Chapter 64 Push and Pull

Chapter 64 Push and Pull
Because Lyla went on this trip blindly, she had no idea what Julia packed in their luggage. Her eyes blinked a few times as she looked at the open suitcase blankly. None of the clothing inside the suitcase had she seen in her wardrobe before. Were they actually hers? She wanted to ask Zeno, but he was outside. Well, it doesn’t matter; the clothes were in their suitcase, which meant they were hers and his.

Eventually, Lyla picked the tan colored midi dress. She put it on and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress fit perfectly, wrapped around her body, even though, in her eyes, her body was just average.

“You ready?” Zeno stood by the door frame, appearing out of nowhere. He was eyeing her body thoroughly, the dress, and especially the body. When everything passed his checkpoint, he nodded in approval.

“Where have you been?” she asked, turning around to face him. He was still in the same outfit as before. Did he expect her to accept his outfit like that when she was dressed nicely? He told her to get ready, so she showered and put in an effort for the night.

“Talking with Blec. Ready to go?” He held his hand out towards her. But Lyla didn’t take it; she stared at him. “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking at her in confusion. And then, he looked at himself the way she did.

“In this?” Lyla pointed out his outfit. Zeno nodded, and Lyla sighed in annoyance. “Seriously?” He nodded again because he felt nothing wrong with his outfit.

“Get changed, or I won’t leave the house,” she said, which made him frown. What was wrong with his outfit?

“We don’t have time, Lyla. Come on,” he insisted that they leave the house right about now. And Lyla stood firmly on her ground. If he didn’t change, they were not leaving anywhere. “Lyla.” Zeno put his hands up in question, like ‘What are you doing?’.

“Then, we’re not leaving. I’m staying here,” Lyla said stubbornly. “You can go out with Blec if you want.” Lyla looked away, out of the window. She could see the beach even though she was sitting on the bed.

“Okay, I’ll go change.” In the end, Zeno gave in. He walked up to her and kissed her head before walking into the bathroom.

Lyla’s smile finally broke. A satisfied feeling engulfed her when he listened to her, and he was being less difficult than the other times. He got out of the shower five minutes later, and he was out to grab his change of clothes; they were laid out on the bed, and Lyla was not in the room anymore.

He looked around trying to find her, but there was no sign of her. He just grabbed the clothes and put them on quickly. He ruffled his damp hair, shaking his head a bit to shake off the water, and then he walked out of the bedroom.

“You’re done? You look nice,” Lyla complimented when she saw her husband walking out looking dashing. She stood up from the couch and took his hand, which he had offered earlier. In her other hand, she carried a small handbag to complete the look.

Blec was driving them to their dinner place. Looked like he was familiar with the place; he took them straight to the restaurant. The car parked around the back entry where a truck was unloading supplies. It was his truck, and this was the right place they needed to be.

Zeno and Lyla got out of the car; Blec followed closely behind them. Zeno held her hand and led her to the entrance. And as they passed the side entrance or employee’s door, the familiar face was met. Zeno and Leo made eye contact. Even after their last encounter, Zeno acted as if nothing happened.

He waved at Leo; his face was straight but still looked friendly, as much as he could. Of course, because Leo was his business partner now.

Leo went to approach the couple. To say he was shocked was an understatement. He didn’t expect to see Zeno come to his place, especially since he brought Lyla along. But he greeted them anyway, like an old friend.

“I didn't expect to see the boss coming down to the field, doing the dirty work himself.” Leo shook his hand and smiled at Lyla, small. It was not a statement, more like an acknowledgment.

“We were nearby and thought we should come and visit your restaurant. We're on our honeymoon, kinda late because of the work holdup,” Zeno said, had his hand placed firmly on her hip, marking his territory, showing off what he got in his life now.

“Honeymoon?” Leo questioned with a raised eyebrow; the look of judgment felt strong coming from him. Then, a small smile appeared. “My treat. Let me treat you to our special courses. Come on in,” Leo invited them into his restaurant. He led the way through the main entrance; he didn’t let them walk through the side door. Besides, it was not meant for guests.

Lyla held him back when he was about to walk. He turned to her and silently asked what bothered her. Her face said it all; there was doubt in it. “Do we really have to eat in this restaurant? Can’t we go somewhere else?” She didn’t know what came over her, but a sudden feeling of discomfort surfaced.

“He’s my client, Lyla. Is it polite to decline?” Zeno responded calmly and strategically. There was a plan that he created for this moment, and he needed to walk through it. He wanted to know what would happen in that moment and after. He was basically giving a bait to the cage directly, playing a dangerous game. But he was confident in the game he played. “He liked you, remember?”

“I’m uncomfortable,” she stated lowly.

“I understand. We eat, then we leave, okay?” Zeno looked at his wife, raised his hand, and adjusted her hair. The gesture fluttered her heart, Zeno was never the sweet guy, not the sweetest.

“Not okay,” the unexpected answer baffled him.

“Should we go back and try the spot I recommended earlier?” He raised an eyebrow, pulled her close, pressing until no room was left between them. The tips of their nose touched one another, their breath fanned. The warmth of their breath tingled her.

Zeno captured her lips, distracting her. Five seconds in, Lyla pushed him off quickly and gave him a questioning look.

“Let’s go, you have to eat, love.” Zeno ignored her and brought her into the restaurant.

“I don’t want to see him, Alaister!”