NovelEnglishI raised my arm nervously and sniffed my clothes, glancing at Pete. "What's wrong? Do I smell like something?" Pete leaned in to sniff again, forcingto back up until I was pressed against the window. Feeling embarrassed and annoyed, I snapped, "Pete! Don't get so close to me!" He straightened up with his hands on his hips. His face was dark when he said, "Smoke, alcohol, and... The scent of srandom man." I froze. I didn't expect him to actually find out.
I mumbled, "Maybe it's the driver. I took a cab today. I'm still not familiar with the roads here, so I didn't drive myself.
"No wonder Tabitha kept trying to squirm out of my arms earlier. I'll wash up after you leave." My words made his heart clench with urgency. He could no longer remain composed.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtPete's lips trembled, his eyes turning red. His voice, although steady, carried a heavy weight as he called out my name.
"Ariana, you're hiding something from me." He knewwell enough.
I hated feeling indebted to him, always wanting to keep my distance. It was Pete who had relentlessly found reasons to see me, using both work and Tabitha as an excuse.
Normally, no matter how obvious his hints were, I had always managed to dodge the subject. But being pushed by the appearance of Nicholas, it had made him speak more directly than ever before.
However, for something that had nothing to do with him, why would I explain so much? He didn't dare continue to think what could makethis flustered.
"Ari, from tomorrow until we leave, I'm staying by your side the whole time." Pete's voice was heavy with emotion, his eyes already wet.
He turned around and let out a deep sigh. He still couldn't understand how, after all these years of waiting for me, someone else had swooped in so suddenly. Did he realize too late how much he cared for me? I stood there quietly, watching him. Seeing how much he was hurt because ofpainedtoo.
"Pete, you don't have to do this. Yes, I met Nicholas today, but nothing happened between us. We just caught up briefly and discussed swork matters. It wasn't long before I went to check daycares for Tabitha.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I'm not telling you this because you have any right to ask about my life. I'm telling you because I consider you the closest person to me.
"Even though I've said before that I'm not always great at showing how much I appreciate you, I'm not blind. I know how much you've done for me. That's exactly why I don't want to see you upset." I grabbed Pete by the shoulders, turning him around to face me. I needed to look him in the eyes to understand how much my words weighed on him.
Sthings needed to be said sooner or later, but figuring out how to tell someone who had given ΝΟ everything forwithout breaking their heart was the part I struggled with. "I know you cback to take your family abroad. They were being targeted by Nicholas because of me. I feel guilty about that.
"You've been handling so many things personally to clean up after me, so you don't need to spend extra tworrying about me. If you want, En. just cby and spend twith Tabitha when you can." Pete's eyes were red as he suddenly pulledinto a tight embrace.
"Just catching up would leave you covered in his scent? I want to see how long I need to hold you for you I to smell like me! Ariana, you say you don't want to hurt me, so why do you keep lying to me?"
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