Chapter 196: I Have to Pee
Chapter 196: Chapter 196: I Have to Pee
Caroline Whitman lay in bed, listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom as she glanced at her phone.
Twenty minutes.
Adrian Grant had never taken longer than ten minutes to shower before. ’Is he having a little "me time" in there?’
She rolled over and stuck her leg under the covers on Adrian Grant’s side of the bed. Cold. The air conditioning was set too low.
The sound of water from the bathroom finally stopped. A few minutes later, the door opened, and Adrian Grant walked out. His hair was half-dry, and he wore a dark purple pajama set, buttoned all the way to the neck.
’Not even a hint of collarbone.’
Hearing the sound, Caroline Whitman turned her head. She fell silent at the sight of his prim attire.
’Seriously?’
"You were in there so long, I thought you were planning to spend the night. Next time you take that long, I’m really going to have to check if you’ve fainted in there."
Caroline Whitman’s teasing voice rang out again.
’Finally! The day has finally come! I finally said it! So satisfying!’
’He always used to be the one teasing her with those exact words. Now, the tables had turned, and she could throw that line right back in his face.’
Adrian Grant walked over to the desk, and his hand paused as he reached for a glass of water. The words sounded vaguely familiar.
A vague, teasing voice flashed through his mind, its tone nearly identical to what the woman before him had just said.
He tried to catch the tail end of that fleeting thought, and vaguely recalled that the owner of the voice in his memory was... himself.
Seeing him standing there silently, Caroline Whitman assumed she had left him speechless and rolled over with satisfaction.
After a moment, she pulled the blanket down again, revealing just her eyes.
Only to find that Adrian Grant was already sitting in the chair, once again cradling his laptop and starting to work.
Caroline Whitman couldn’t take it anymore. She puffed out her cheeks slightly. "You’re not going to spend another whole night with that stupid computer, are you?"
This time, Adrian Grant didn’t remain indifferent. He lifted his gaze to look at her, his eyes landing on her face from behind his glasses. The look was a complete departure from the refined, ascetic vibe of the past two days; its aggression was utterly unexpected.
"What, can’t wait?"
"..."
This time, it was Caroline Whitman’s turn to be speechless.
Her heart involuntarily skipped a beat.
’That tone, that expression... it was a total throwback to the flamboyant Adrian Grant she remembered.’
’Then again, Adrian Grant had amnesia, he wasn’t brain-damaged, and it’s not like he had a personality transplant. Underneath it all, he was still the same person.’
The flamboyant, shameless version of Adrian Grant was the one Caroline Whitman feared most. She pressed her lips together, trying her best not to let him see that she was losing her nerve.
"Who said I can’t wait? I’m worried your wound won’t heal properly if you stay up all night. The doctor said you need more rest."
With that, she huffed softly, wrapped the blanket tightly around herself in a feigned air of nonchalance, and turned her back to him.
Adrian Grant didn’t miss her subtle expression. He leaned back in his chair, savoring the implication.
’So it seems his wife is the one who can’t take a bit of teasing.’
’So that’s why she’s been taking advantage of his amnesia these past two days to get her revenge.’
Adrian Grant’s gaze lingered on the curve of her back for a long while before he finally looked away and returned to his work.
’Not being able to remember is such a pain. I have to start over with so many things.’
It wasn’t until late at night that Adrian Grant finished his work. He shut down the laptop, took off his glasses and placed them gently on the desk, then rose and went to the bedside.
He looked down at the woman lying on her side, her back to him. Her breathing was long and even; she was clearly asleep.
With a CLICK, the bedside lamp went out.
The entire room was plunged into darkness.
Then, the mattress dipped slightly. In the darkness, about two fists’ worth of space separated the two of them on the bed.
Breathing in the faint, light fragrance coming from beside him, Adrian Grant calmly closed his eyes.
After a short while, the woman beside him suddenly rolled over, snuggling closer. The tip of her nose brushed against his neck, then her arm came around him, her palm resting on his chest. Her leg came over too, shifting a couple of times to find a comfortable spot before going still.
"..."
Adrian Grant silently opened his eyes. He didn’t find the physical contact unpleasant, but that was beside the point.
He tried to lift her arm off his chest.
He had just moved it back to her side when she draped it over him again.
He pushed her leg off his thigh.
She let out a soft murmur, rolled over, but less than half a minute later, she rolled back and held him even tighter.
"..."
Adrian Grant stopped moving.
He stared at the ceiling, trying his best to ignore the soft pressure on his arm.
But he couldn’t ignore her face buried in the crook of his neck, her warm breath sweeping over his collarbone.
He had only one thought now.
’That shower was a complete waste.’
’Running the AC was pointless too.’
His hand hovered in mid-air before finally landing on her back. The touch was light, so light it was as if his hand had just happened to rest there.
「The next morning.」
When Caroline Whitman woke up, she almost habitually reached out with her eyes still closed to feel the spot beside her. It was empty.
She instinctively opened her eyes. As expected, Adrian Grant wasn’t in bed.
She sighed in resignation. ’So he ended up going out to sleep somewhere else after all.’
’Given Adrian Grant’s current high-and-mighty moral character, that’s exactly something he would do.’
Caroline Whitman sat up, about to get out of bed to stage a surprise inspection next door, when she suddenly heard the sound of running water from the bathroom.
She changed direction and pushed open the bathroom door.
The unexpected sight of a handsome man showering appeared before her eyes.
Caroline Whitman’s eyes went wide as saucers, staring downward without blinking.
’Even though she’d seen it countless times, a sight like that never got old.’
In truth, it wasn’t just Caroline Whitman who was stunned by the scene; the victim was also startled by the sudden intrusion.
Adrian Grant’s soapy hand, which had been scrubbing his neck, froze. The first thing that flashed through his mind wasn’t the embarrassment of being walked in on while showering.
’But rather, the sheer relief that his hand was scrubbing his neck, and not... something else.’
"..."
"Had your fill?" Adrian Grant finally spoke.
Caroline Whitman subconsciously swallowed. Hearing his voice, she finally dragged her gaze upward, gave a dry laugh, and offered a greeting:
"Hey, fancy meeting you here."
"..."
Adrian Grant showed no sign of awkwardness or embarrassment at being seen. He simply glanced at Caroline Whitman, then turned his back and rinsed the soap from his body.
When he had finished his quick rinse, turned off the water, and grabbed a towel, he turned back around to find his wife hadn’t left.
"..."
"What are you still doing here?" he asked.
"I have to pee," Caroline Whitman said with a perfectly straight face.
"..."
If not for the blush betraying her and her persistently lowered gaze, Adrian Grant might have actually fallen for it.
He glanced at the toilet. "My showering doesn’t stop you from," Adrian Grant paused, "peeing."
"..."
Caroline Whitman said, "I don’t want an audience."
"And do you think I want an audience when I’m showering?" Adrian Grant retorted.
Caroline Whitman didn’t reply, only giving him a look fraught with meaning.
’Heh. Anyone else could say that, but you, Adrian Grant, really can’t.’
It just goes to show, birds of a feather flock together. For some reason, Adrian Grant completely understood her look, having successfully tuned into her wavelength.