Jack cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn't know."
He wasn't aware of what went on with proposals, given that he hadn't actually proposed himself.
Seeing his awkwardness, Henry clapped his hands together.
"I forgot. You were in an arranged marriage," he slurred bluntly.
Jack curled his lips and resisted the urge to smash his own bottle against the table, but his friend didn't
even notice it.
Henry tilted his head and took another chug from his own glass. "What am I going to do?" he groaned,
clutching his head.
Jack shrugged helplessly. It was at these times when he didn't know how to advise him. It was also
these types of situations wherein the man should help himself.
Henry was now in an awkward position, and he just didn't know what to do.
He'd been racking his head the entire time on how to get the woman to accept his proposal. At his
desperate expression, Jack had to hold back to laugh.
Henry didn't drink a lot since his father called him back.
It was just half an hour after midnight when he finally left.
The bar was incredibly busy during that time. Jack had parked his car far away from the bar, so he had
to make a detour. As he passed through the lively streets, he could see his sights being blinded by
neon signs.
Although it was late, the streets were bustling. In addition to the shops, small stalls had also opened up
on the side streets to accompany the crowd.
It was summer now, yet there were still many stalls selling barbecue under the shimmering stars.
Heavy smoke billowed, covering his surroundings.
Jack frowned, covering his nose at the amount of smoke around him.
The streets accommodated the younger generation. They all walked in small groups as they laughed
and cursed boisterously from time to time. It made the atmosphere much livelier.
He couldn't help but think back to the old snack street where Rachel and he used to go to.
A smile slipped into his lips at the thought.
Several young women walked pass him as he was walking, and he slightly turned his body to avoid
bumping into them.
Suddenly, a man jumped out from the crowd and pushed past the younger crowd.
The girls shrieked in surprise.
Suddenly, a figure fell into his arms. He was going to avoid her, but after a few seconds of hesitation,
he reflexively reached out and caught her.
Before he could react, she clung to his clothes and buried her head into his chest, screaming.
Jack tried to shove her, but it was to no avail. "Miss, could you please let me go?" he whispered in her
ear.
At the sound of his voice, the girl recovered from her shock and looked up at him. She immediately
loosened her grip and took a step back, flushing in embarrassment.
"Shit, sorry. I-I didn't mean it," she stuttered out.
Her friends gathered around her in concern. "What's wrong?"
The girl could only stare at Jack's direction in a daze, so the others followed her stare.
Seeing that she finally let go, Jack flicked off the dirt that had attached to his shirt and continued on his
way.
A faint voice sounded behind him.
"He's hot."
Jack shook his head. He wasn't one to care for all those compliments thrown at his way. Soon enough,
he finally got into his car and drove back home. As he parked near the gate, he noticed that the lights
were on. Was Rachel awake?
When he entered the room, he saw her coming out to get a glass of water.
In fact, not long after he had gone out, Rachel woke up.
She felt much better after taking a rest, but as she tossed and turned, she found that she still couldn't
get fall asleep.
When she opened her eyes to glance at the clock, it was already midnight.
The other side of the bed was empty and cold to touch. She had been used to sleeping with him these
past few days that she couldn't help but feel a bit lost when he wasn't by her side. It was a weird
feeling.
For so many years, she had been used to sleeping alone. She didn't know that these past few days
could change her so much.
Seeing as she couldn't get back to sleep, she decided to get a glass of water. She wondered what
made her change so quickly
or what made her forget her hatred towards the man.
As she was drowning in her thoughts, he finally returned.
His eyes widened momentarily when he saw that she was still awake. "Didn't you fall asleep? Why are
you up?" he asked softly.
"I just woke up." Rachel unscrewed the lid of the bottled water and took a sip. The fresh water
moistened her throat, making her feel better.
She didn't expect that she would suffer from heatstroke. Fortunately, she had recovered after having
the intravenous fluid.
When he approached, Rachel frowned unconsciously. A strange fragrance entered her nostrils.
"Where did you go?" she asked. "I got a call from Henry, so I went out to meet him," he said honestly.
Henry? Why him?
As soon as she thought of the man, she immediately associated him with her best friend.
"Is it related to Lea?" She frowned.
Jack didn't expect that she would react so quickly. At this point, he knew for a fact that she still had no
idea of her best friend's pregnancy.
"We just met and chatted," he said after a short pause.
"You and Lea..."
Rachel didn't know what Jack wanted to ask her. Her thoughts had been swimming as to what was
going on with Lea in the past two days. All Lea told her was that she wouldn't go back to work for the
time being.
When she asked about it, all she got was another vague answer.
"I'll call her," she said seriously.
"Wait!" Jack pulled her back. "What time is it now? Isn't she sleeping by now?"
Rachel glanced at the time to see that it was already 1 a.m.
He did make sense. Due to this, she decided to call her later in the day.
Jack yawned, letting his hand graze against her cheek. "Are you feeling better?" When he reached out
towards her, the fragrance became even more apparent.
Rachel wrinkled her nose. It was obviously another woman's perfume.
"I'm feeling much better now." She took a step back. "What's that smell?"
The smell? Jack lowered his head and sniffed, furrowing his eyebrows when he smelled nothing out of
the ordinary.
"What does it smell like? Is it bad? I could take a shower."
She curled her lips. "It smells good."
Good? He frowned, realizing what she might have smelled.
"On my way back, someone bumped into me by accident."
Seeing the disgusted expression on his face, Rachel couldn't help but smirk. "You're shameless for
taking advantage of a woman," she teased.
He lowered his head and bit her lips. "The only woman I want to take advantage of is you."
Unexpectedly, she stood on her tiptoes and bit him back.
She laughed upon seeing his shocked expression.
"You know if you bite me, I'll bite back."
He grinned. "The more you bully me, the happier I'll be, I'm sure."
The rest of his words were drowned by a kiss.
Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer.
Jack slithered his arms around her waist. As he was about to take full advantage of this access, he
suddenly drew back. The sight of her plump lips made him even more restless.
It was a pity that they couldn't make love due to her condition.
Rachel leaned into his arms, but she still couldn't help but think of the woman who bumped into him.
His clothes wafted of that scent that she couldn't help but wrinkle her nose.
Although a part of her suspected him for doing something else,
she chose to believe Jack's words that he met up with Henry that night.
He didn't have to lie to her. It was just that the fragrance was very overpowering.
Finally, she pushed him in disgust. "How much perfume did that lady put?"
She turned her head and sneezed.
Afraid that Rachel would misunderstand him, Jack quickly explained, "It's just an accident. I caught her
when she was about to fall."
She couldn't help but laugh at the sight of his fidgety state. She looked at him deliberately. "Really?"
What Rachel didn't expect was for him to start unbuttoning his shirt.
She stared at him, bewildered by his actions.
As he was about to take off his shirt, she stopped him.
"What are you doing?"
His strong chest was already exposed, and she couldn't help but marvel at his detailed collarbone.
"Stop it."
"I'm proving myself," he replied.
Jack threw off his shirt to reveal his very tight muscles and his very defined eight-pack. Her jaw
dropped.
'Is he trying to prove himself or to show off?' she thought incredulously.
"Look, it's clean and untouched," he said as he motioned to his chest.
Rachel bit back a laugh. "Untouched?"
"You can check it if you don't believe me." He smirked. "You can touch it if you want to. I'll fully
cooperate with you."
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