The room was always at the perfect temperature, just right for the human body. Josephine had taken a nap, so why was her face so red?
"Too many blankets?" Stuart wondered aloud. "But the blanket isn't even thick."
Josephine kept her head down, avoiding his gaze. "It's nothing, just a bit hot."
"Are you running a fever?" Stuart asked, reaching out to feel her forehead.
Josephine quickly stepped back, avoiding his hand.
Stuart froze, his hand hanging in the air.
Realizing she had overreacted, Josephine quickly said, "I'm fine, really. Just didn't sleep well."
"Oh." Stuart looked at her, then lowered his eyes. He didn't say anything, but he looked hurt.
Josephine didn't know what to say, so she started to head downstairs.
"Josephine!" Stuart called after her.
She turned back. "What's up?"
"Did I... did I do something wrong?" Stuart looked anxious.
Seeing him like that, Josephine felt a pang of guilt. "No, you didn't do anything wrong."
"You wouldn't let me touch you." Stuart stepped closer, his eyes pleading. "If I did something wrong, just tell me. I'll fix it."
Josephine's heart ached. She had never seen Stuart so vulnerable. "I just had a bad dream. When you reached out, it startled me."
"What kind of dream?" Stuart asked. "A nightmare?"
It wasn't a nightmare, but it was scarier than one. Of course, she wouldn't tell him that. "Sorry, I didn't mean to react like that."
After a moment of silence, she stepped forward and hugged him.
Stuart didn't move, his arms hanging at his sides, but his jaw was tense.
"Sorry," Josephine whispered. "It won't happen again."
"You don't need to apologize," Stuart said. "It's me... it's me..."
"Stuart," someone called out.
Josephine quickly stepped back and looked toward the staircase.
Elbert had come up and seen them hugging. He quickly turned around. "It's nothing, nothing... you guys continue. I didn't see anything!"
Josephine felt mortified, wishing she could disappear.
Stuart, sensing her embarrassment, quickly said, "It's nothing, just a hug."
Just a hug? What else did he want? Josephine glared at him, annoyed, but unsure what to do.
Go downstairs? She might run into Elbert.
Stay upstairs? People might get the wrong idea.
She was going crazy. "You... you go downstairs and see if anyone's there."
Stuart was left with no option but to comply. Downstairs, he found both Elbert and Carol present.
"Hey, could you guys give us a sec? Josephine's feeling a bit shy," Stuart requested softly.
"You're unbelievable," Elbert said. "Josephine made the first move, and you didn't even respond?"
He witnessed Josephine embracing Stuart, who remained unresponsive. This truly irked him!
"No..." Stuart fumbled for words, then just said, "Can you guys hang out in the guest room for a bit?"
For Stuart's happiness, naturally, there was no objection from either of them.
Stuart hurried back upstairs. "No one's downstairs."
Josephine quickly said, "Then I'm leaving."
"Where are you going? We agreed to go to the welcome party together."
"I'm going home first." Josephine didn't wait for a response, rushing downstairs and out the door without even seeing Jeffery.
She figured she'd call Jeffery later. If he didn't want to stay, she'd come back to pick him up in the evening.
Stuart chased after her. "Josephine, I'll go with you."
"I'm going home. Why are you coming?" Before she could finish, Stuart had already pulled her into the car.
He buckled her seatbelt and said, "Don't overthink it. My parents just want us to reconcile. They'll be happy as long as we are."
They were so close that Josephine could feel his cool breath. She turned her face away. "I know."
Knowing was one thing, but being caught by the elders was another.
If she and Stuart were officially together, it wouldn't matter how they hugged. But now, without any official status, it felt inappropriate. What would the elders think?
Josephine's mind was a mess, and she stayed silent. Stuart didn't say anything either, just started the car.
When they got to her place, Stuart didn't dare suggest going up with her. But Josephine said, "Are you going back to Haustia Manor? If we're going to the welcome party together tonight, you can wait here."
Stuart was more than happy to follow her upstairs. Once inside, Josephine said she had things to do and told him to make himself at home, then went into the study.
Josephine felt she wasn't carefree enough. Laura wouldn't care about such things. Laura had even told her that if she liked Stuart's body, she should just go for it and treat him as a bed partner.
But Josephine couldn't get past her own reservations. Being conservative and traditional, she believed that sex should be reserved for someone in a confirmed relationship. Yet, she had no desire to enter into a new relationship at the moment.
She sat in the study, lost in thought. Should she continue this undefined relationship with Stuart? Occasionally holding hands and kissing—what did it all mean? If she agreed to be Stuart's girlfriend... No, she still felt some resistance.
Josephine thought until her head hurt. Thinking about that dream made her even more upset. When did she become someone who focused on physical desires?
She was alone in the study, troubled, and time passed without her noticing. A light knock on the door brought her back to reality. She got up to open the door.
Stuart stood outside. "Are you done? It's about time, we should go."
"Oh, okay." Josephine had been so lost in thought she forgot the time. She checked her phone and saw it was indeed time to go. "Let's go."
Josephine was supposed to pick up Claudia, but Claudia insisted they meet directly at the hotel.
Stuart drove, and Josephine sat in the passenger seat. They didn't say much on the way.
Soon they arrived at the hotel, and as soon as they got out of the car, Josephine heard someone calling her, "Josephine!"