Chapter 9
When Zachary pushed open the restaurant’s glass door, Queenie was sitting at a candlelit table with her chin resting on her hand, her fingertips lightly tapping against a wine glass.
Seeing him arrive, her eyes lit up as she waved him over. “Zach! Over here!”
He walked over and pulled out a chair to sit down. His gaze swept over the carefully arranged roses and scented candles on the table before studying her closely to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Only then did he relax. “What was so urgent?”
Queenie reached out to grab his wrist, her nails inadvertently scraping across his skin with a hint of coquettishness. “Try and guess first!”
Zachary looked down at her slender fingers, but for some reason, his mind drifted to another pair of hands–Yasmine’s long, clean fingers that would curl slightly when she flipped through documents, her fingertips always tinged with a faint pink.
“Zach!” Queenie shook his arm in dissatisfaction, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “Why aren’t you talking? Are you even listening to me?”
He snapped back to attention and forced a smile. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
Her eyes sparkled as she leaned closer, a sweet smile playing on her red lips. “Let’s get back together.”
Zachary froze. He’d been waiting to hear those words for so long, but when they finally came, his chest tightened unexpectedly, leaving him feeling suffocated and restless. He instinctively thought of Yasmine’s retreating figure that morning, dragging her suitcase away without looking back.
“What, aren’t you happy?” Seeing him silent again, Queenie’s smile stiffened as her tone grew colder.
“Of course I am.” He quickly forced out a smile. “I’m happy. It’s just so… unexpected.”
“Unexpected how? Haven’t you always wanted to get back together with me?” She narrowed her eyes, her fingertip tracing circles on the back of his hand with increasing pressure. “Or are you saying that you’ve already fallen for someone else now?”
Zachary’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he avoided her gaze. “No.”
“Good.” Queenie let out a soft hum and suddenly pulled out her phone from her bag, switching it to selfie mode. “Since we’re back together, let’s take a photo and post it on Instagram right now. You can’t block anyone from seeing the post.”
Zachary stared at the phone screen, where his own expression looked stiff while Queenie smiled sweetly. His thumb hovered over the camera button, but he couldn’t press it.
“Hurry up!” she urged, her tone growing impatient. “What’s wrong with you today?”
He stayed silent for a few seconds before finally speaking. “Queenie, there’s no need to post this kind of thing on social media, is there?”
“What do you mean there’s no need?” Her voice suddenly shot up, drawing glances from nearby tables. “When you broke your rib and lost those competitions for me, you didn’t think it was unnecessary then. Now that we’re back together, you want to keep it secret?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Zachary frowned as irritation surged in his chest. “I just think relationships are between two people, so there’s no need to make them public…”
“Zachary!” Queenie slammed her hand on the table, making the candle flame flicker violently and casting her face in an especially dark light. “Do you actually not want to get back together? Are you just playing with me?”
Zachary took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions. “How could that be? Don’t you know how I feel about you?”
“Then take the photo!” She shoved the phone into his hands, her tone brooking no refusal. “Now! Immediately!”
Zachary stared at the screen, his fingertips slightly stiff. He suddenly thought of Yasmine again.
She would never force him like this. When he’d casually mentioned not being able to tell everyone about their relationship, she’d kept it secret even from Anthony, her own brother, no matter how much it hurt her.
“Are you going to take it or not?” Queenie’s voice turned shrill.
He closed his eyes and finally pressed the camera button. In the photo, Queenie smiled brilliantly while his gaze wandered, as if he were looking at something else through the lens.
“What kind of expression is that? Take it again!” She snatched the phone away in dissatisfaction and grabbed his collar to force him to look down. “Look at me and smile!”
Zachary forced the corners of his mouth up, but his expression only grew more rigid.
Queenie stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a cold laugh. “Fine, Zachary. I know you’re doing this on purpose, am I right? Now that you’ve got what you wanted, you just don’t care anymore.”
He said nothing, merely picking up the ice water from the table and taking a gulp. The coolness slid down into his stomach, but it couldn’t extinguish that inexplicable restlessness.
“I don’t care! You have to post it!” She forcibly transferred the photo to his phone and clicked upload right in front of him, deliberately unchecking all privacy settings.
His phone chimed as the post immediately exploded with likes and comments.
“Wow! You’re finally back together!”
“After all the drama, you two are still endgame! Try not to simp too hard, Zachary.”
“My single ass did not need to see this today.”
Queenie smiled with satisfaction and leaned over to peck his cheek. “That’s more like it.”
Chapter 9
2/2
Zachary sat motionless as her lips brushed his skin, feeling nothing. This was supposed to be everything he’d ever wanted, wasn’t it? So, why did he feel so hollow? The only thought running through his mind was whether Yasmine would see this, and what she’d think if she did.
