Free Web NovelChapter 65: Chapter 65: No, I’m Already in a Relationship
Her mother had passed away, and the only person left she could rely on had vanished without a word. Georgia Thorne lived in agony during that time.
Upon arriving at a new home, no one liked her, and she couldn’t find anyone to lean on or confide in.
After spending a long time with the Thorne Family, she gradually learned to be self-reliant.
Dependence is an addictive thing, as terrifying as a drug.
Once you succumb, it’s hard to break free.
"Actually, about that little kitten... I didn’t find her. I bought her," Justin Sullivan said, trying to start a conversation.
Georgia Thorne loved cats. It was the one topic that could get her to open up and talk to him endlessly.
’When I couldn’t see her, I missed her desperately, just wishing she could be standing right in front of me. And now that I can see her, I find myself desperately missing the sound of her voice.’
Because of Selena Sheridan, and because of their respective places in the family hierarchy, the relationship between them had grown more and more distant.
"A street vendor was selling kittens at an intersection. Her brothers and sisters had all been chosen by other customers, leaving only the weakest one. I figured if I didn’t buy her, she probably wouldn’t survive much longer."
"A newborn kitten taken from its mother after just a few days would definitely have a hard time surviving. It’s a good thing this one was lucky enough to meet the neighbor’s cat."
"She was indeed lucky, but it was because she met you!"
"..."
They chatted about a few other things, but Georgia felt they were running out of topics to talk about.
’It’s been so long. Why isn’t Selena here yet?’ freeweɓnovel.cøm
Georgia Thorne called Selena Sheridan. Selena said she was stuck in traffic but was rushing to the restaurant as fast as she could.
As Selena Sheridan took Georgia’s call, her taxi was already pulling up to the restaurant entrance.
She hastily paid the fare, grabbed her bag, and ran into the restaurant.
As she stepped out of the elevator, she ran right into a man in a suit.
They brushed shoulders, and Selena Sheridan hurried past, frantic.
The man turned his head, watching her go. "Was that Selena Sheridan just now?" he asked the person beside him.
The person beside him looked puzzled. "Who’s Selena Sheridan?"
"The precious daughter of the Sheridan Family! How can your memory be worse than mine!"
"..."
"Sorry, sorry, I’m late!" Selena Sheridan pushed open the door to the private room, still panting. It was clear she had run all the way there.
"Here, have some water first." Georgia Thorne poured a glass of water for Selena.
Georgia was just about to move and give up her seat, but Selena went and sat right down next to Justin Sullivan.
Georgia shifted awkwardly. She was used to giving Selena her seat. ’Looks like that’s a habit I’ll have to break,’ she thought.
Selena was parched. After downing the glass of water, she said, "I had such bad luck today. I was stuck in traffic for half an hour. Rush hour is terrifying."
With Selena in the room, Georgia felt the atmosphere improve considerably.
At least there wasn’t so much silence.
Selena curiously asked how she’d been doing back home. When she brought up Hayley Sullivan, she glanced at Justin Sullivan and quickly glossed over the topic.
’I don’t have much to say,’ Georgia thought. ’For the past three years, besides studying, I’ve just been working part-time jobs to make money. The rest of the time, I’ve been with Elliot Sheridan.’
’My life couldn’t be more monotonous. Besides, with Justin here, there are some things I can’t really talk about.’
So she turned the question back to Selena. "What about you?"
Selena’s face lit up as she talked about her time in Breccon. Unlike universities back home, she explained, schools abroad were more focused on practical application and had a more relaxed atmosphere.
Justin Sullivan sat to one side, listening to Selena speak, his gaze never leaving Georgia.
’With Selena here, she opens up so much more,’ he thought. ’When she’s alone with me, she’s so reserved.’
’Truthfully, on the few occasions I was alone with her before, I wanted to ask her if she ever received the letters I wrote.’
’And if she did, did she read them? And if she read them, why didn’t she send a single reply?’
’Even a rejection, just a single word, would have been enough to let me give up.’
But every time he opened his mouth to steer the conversation toward the letters, Georgia would cut him off.
The restaurant seemed unusually busy today; the food was taking a long time to arrive.
When Selena Sheridan saw the strawberry ice cream, served in the shape of a heart, she gasped in delight.
Deeply touched, she covered her mouth and looked over at Justin Sullivan. "Jean!"
"Don’t eat too much; you’re not supposed to have a lot of cold things," Justin Sullivan said considerately, handing her a spoon.
Selena took a bite. It melted on her tongue, bursting with a rich strawberry flavor. She felt a wave of pure bliss.
Georgia had a serving as well, but hers wasn’t shaped like a heart.
She watched as Justin gently took a napkin and wiped the corner of Selena’s mouth, and she lowered her head.
Her eyes stung. She took a bite of her own strawberry ice cream.
It tasted just like any other, nothing special about it.
Perhaps it was her state of mind, but after two bites, Georgia lost her appetite.
Selena didn’t eat much before pushing the rest of her ice cream toward Justin.
She begged him to finish it for her in a cute, wheedling tone.
Georgia watched them. On the surface, Justin seemed cold and aloof, but he was almost always willing to grant Selena’s requests.
He started eating it directly, without even changing the spoon.
’But I remember him being a germaphobe,’ she thought.
Satisfied after watching Justin take a bite, Selena turned back to Georgia. "Georgia, do you remember our agreement?"
Georgia’s gaze had been unconsciously following Justin.
When Selena turned to look at her, Georgia quickly looked away, as if she’d been caught doing something wrong.
"What agreement?"
She searched her memory but couldn’t recall making any other agreements with Selena.
"You don’t remember? The one about you finding a boyfriend in college! So, do you have one yet?" What else were best friends for, if not to care about all this juicy gossip?
Georgia felt a bead of sweat form on her forehead. She hadn’t given that conversation a second thought back then.
"Um, I..."
"Don’t tell me you spent these last three years just studying and didn’t get a boyfriend!" Selena shot Georgia an interrogating look.
Georgia laughed nervously. ’Being with Elliot Sheridan, how could I possibly have the nerve to date anyone else?’
That was exactly what Georgia wanted to say.
But as her gaze swept over Justin sitting next to Selena, she thought for a moment and told a lie. "No, I’m already dating someone!"
Georgia liked Justin Sullivan, but Selena was her best friend.
Just as Amanda Thorne had said, she couldn’t possibly destroy the relationship between Justin and Selena to become a third party.
"Really? You have a boyfriend? Who is he? What’s his name? Do I know him? What does he look like?" Selena pressed on, her face full of curiosity.
The barrage of questions caught Georgia completely off guard.
’There is no boyfriend. How am I supposed to make this up?!’
"You wouldn’t know him. He’s an upperclassman I met in college," Georgia said, casually fabricating a fake boyfriend.
"You should have brought him with you today! I wanted to meet him."
"There’s nothing much to see. He’s just a regular guy."
「In another private room at Iris Tolliver’s」
Zane Lennox was dining with a few friends he’d grown up with. freёwebnoѵel.com
"The food at this place is pretty good," one of Zane Lennox’s friends commented, "but it’s not really the right vibe for a bunch of guys like us."
"You said it! A meal with just food and no booze or women is no fun at all! I mean, President Lennox, you finally deign to treat us to a meal. Couldn’t we have gone to a bar? Why’d you pick a cutesy place like this?" another friend chimed in.
