Chapter 14
620words
I was a little surprised, rubbing my eyes several times.
He had his sleeves rolled up, carrying food out from the kitchen.
"You're awake? Want something to eat?"
"Why… didn't you leave?"
Jonathan set the plate down, standing by the dining table, looking at me with my sleepy face. "I was afraid that if I left, you'd ignore me for a long time again."
He was wearing glasses, his hair unstyled, falling softly over his forehead. He looked like a piece of warm, polished silver.
I liked how he looked with his glasses on. But I liked it even more when I could take them off myself.
"Jonathan…" I walked up to him, looking into his eyes.
"I have nothing right now. I might even lose my job. And… I'm not really the daughter of the Robinsons—I'm just an abandoned child they adopted.
"I'm selfish and maybe a little vain. I don't think you'd like someone like me."
Jonathan seemed to sense my vulnerability, my insecurity, my helplessness. He reached out and hugged me tightly.
"Katherine, I've never cared about anything—except for you."
"Why?" I stared at him, whispering in disbelief.
Why me? Why would you like me? Someone like me, full of contradictions, full of pride mixed with deep-seated inferiority.
"There's no why. I just like you."
Jonathan slowly lowered his head and kissed me gently.
…
"There's no why. I just like you."
Maybe it started long ago when they were still in school.
Maybe it was when she became Jasper's girlfriend, and they met again.
Even he couldn't explain it clearly.
It was just that after he knew she was with Jasper, he forced himself to endure being in circles he despised—just to catch another glimpse of her.
That was why, even while choking on jealousy, he'd still show up around her and Jasper again and again.
Jonathan thought—no one else in this world would ever know how much he despised his own pathetic joy that day in the car when her knee touched his, and she didn't move away.
But he couldn't control it.
In the end, he became the kind of person he looked down on the most. Yet, he never regretted it.
Not once did he regret the choices he made.
The only thing he regretted was that he should have made the first move. He should have acted sooner and been more proactive—even if it meant being the shameless third party.
…
In the end, I still lost my job.
The day I left the company, I ran into Jasper downstairs.
When he saw me carrying a box out, he immediately got out of his car.
This time, the passenger seat was empty—no Kimberly.
I kept my gaze straight ahead and continued walking. But Jasper stepped in front of me.
"Katherine, stop being stubborn. I've told you before, you're a beautiful young woman. Why put yourself through all this? Let's get back together. I promise I won't see Kimberly again."
I smiled slightly, looking at Jasper.
People were always like this—obsessed with what they couldn't have.
Now he said he won't see Kimberly anymore. But it was probably just because they'd already crossed every line, done everything they could. The excitement wore off, and the novelty faded.
And that was when he remembered me.
"So, what do you think?"
Seeing me smile, Jasper thought I was softening. He reached out to grab my hand.
I stepped back. "Jasper, the thing is—I already have a boyfriend."
Jasper's face was full of disbelief. "That's impossible! When did you get a boyfriend?"
My smile deepened. "Do you remember that time at the hot springs resort?"
