Found Obsession

Chapter 106: Do you... want to stay for dinner?

Hey there, HAPPY END OF THE YEAR

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Rose heard her phone buzz on the counter, Jonathan's name lighting up the screen. A small smile spread across her lips as she answered, placing it on speaker so she could keep an eye on the oven.

"Hi, you big baby. Are you still mad at me?" she teased, opening the oven as she waited for his response.

"Of course not, darling," Jonathan's voice came smooth and familiar through the speaker. "Just wanted to check on you. How're you doing? Have any plans? Miss me?"

Rose chuckled, grabbing a knife and slipping it into the center of the cake to check if it was done.

"I'm..." she hesitated, a slight pause as she searched for the right words. "Alive," she finally said, a hint of dry humor lacing her tone.

Jonathan stayed silent understanding.

"I do have plans of getting to bed early," Rose added, pulling the knife from the cake and smiling at how clean it came out. "Can you believe it? I couldn't find grapes in a single store."

Jonathan's chuckle echoed through the line, warm and amused.

Rose grabbed an oven mitt, carefully pulling the cake from the oven and setting it on the table to cool. She shut the oven door with a satisfying click and turned it off leaned against the counter again, eyeing the phone thoughtfully.

"I do miss you," she admitted softly, her fingers brushing over the counter absentmindedly.

"You should have come," Jonathan said, his voice laced with a gentle reproach. "But you declined me."

"Oh no, Adler. Your sisters are something," Rose countered, laughing.

Jonathan groaned audibly, and Rose could hear one of his sisters in the background, likely pestering him about something.

Shaking her head with amusement, Rose grabbed her decorating supplies, setting them beside the cake. She began to focus on smoothing icing over the top as Jonathan's muffled arguments with his sister reached her ears.

She laughed softly, her mood lifting as the familiar dynamic played out over the phone. "Tell them I said hi," she teased, carefully piping decorations along the edges of the cake.

"Not a chance," Jonathan shot back, making her laugh even harder.

Rose chuckled softly as she listened to Jonathan's sisters growing louder in the background, their teasing and chatter filling the line.

"I have to go," she said, interrupting the chaos. "I've got to finish decorating my cake."

"Right," Jonathan replied, though she could hear the hesitation in his tone. Then, as if he couldn't help himself, he added, "Please don't be drinking."

Her eyes flicked to the bottles on the table, a smirk tugging at her lips. 

Did his soldiers say anything?

"Sorry to break your heart, Adler," Rose said with mock solemnity, her gaze settling on the champagne bottle. "But tonight, I'll get drunk to sleep."

Jonathan's sigh was audible, and she could feel the lecture brewing in his mind even before he spoke.

Before he could start, she cut him off with a soft laugh. "Happy New Years, Adler. Goodbye."

Without giving him a chance to argue, she ended the call, the small grin lingering on her face as she set the phone down.