Chapter 45.1
Chapter 45.1
“Back then, I didn’t know you well. I just felt troubled and guilty, not wanting to hurt you. My mind was in turmoil. I kept… I kept thinking about you.”
Maybe that’s when he started to feel attracted to her, even though he’d dismissed it as a negative feeling and hadn’t bothered to look into it. But again, he couldn’t tell.
The emotions Jasmine stirred in Richard were a beast of contradictions: passion, playful, lovely, and contradictory. He couldn’t fathom where this massive wave originated, whether it engulfed him all at once, borne from the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, or a storm that would devour him. To him, a mere mortal, it remained unknown.
He tried his best to pour out everything he felt, how clumsy it may be. That seemed to be the only way he could express himself now. He couldn’t think of any other way. Just like how she had always caught him when he was inexperienced, instinctively, he knew no other method.
“Then, when I met you again, I wanted to take care of you, treat you well. I worried if I was meeting a good person. But I realized it wasn’t a suitable topic to meddle in. And when you, under the influence, reached out to me and spoke your honest feelings…”
In truth, he found her approaching him again and confessing courageously to be beautiful.
She was the most honest person he had met. How could someone expose their feelings so openly and still not be vulgar or unattractive? Truly a peculiar and beautiful woman. Yes, a woman. Shouting that she liked him with all her might.
So many people had expressed their feelings to Richard, but none dazzled him like this, shaking him. That’s why he felt greedy.
“I was ecstatic,” he said. “Like a young man who received his first confession.”
Shouldn’t I have her? She’s said she wants me.
Richard succumbed to the greedy, enticing voice within him. And he had her. It was satisfying and better than he had imagined.
Embracing her and m0aning, he wondered why this felt so good. Is this what it’s like to follow one’s heart? Having her, he realized she was even more beautiful than he had thought. Too beautiful to handle. Was that a bad thing?
I just like you. I just like you and want to have you.
Richard gently touched his eyes with his dry hand. It was too difficult. His mind was filled with these incomprehensible situations. He liked her, and she liked him. What more was needed? The reasons for their fights and her anger seemed distant and obscure.
He just wanted to roll around in Jasmine’s arms, exhausted and teary-eyed. Thoughts about why it had become so difficult flooded his mind.
“Jasmine… I… I don’t want to fight with you. I don’t even know why we have to have this conversation. I like you. I really do. I must have said that you’re likable dozens, hundreds of times. Jasmine, you’re truly…”
“Do you love me?”
Richard’s head jerked up. Jasmine, with eyes more peculiar than ever, stared at him intently. Her violet eyes shone vividly, like amethysts. He instinctively knew it was a crucial moment, but her gaze momentarily captivated him.
“Answer me.”
Jasmine urged him, leaving Richard bewildered. Though she seemed calm, he couldn’t fathom how nervous she must be.
“If you tell me to answer right now, I can respond to that question anytime.”
But what about you? Can you answer?
“Your words are right. If Richard could just say those three words to me, everything would be resolved. Answer it. Can you say it?”
“I…,”
Richard opened his mouth. And silence ensued.
One. Two. Three. Four….
As Richard’s blue eyes shook with embarrassment and descended into an abyss, Jasmine’s purple eyes gradually transformed from anticipation to disappointment, eventually turning into anger.
Oh, that damn honesty. Yes, he was the kind of person who couldn’t lie or deceive even if a knife were to be held to his throat.
She chuckled. Once, she appreciated that aspect of him, but now it stung her back, reaching an uncomfortable extent.
“I knew it.” Jasmine stared at Richard, seemingly more shocked than he was. “You like me? You can’t even properly express your feelings. And you want me to believe that?”
“Jasmine, I…”
“Shut up.”
Jasmine growled.
“You don’t like me. You’re acting out of self-interest because you fear losing your little toy. It’s even more precious because you almost had it once.”
The words were sharp and cruel, and she saw the beautiful walls distorted by the venom. Still, she was unmoved. She was too distracted by the pain of her wounds, which he reopened with his words. They were both hurt.
An awesome story 💖💖
Thank you for the translation 💜
You are welcome, Israella!