After quickly cleaning up the burnt curry, Basil took out the ingredients Darnell had bought and quickly whipped up an omelet and ham sausage fried rice. Though neither purely Chinese nor Western, it was surprisingly delicious. Cierra ate several bowls before she finally stopped.
Basil also had his first proper meal in days. He hadn't been doing well, sometimes eating only one meal a day. Coupled with frequent nightmares at night, he sometimes took short naps during the day, resulting in a messed-up schedule and poor spirits, making him even more reluctant for Darnell and others to visit and see him in such a state.
"Bas, you look really tired. Do you want to go upstairs and lie down? I'll clean up the kitchen later." Cierra felt guilty for making a mess in the kitchen again and leaving Basil to deal with it.
Basil shook his head.
He felt physically tired, but his mind was in an excited state. Just thinking about Cierra being his salvation made him feel energized. However, Cierra was still worried.
"Bas, your dark circles are quite heavy. If you don't rest, people might think you're wearing smoky eye makeup!"
"Alright, I'll go upstairs and rest a bit," Basil suddenly paused.
Cierra waited for Basil to start walking up the stairs, but instead, she got a fake smile from him. Her heart skipped a beat, feeling like she was being hunted. It was too scary. She knew that this man suited the cold, cool, and handsome style, but she still got scared by his strange smiles from time to time.
"Wha... what's wrong?" Cierra clutched her chest, feeling guilty for imagining the smiling uncle as something sinister.
"Can you stay with me?" Basil lowered his eyelids, three parts shy and seven parts embarrassed, as he finally managed to say it.
Oh, the turning into a sweet little thing was really unsettling! Cierra's eye twitched. Did he want her to tell him a bedtime story to fall asleep? Looking at the messy table and her full stomach, she knew it was time to repay his kindness, so she nodded.
But when the man lay down on the bed, he didn't close his eyes. Cierra thought he wanted her to start telling a bedtime story. She sighed slightly and began to ponder whether to tell "Beauty and the Beast" or "Cinderella."
"Ning Ning, can I hold your hand? I've been having nightmares lately."
Basil wasn't lying. A big reason he hadn't been sleeping well these days was that every time he closed his eyes, the image of Lettie from high school would appear in his mind, pleading with him. Perhaps because he thought about rejecting Lettie during the day, his worries seeped into his dreams, and he couldn't sleep because he kept seeing her crying face.
"Uh!" Cierra grabbed her right hand with her left, torn between her thoughts.
What should she do? Did Basil intend to use her bandaged hand to feel safe? Looking at Basil's hopeful and handsome eyes, she couldn't help but give in.
What a good man, so affectionate, dedicated, and rich—no, no, no. She thought that these days, everyone in the country would know that the famous Mr. Logan wasn't rich enough and was far behind the entertainment moguls. She sighed, and without hesitation, extended her strong right hand to Basil.
"Here, Bas, hold it. Don't be shy."
"Not this one." Basil gently pushed away her right hand that was reaching for him.
Oh, he was actually picky?
Basil took Cierra's left hand himself, looking at her round nails and tender, white fingers like green onions. He deliberately ignored his fluttering heart and the unease in his lower abdomen. Only after intertwining their fingers precisely did he drowsily close his eyes.
Wow, didn't Darnell say he had kept his purity for thirty years and was still a virgin? How is he so good at flirting? Cierra's eyes sparkled like falling stars, her cheeks turned red, and she felt a warm blush spreading across her face.
What should she do? This was the first time she had held hands with a man!
Suddenly, she remembered the three steps of winning over a girl from Cynthia's novel: hold hands, then kiss. She hurriedly covered her mouth with her bandaged hand.
"Hey! Hey! Bas," Cierra decided to protect her hands first. After all, she hadn't even started college yet, and it wasn't time for her to start dating according to her agreement with Cynthia.
"What's wrong, Cici?" Uncle slightly opened his eyes, and his low, sexy voice crashed into her heart, shattering it into starry fragments.
The man's voice was so pleasant, so sexy and charming, that Cierra momentarily forgot what she wanted to say.
"Want to sleep together with? Hmm?"Basil asked again.
Cierra quickly looked away. his gaze was so enticing that she feared if she continued looking, she wouldn't be able to resist his charm. Forget about just a kiss, she feared he'd devour her completely, skin and bones.
