GoodReadDorothy stepped into the room, clutching her clothes, and headed for the bathroom to change.
She had felt a sudden awkwardness, wanting to say something to him, yet uncertain about what words would be fitting.
Emerging from the bathroom, she found Everett still engrossed in his work.
Resuming her usual routine, Dorothy settled onto the couch to quietly observe Everett at his office tasks.
The ping of a WhatsApp notification interrupted her gaze.
Looking down, she saw a message from Kenneth.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt[Sorry Dorothy, I'm just not in the mood to eat. It has nothing to do with you! | didn't expect my parents to hassle Karen into calling you, sorry for the disturbance. Don't be mad.] Dorothy could almost see the anxious expression on Kenneth's face as he typed.
But she wasn't mad.
In fact, she could even understand why Kenneth's parents had pushed Karen to call her. Everyone loves their children, and seeing their son like this, his parents must be hurting too.
She texted back: [Kenneth, don’t be so hard on yourself. I'm not upset, just focus on getting better.] This time, Kenneth didn't reply with text but with a voice message.
Dorothy glanced at Everett and chose to convert the voice to text.
[They insist that I'm fasting because of you, but no matter what | say, they won't listen! | know the truth; it was because | missed the kids.] Dorothy grasped this even more profoundly. She was fully aware of Kenneth’s deep commitment to the two kids.
Just as she was about to reply, he sent another voice message, this one only a second long.
In an attempt to convert it, she accidentally hit play due to its brevity.
Kenneth's voice, a bit hoarse but still tender, filled the spacious room.
"I miss you too." Dorothy wished she could throw her phone away.
Without even looking up, she could feel Everett's gaze piercing through her, as if her head was about to start smoking.
Kenneth's words, "I miss you too," carried an unexpectedly intimate undertone. It almost implied that her prior message must have been, "I miss you," prompting his response of, "I miss you too." "Uh, I..." Before Dorothy could get the words out, Everett had already risen from his desk.
Just as she thought he was coming over to her, Everett abruptly turned and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
In less than half a minute, the sound of the shower began.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe was taking a shower! But he hadn't even heard her explanation! Dorothy quickly slipped on her slippers and approached the bathroom door, calling out, "Everett, that voice message isn't what you think!" The sound of water continued unabated, and after a long pause, his voice finally responded.
"It's none of my business. | don't want to hear it." Dorothy was at a loss for words, his aloof tone making her feel somewhat snubbed.
"Fine, if you don't want to listen, then don't." She didn't feel like explaining anyway! Returning to the bed, Dorothy shoved her phone under her pillow and forced her eyes shut, attempting to coerce herself to sleep.
She had thought she'd be too agitated to drift off, but the day’s emotional highs and lows had sapped her strength. As she listened to the sound of the shower, Dorothy unexpectedly slipped into slumber.
When Everett came out, Dorothy was already in a deep slumber.
He approached the bedside, pausing for nearly a minute, then waved his hand in front of her face.
No reaction.
Once he was sure she was really asleep, Everett's gaze deepened as he scanned over to her side.
Where had Dorothy put her phone?
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