When fate plays its hand

Paul’s cheeks flushed red the moment he heard Miranda’s words, like the radiant hues of a sunset. It made him look exceptionally handsome

Miranda stood at the entrance of her apartment and extended an invitation to him with a bright smile. Her gaze was unwavering as she looked at him.

Paul’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly in his throat. His mouth had suddenly gone dry. He swallowed with difficulty and said, “No, no… I didn’t mean it like that… I just wanted to watch you go inside. Don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t thinking… about doing anything…”

Miranda leaned against the doorframe and watched as Paul stammered through his explanation. The corners of her eyes were lifted in amusement, and she had a faint smile on

her face.

He was utterly at a loss when he saw her teasing expression.

Miranda decided to stop teasing him. She bid him goodnight with a smile and turned around to enter her apartment.

Paul was left alone, feeling an indescribable sense of loss. He stood motionless at the door for several seconds before finally sighing and heading into his own apartment.*

That night, Miranda lay in bed as she stared at the ceiling. She couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corner of her lips when she recalled Paul’s blushing face.

He was so easy to tease.

Paul also found himself unable to calm down. Her invitation to stay the night echoed repeatedly like a spell, playing over and over again in his mind…

If he had said yes at that time…

What could have happened?

The thought caused him to take a gulp of cold water, but it barely managed to quell the heat rising up within him.

Paul pressed his palm to his chest. He could clearly feel the rapid pounding of his heart. It pounded heavily against his chest, again and again.

His Adam’s apple bobbed again as he reached for more water, only to realize that he had ̧ emptied the bottle. Paul sighed and made his way to the bathroom.

After a shower, he was still wide awake as he lay in bed. It wasn’t until dawn that he finally slept, but all his dreams were filled with her.

This time, the dream was bolder than any he had ever had before.

In his past dreams, Paul had always been the one to take the initiative. He was clumsy and

uncoordinated in his approach. However, Miranda was the one to take control this time.

She stood there, her fair skin glowing like the moonlight. She was smiling softly as she looked at him with twinkling eyes. It was as if she had no idea how alluring or captivating she was at

that moment.

Just a brief glance was enough to make Paul spellbound.

He moved toward her like a man possessed, shedding his clothes piece by piece. Their clothes were strewn across the floor, overlapping each other.

“Dr. Jefferson, be gentle…” she moaned.

Paul woke up with a start and sat bolt upright.

The sky had started to lighten as the first light of dawn pierced through the darkness. The temperature of the air was cool, but he was drenched in sweat. As for his bedding…

It was an unsightly mess.

Despite feeling annoyed, Paul found himself smiling faintly. He thought, “This was normal. What man wouldn’t miss his girlfriend?”

There was no law against having any lustful thoughts about one’s own girlfriend.

Miranda woke up at the usual time. It was still early, so she laid back down for another ten minutes before getting up to wash up.

She hadn’t touched the oatmeal that was prepared yesterday as she had run out of takeout containers to divide into portions. In the end, Miranda just heated up some milk for Madison and Sebastian.

She made sandwiches and prepared two bowls of oatmeal before knocking on the door across the hall. When the door opened, Miranda noticed that Paul had rolled up his sleeves. It seemed like he was in the middle of doing household chores. noveldrama

Paul quickly took the oatmeal from her hands and placed it on the coffee table. Miranda followed him inside and closed the door behind her. The two sat down and ate breakfast while

it was still warm.

Miranda asked, “Are you going to the lab today?”

Paul nodded. “What about you?”

“Me too.”

Their gazes met. At that moment, there was a tension that seemed to be brewing in the air.

Miranda was the first to avert her gaze and looked around the apartment. “What were you busy with earlier?”

Paul snapped to his senses. “I was washing the sheets and bedding.”

Miranda stood up and walked toward the balcony Sure enough, the washing machine was running.