LOVE'S QUAGMIRE [18+]

Chapter 21: Wardrobe

Daphne's POV~

"Who?" I turned my head toward the source of the voice to see Zephyr, his eyebrow raised in curiosity.

He walked towards us, and I noticed Catherine out of the corner of my eye, her gaze low and her posture deferential. He smiled, placing his hand on my cheek and gently rubbing it with his thumb. 

"Who are you talking about?" he asked, his smile tender.

Should I ask him? 

No, I don't think so. He might ask me more questions, and probably wouldn't appreciate me probing Catherine about Reynolds's personal family matters.

"I... I was just talking about uhm.. a character from a story," I replied, removing his hand from my face.

He looked at me, amused. "A story character?" he repeated, then glanced at Catherine.

"Yeah, I read a book, and the protagonist became paralyzed, but the reason wasn't revealed," I lied with his sharp gaze on me.

 I tried my best not to gulp as he eyed me, smiled, and said, "Library becoming your new hangout spot, love?" His chuckle was charming, and I couldn't help but notice how cute his smile was. But last night, what he did had shattered my heart.

"Can you show me that book, too? Oh, wait, just tell me the name, and I'll find it online. Now I'm curious about this character who's piqued my wife's interest," he said while pulling out his phone. 

I glanced at Catherine, who looked at me with a mixture of fear and pity.

"W-Why?" I stuttered. Shit! I mentally slapped myself while he looked up at me, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, and came closer to me, whispering in my ear, "Because I enjoy seeing you flustered."

"Huh?" I looked at him.

"I need to know everything that fills your mind, my darling, whether it's from books or your own thoughts. Your interests become mine, and I'll go to any lengths to comprehend them fully."

 He moved back and asked, looking up from his phone "Love, can you tell me the name?"

 "I... I don't remember," I stuttered, feeling a knot form in my stomach as his brow furrowed.

"Well, what about you, Catherine? Don't you know?" Zephyr's tone dripped with sarcasm as he glanced towards the other corner where Catherine stood, her gaze fixed on her feet.

"I, uh, Mr. Reynolds... Well, Mrs. Reynolds asked me the same thing... She couldn't remember the book's name, so she kinda gave me the gist of it. But, um, I don't think I know the title."

Nice save, Cat, Love you!!  my subconscious was silently cheered her.

His gaze shifted from Catherine to me, his eyebrow arched in curiosity.

"Uh yes, I read it years ago, and it just came up in conversation. But Forget it. By the way, dinner's ready. I'll be setting it out on the dining table," I said quickly, grabbing the bowl and preparing to leave, but he caught my wrist.

"Tell me the character's name." 

I mentally cursed myself again. Ugh, why did I have to say that? He's not letting it slide easily.

"Don't you even remember the character's name?" His expression shifted suddenly, and I noticed the change.

"J-Jake. Jake.. Fisher," I replied, choosing a random name.