ME AND THE DEVIL (WALKING SIDE BY SIDE) | K.BREKKER

CHAPTER THREE .

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CHAPTER THREE
a rare smile

— [♤] —

KAZ LOOKED AT HIS POCKET WATCH AND QUICKLY WORKED OUT HOW MUCH TIME WAS LEFT TILL SUNRISE. Julie had always liked how his pocket watch looked with the planets decorating its face. In fact, she had been the one to give it to him. She had used the money from one of her first jobs back when they were teenagers.

"Kaz." Julie spoke. Her voice was filled with desperation as Kaz rifled through papers. "How are we going to find a way across the fold by sunrise?"

"It will be done."

"But Inej... She can't go."

His eyes flickered towards her before he looked down at his desk again. "She will. I have a plan."

He always did and she never usually doubted that. But she needed Inej. She needed her best friend and right now she could tell that he didn't have everything completely figured out.

"Kaz-"

"I still have six hours, and right now, you aren't helping." His voice was sharp and he looked at her again. This time rage flooded through his eyes. He had never looked this angry towards her.

"Then let me help you."

"I can do it myself. You're distracting me. If I can't crack this then none of us are going and we can kiss goodbye to the million Kruge." His voice slowly got angrier with each word and he slowly leaned on his desk, the distance between them getting smaller but not enough to cause him a great deal of discomfort.

"Come and find me when you calm down." She sighed before storming out of his office.

Julie didn't mind Kaz's temper. A twisted side of her actually liked it but not when it was directed towards her. Not when his furious gaze made her feel so small. His head bowed forwards. Regret instantly filled him.

"Julie! Julie!"

He tried to catch up with her but she was already gone. He slumped against the wall feeling defeated. He never wanted to treat her that way and yet he had done exactly that.

— [♤] —

Julie had sat at the bar with Inej and Jesper. Upon seeing her sad look, the pair had immediately started to bombard her with questions. The gunslinger pushed his drink towards her with a grin. Which she instantly downed as soon as it was in front of her.

"He's an ass." Inej and Jesper said at the same time.

"He is." Julie agreed.

"And yet you still love him." Jesper remarked.

"Love?!" Her jaw almost fell to the floor. "I don-"

"It's obvious." Inej interrupted her. "You two are practically joined at the hip. And I've seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one else is looking. I'm sure he feels the same way."

Jesper snapped his fingers at her words. "I caught him continuously glancing at you earlier. I'm surprised you didn't feel his gaze. I can feel his eyes burning into me whenever he looks at me."

"Can we stop?" Julie almost whined. "There's nothing between us and there never will be, okay? Now, can we get back to talking about the job?"

Inej and Jesper glanced at one another before sighs left both of their lips. The two could tell how Kaz and Julie felt about one another but both of them were too stupid to do anything about it.