"TIME TOGETHER"

“You know what? I can’t believe this was that guy’s suggestion,” Marius said, his voice laced with unexpected amusement.I couldn’t respond immediately.

If only Marius knew that Calum was his biggest ally aside from Lana, would he still say the same things? The idea of telling him the truth about Calum’s feelings and intentions crossed my mind frequently. It was painfully obvious that jealousy was the driving force behind everything Marius was experiencing.

But because Calum wanted us to continue making Marius jealous, I held back, even though it pained me to deceive him.

"Calum is my best friend, and there’s nothing wrong with his suggestion. But I have to admit, I didn’t really want to do this," I said, my voice edged with defiance.I turned to look at Marius as I spoke, wanting to gauge his reaction.

His eyebrows knitted together, and he shot me a brief, irritated look."What do you mean by that? Is that your way of saying I should thank that guy? Is that it?" Marius's tone was formal, but the jealousy was evident.

The satisfaction that filled me was undeniable. He was incredibly jealous of Calum, and that brought a rush of confidence and a strange sense of joy to my heart.

"Isn’t it only right to thank him? Imagine, during all my struggles, he was the one by my side. In a way, I owe him for you being here now. Is that what you want to hear?" I responded, my voice steady, though I could sense the sarcasm in his tone.

"Why do you sound so angry?" I asked, unable to suppress a soft laugh.I couldn’t deny the delight in my heart from seeing Marius so consumed by jealousy.

His dark expression and aura were a source of inexplicable thrill and happiness for me.I kept my gaze on Marius, enjoying the deep furrows in his brows. The idea that he was insanely jealous filled me with an unexplainable giddiness.

Well, at least, despite everything, it was clear that he was still crazy about me. The fact that he initially used me as a pawn for his revenge against my brother didn’t change that.

"I’m not angry!" Marius snapped, though he avoided looking at me. But since I kept my gaze fixed on him, I could still see the deep scowl on his face.

"I don’t think I want to go shopping without my child," Marius said after a moment.His words elicited an immediate reaction from me.

I wasn’t sure if he said that on purpose, but his comment made me frown deeply. Even though I hadn’t heard the rest of what he was going to say, I was already irritated. The fact that he said he didn’t want to go shopping because MJ wasn’t with us was enough to make my blood boil.

"Really? You should have said so. I wouldn’t have bothered to come with you then. This is all Calum’s fault. Why did he insist I come with you when he doesn’t know how irredeemable your bad attitude is!" I snapped irritably, turning my gaze to the scenery outside the car window.

"No, that’s not what I meant," Marius's tone softened unexpectedly, and I turned to look at him.His words sent a shiver down my spine, a familiar sensation that I knew all too well.

"I’d like to see your house," Marius said after a few moments, his voice carrying an undercurrent of longing.

I turned to him in surprise. Like earlier, Marius wasn’t looking at me. His focus was on the road, but despite that, he managed to convey a deep and erotic warmth and desire that always had a profound effect on me.

"Why are you asking?" I replied, my curiosity piqued.

"Because I want an answer. That’s why I’m asking. You know what, Sam, we haven’t really talked. I want to do that at your house. But if you don’t want to, we can talk somewhere else, like—"

I cut him off before he could continue. I admitted to myself that I was eager for something to happen between us again. But I didn’t know if it was right. And more importantly, just because I wanted something to happen didn’t mean I wouldn’t play hard to get or hold back.I still needed to restrain myself as much as possible. If I always gave in whenever Marius wanted, I might end up being nothing more than his plaything, and that was something I couldn’t let happen.

"Coffee shop!" I quickly suggested.I didn’t know if I was losing my mind or if my emotions were just in turmoil.

But even though I suggested to Marius a way for us to talk, I still wasn’t happy when he agreed.

"Okay," he said simply, not speaking further.I remained silent as well.

I did so to hide that his agreement had disappointed my heart. Call me crazy, but that was the truth of my feelings. And I had a hunch that if I spoke further, it wouldn’t help me. So it was safer to stay quiet.

Besides, even though we were like cats and dogs always arguing, the important thing was that we were together. So, I still had a reason to smile, and I couldn’t help but do so.

We pulled up to the coffee shop a few minutes later, and the tension between us was palpable. We settled into a corner booth, the cozy atmosphere contrasting sharply with the storm brewing between us.