he did not continue to tease her.
Primrose just pretended to be sleepy so she wouldn't have to continue listening to Joel's jokes, but the cool weather of the afternoon and the silence in the car made her quickly fall asleep. When he got home, Joel was just about to speak up to remind Primrose, but he saw her falling into a beautiful dream next to her.
Primrose's long eyelashes fell over her face, and her pink lips rose slightly, making her look both docile and lovely. Joel's gaze moved to Primrose's slender shoulder, which was slightly receding from the cold, and she gently got out of the car.
Joel didn't have the heart to wake Primrose, so he very gently opened the car door, carefully picked up Primrose, and brought her into the house.
The maid aunt saw the two returning, and before she could say hello, she received Joel's serious gaze and remained silent. Joel quickly carried Primrose to her room, laid her down on the bed, and then covered her with a thin blanket next to her.
Perhaps Primrose was really tired. He was all the way still obediently sleeping in Joel's chest, so when he laid down on the bed, he just frowned slightly and continued to turn over to sleep. Joel smiled helplessly, patted Primrose on the head, and turned back to the kitchen.
"Let me cook dinner today; you should go home first."
Today, Joel's work is all done, and he wants to go into the kitchen to cook for Primrose himself. The maid didn't ask much; she just nodded and packed up to go home.
Today, Joel decided to cook only Primrose's favorite dishes; fortunately, there was still a lot of food in the refrigerator, so he didn't need to go to the supermarket to buy more. He was in the kitchen cooking while listening to the movements upstairs to see if Primrose was awake or not.
It was an hour later when Primrose opened her eyes again, and she looked around dreamily to discover that the space had changed. When she fell asleep, she was still sitting in Joel's car, and when she woke up, she was lying on the bed. There is no need to think about what happened.
Primrose lazily stretched and, suddenly feeling a little hungry, rubbed her stomach and ran downstairs. Just smelling the aroma in the kitchen, Primrose rubbed her eyes and entered.
"Why don't you put on cotton slippers? Wait a minute."
Joel frowned when he saw Primrose's white feet, took off his apron, and returned to the room to help Primrose get his slippers. Now that the weather is getting cold, Primrose needs to be kept warm to avoid catching a cold.
After going down, Joel fluently put on Primrose's cotton slippers and then gave instructions.
"Are you hungry yet? I'm almost done cooking, wait a minute."
Primrose had just woken up, so her mind was still a bit slow; it took a few seconds to react to Joel's words. She tilted her head and looked around, curious.
"Why did you go to the kitchen to cook today? Where's the maid?"
Joel turned against the back of the kitchen cabinet, smiling mischievously.
"Yesterday I made you sleep late; I feel guilty, so I want to cook for you instead of apologizing. Is this reason reasonable enough?
Joel's words sounded very proper at first, but for some reason, Primrose felt extremely embarrassed and wanted to hide. She began to feel that Joel was indeed a very talkative person, who could easily make her feel extremely speechless all the time.
"Yes, okay. But if it's not delicious, I won't eat it."
Primrose cocked her chin arrogantly, and her voice was also extremely firm. Joel just looked at her, both condescending and pampering, freely responding.
"Okay, it's up to you."
Joel smiled as he placed the food on the table, carefully pulled Primrose's hand to sit on the chair, then quickly pushed the dish in front of her.
"Then try the food to see if it suits your taste."
Primrose was not polite, but he tasted a spoonful of soup in front of him, and indeed, Joel's cooking skills are not bad; they are delicious. Primrose normally eats a little lighter than others, but Joel is very knowledgeable and puts less seasoning on, making her very satisfied. However, she did not want to make Joel happy. She just pouted slightly, slowly ate another spoonful of soup, and spoke calmly.
"This food is reluctantly acceptable, but you still need to try harder."
Joel knew that Primrose was just teasing him, so he just tolerated her, patted her head gently, and sat down on the opposite side. Suddenly, only the two of them enjoyed dinner together, without an aunt next to them, Primrose felt the atmosphere was a bit dark, so he had to focus on eating so as not to be teased by Joel.
"Good food; eat a little more. But don't eat so fast; it's not good for the stomach."
Joel knew that Primrose was shy, so he didn't want to continue to anger her, but he still couldn't help but remind her. Primrose hummed, took a sip of orange juice, and ate the last piece of beef.
"I finished eating."
When Primrose finished speaking, she looked up and saw how long Joel had finished eating, leaning on his chin and looking at her with puzzled eyes. Primrose couldn't explain the emotion in his eyes, but suddenly still felt a slight shiver.
"You just ate the food I cooked, do you need to show some gratitude?"
Joel kept his original calm tone but looked at Primrose unblinkingly and intently. Primrose was looked at unnaturally, the hand under the dining table was slightly clenched, and she was suddenly confused as to what to do.
Joel is clearly a crook, tricking her step by step into the trap he has set.
However, Primrose is the type of person who is not afraid of heaven or earth, trying to straighten his back and smile lightly at Joel.
"You just cooked a meal and wanted me to repay you? I don't think you're such a stingy person."
Primrose pretends to be stupid, and Joel is also happy to continue pretending to her. He curled his lips into a smile, his eyes also becoming more sparkling.
"Then you don't understand me well. When I do something for someone else, it is too late to receive something equivalent in return, such as a passionate kiss."
Primrose lowered her head slightly, her voice so low that Joel could barely hear it.
"So every time you help a girl, you kiss her?"
Hearing Primrose's mutter, Joel smiled helplessly, reaching over to gently lift Primrose's chin so that their gazes met in the air.
"Sweetie, you know what I mean. I'm also not the type to be casual, who can kiss any girl on the lips."
Primrose slightly avoided Joel's gaze; the current situation was changing so quickly that she was a bit unable to keep up.
"So how are you going to handle this situation now? Kiss me once; later, whenever you want, I will go to the kitchen to cook."
Joel leaned forward a little, resting his chin on Primrose's shoulder blades and blowing air when he spoke in a low voice that made Primrose tremble slightly. She pushed Joel away lightly, used her extremely fast speed to kiss him on the cheek, and quickly ran away.
"It's my return; don't cook rice in the future; I don't need it."
Primrose's sudden kiss left Joel stunned, unable to react, just standing in place and watching her figure run up the stairs. His mind went blank for a few seconds, then, in surprise, he put his hand on his cheek, smiling a bit silly.
Primrose is truly adorable. Each of her reactions made him especially loved.