My Heart | Book 4 of My Bodyguard

Chapter 9 | Dreams

Geralt POV

Geralt just gave a tiny shake of his head. He understood what Jask was trying to do, he did, but the point was, there were things Geralt needed to figure out, and he couldn't do that while feeling. He wasn't supposed to be feeling in the first place, he shouldn't even be in this situation.

"Can't," he said quietly. Geralt opened one of the drawers level with his leg and took out a lid for the larger of the pots they were using. He set it on the counter beside the box of pasta so that it would be ready.

He couldn't work without separating it all. Anything he might feel that was tied to a certain event or problem was examined and noted, then taken away. He could then address the situation with detachment. He didn't need to keep the two together. He had worked this long without it.

So as much as he valued Jask's advice, and as much as he saw sense in what the man was saying, Geralt didn't need it. He was doing just fine in his oown contrary to whatever Jask might be thinking.

He broke the noodles in half and added the. into the pot. With another utensil, a clean one, he stirred them a couple of times. They were short enough that he didn't need to do anything to get the lid to fit; he just put it in over top.

Julian POV

Jask watched Geralt carefully, nodding to him when he answered and continued to work. It was too fresh then to Geralt, he still needed to process it and that tends to happen better when he is on his own and has time to himself. Now, now he has to give him that space. He remembered seeing a few book over by the couch under the coffee table, maybe he could just entertain himself until Geralt was ready. There is quite a strain on the man and he needs to get his head right before Ciri comes home.

Jask moved with Avocado over towards the coffee table. He placed him down on he couch carefully, Roach lifting her head and looking to Jask with big wide eyes, almost like a pup. He couldn't help but smile and give her a gentle pat on her head, she was truly an amazing doggo. He wasn't much of a dog person either, at least he wasn't. Julian preferred dogs over cats. He squatted down, ignoring the slight pull in his thighs from doing so. He scanned among the few books under the table and raised an eyebrow. The last wish? Well, he could read that one, give him something interesting to do. He picked up the book, moving to seat himself on the couch.

He sat down on the far left side, opened the book to the first page, and instantly dug his nose into it. He smiled a little bit, instantly loving it but he did have to repress an urge to blush at the prologue. A witcher? Interesting. Without realizing it, his nose got buried into the book. Avocado came and squashed himself between Jask's thigh and the couch side, looking like a slim furry pizza but he didn't mind, he gently stroked him a few times and Roach at some point transported to be at his feet, on top of them and keeping them warm.

Geralt POV

Geralt kept working, setting one timer on the stove and another on his phone. With Dandelion not here anymore, he closed the app he had been using to play music. He glanced over at Jask as he leaned against the counter, only able to see the back of the man's head and some of the side of his face. He hadn't seen what book Jask had grabbed, but the man seemed entertained.

Geralt watched the clock and the room for the next nine minutes, then the timer on the stove went off. He pressed the button to turn it off, then glanced behind him to make sure the strainer was still in the sink. It was. He nudged it to the center, then took out a pair of hots pads. Using them, he carried the pot of noodles to the sink and tipped it enough that the contents poured out in a controlled manner. He left the noodles in the strainer for now and carried the pot back to the stove.