Brandon looked around the house and found that it was indeed bare. “I haven’t been back to Seacisco for a long time. Charis was the one who sent people to clean the place up.” He seemed to be explaining himself.
Natalie walked to the sofa and sat down. Stroking the spotless sofa, she sneered in disdain, “Don’t you think that Charis has interfered too much? Isn’t she just an employee of your company? Why is she responsible for your private affairs now?”
Truth be told, even Brandon felt that Charis had crossed the line. A matter like arranging people to clean Brandon’s house was supposed to be his personal assistant’s job. With Charis’s status, she shouldn’t have been in charge of such trivial things.
After a long silence, Brandon replied perfunctorily, “I didn’t take it too seriously. I just recovered from a serious illness. I thought she did it because she was worried about me.” He knew that Charis had feelings for him. It seemed reasonable for her to help him with these trifles.
Natalie felt a little stuffy in her chest, but she knew that she couldn’t lose her temper now. She took a deep breath and suppressed her anger.
Brandon went upstairs as soon as he finished talking, followed by a sulky Natalie. This was just the beginning. She couldn’t admit defeat so easily! Instead of entering the master bedroom, Brandon had planned to stay in the guest room. As he walked, he asked casually, “What are our sleeping arrangements? Shall I take the guest room?”
Natalie couldn’t help but snigger. When she looked at Brandon, a sly smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “We are a couple. Of course, we sleep in the same bed.”
Brandon’s whole body tensed up instantly. Seeing this, the smile on Natalie’s face became even brighter. She tilted her head to look at him in a somewhat innocent-like manner, to which Brandon tightened his jaw and pursed his thin lips.
“What’s the matter? You look flustered. Brandon, you were never like this in bed before,” Natalie continued to banter with him. Brandon himself once admitted that he was wild in bed. So why was he so shy now? Natalie found it oddly amusing.
Upon hearing her, Brandon’s steps became unsteady subconsciously. Was she telling him the truth? In his memory, he had never slept with a woman. Moreover, Natalie was nothing but a stranger to him now. How on earth could she know what he was like in bed? Seeing the hesitant and uncertain look on Brandon’s face, Natalie suddenly wanted to keep on teasing him. She pulled his suit jacket and led him into the master bedroom.
“Why don’t you come inside and look around? After all, we used to sleep here together,” Natalie said, trying to entice him. Brandon clung to the doorknob subconsciously. Having no reason to refuse her, he walked into the room slowly, as if he was about to face a formidable enemy. Looking at how cautious he looked, Natalie was amused. She covered her mouth and said gently, “Well, get settled. I’ll take a shower first…”
The sound of running water from the bathroom brought Brandon back to his senses. For some reason, he felt nervous. However, he shook his head and chastised himself. Natalie was just a woman. What could she do to him?
After stepping out of the shower, Natalie saw that Brandon hadn’t left. He was sitting quietly on the sofa, reading a magazine. He had taken off his suit jacket and carefully laid it on the sofa. The top two buttons of his white shirt were unbuttoned, exposing his sharp collarbone and pectoral muscles. He looked extremely sexy.
Wiping her wet hair, Natalie sat on the edge of the bed and asked, “Aren’t you going to take a shower before going to bed?” Brandon looked up at the woman in front of him. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and his voice was a little hoarse for reasons he couldn’t explain. He had flipped through the magazine in his hand twice or thrice now, but nothing seemed to register in his mind. He couldn’t seem to concentrate at all.
Brandon braced himself, stood up, and then walked to the bathroom. He was at a complete loss as to what to do, which was a rare feeling for him. Just now, Natalie was standing in front of him half-naked, as though she was deliberately trying to seduce him. And it worked. His mind went blank, and he stayed in the bathroom for a long time before coming out. He walked out wrapped in a bathrobe.
The bedroom was now dimly lit, with only a bedside table lamp illuminating the room in a warm orange glow. The quilt bulged slightly in the middle. Natalie slept on her stomach, taking up most of the bed. Brandon walked over, lifted a corner of the quilt, and quietly lay down, careful not to wake the woman up. He turned his back to Natalie, took a deep breath, and then closed his eyes.
Natalie quietly peeled her eyes open. Seeing how stiff and tense Brandon’s back was, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In the past, Brandon had always been demanding sexually, but now, he was like a nervous husband on his wedding night. She really couldn’t figure out what made him like this.
“Brandon…” Thinking of the past, Natalie stretched out her hand subconsciously. However, just as her fingertips brushed against his bathrobe, Brandon sat up from the bed abruptly. Narrowing his eyes at her, Brandon asked warily, “What are you doing?” He had retreated to the edge of the bed. It seemed that he would fall down at any time. In a daze, Natalie’s eyes landed on his reddened earlobes.
Wrapped in the quilt, Natalie reached out her hand to turn on the light and then sat down to look at Brandon. Smiling brightly, he asked, “Why are you so scared? I will not hurt you or anything.” His cheerful and euphemistic voice made Brandon’s ears turn even redder. Brandon did not raise his head and refused to look at the woman next to him. Clutching the quilt tightly, she felt a little depressed, never having felt so powerless before.
“Did you want to tell me something?” Natalie asked with curiosity, tilting her head to the side. With a tense look on his face, Brandon finally raised his eyes to look at Natalie, though hesitant. He said, “You… Please don’t… I…” Seeing that he couldn’t even finish the sentence, Natalie was amused. He shook his head helplessly, turned off the light, and lay down with his back to Brandon. Then he said quietly, “Okay, I promise I won’t bother you again. You have work tomorrow. Goodnight.”
Thereafter, Natalie didn’t say anything else. Brandon breathed a sigh of relief. In the dark, he looked at the silent outline of Natalie. Too many doubts went through his mind. What kind of person was she? And how did they used to interact? To Brandon’s frustration, he still couldn’t remember anything. His head was filled with a thousand questions, but he couldn’t just wake up Natalie and ask her without her knowing about his memory loss. In the end, he had no choice but to return to lying on the edge of the bed, wrapped up, and close his eyes.
The early fall rainstorms were over, and winter crept in silently. Brandon woke up to the sound of the loud winds beating against the window. When he got up to close the window, he was attracted by the delicious scent of breakfast and unconsciously looked to the other side of the empty bed. Only then did he realize that Natalie was not in the room. After a quick wash, he ran downstairs.
It was a windy day, but there were no signs of rain. The sun was still shining outside. With an apron on, Natalie poured two cups of milk onto the table and then went back to the kitchen to prepare the food. Brandon mindlessly followed her into the kitchen. Natalie was making sandwiches for breakfast. When she heard footsteps behind her, she turned around and smiled, “Good morning, sun! Go wash your hands. Breakfast is almost ready.” Brandon was stunned for a few seconds.
By some inexplicable reason, he felt that this scene looked so familiar, like experiencing déjà vu. He thought long and hard. Natalie’s busy figure gradually overlapped with his mother’s in his memories. Sylvia used to make him breakfast before he went home. The smell of delicious food early in the morning, the blurred face of the woman, and the familiar sound of cooking. This scene was very familiar to him, but Brandon couldn’t remember her. His memory was too fuzzy, and every time he tried to clear it up, he felt a dull ache in his head.
Noticing his distraction, Natalie waved her hand in front of him and asked, “Brandon? What do you have in mind? Let’s go. It’s time for breakfast.” Brandon’s eyes gradually cleared. He nodded slightly and followed her to the dining room. There were sandwiches, bacon, eggs, and milk on the table, a delicious spread for breakfast. “Here you go,” Natalie said with a smile as she handed him a glass of milk. Brandon accepted the glass with both hands and said awkwardly, “Oh, thank you.”
Natalie gestured to the food on the table and insisted, “Try it. I hope my culinary skills haven’t worsened while I was outside.” Brandon nodded. He slowly took a sandwich and hesitantly took a bite. The food Natalie cooked was nothing special, but it tasted good. The meaty chicken and crispy lettuce blended perfectly. There was no extra seasoning, but it was still a tasty and refreshing sandwich. Brandon’s heart felt warm as he ate. “It’s delicious,” he praised from the bottom of his heart. He hadn’t eaten such a home-cooked meal in a long time. This made him feel that the word “home” was not so far from him for the first time.
The smile in Natalie’s eyes didn’t fade. After finishing what was left of her milk, she winked at Brandon and said lightly, “As usual, I cook and you wash the dishes.” Brandon obediently nodded. He didn’t think it was an unreasonable request. In fact, it felt as if he had done this task many times. But he had no idea when he did it and why he agreed to do it in the first place.
Despite the blank spaces in his mind, Brandon really enjoyed the familiar feeling of having a good breakfast.
Suddenly, his phone started ringing. It was Charis calling. “Brandon, why aren’t you in the office yet? Did something happen?” Her voice was full of concern.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Carry on with the job,” Brandon replied, taking a sip of milk. He gave her brief orders and then hung up. It was the first time he had set aside his work for something else.
Instead of rushing to the company, he finished breakfast with Natalie unhurriedly and even washed the dishes afterwards.
Charis gritted her teeth and put the phone away. She couldn’t hide her jealousy and anger any longer. “Brandon had just moved back in with Natalie, spent one night, and today he was late to work.” Charis took a deep breath and proceeded to walk to the office as if nothing had happened.
New Book: Beginning with a Daring Encounter
Celsie was tired of being labeled as an introvert, workaholic, and dull virgin by her friends. Determined to prove them wrong, she made a bet that she would do something daring on her 25th birthday. Now that the day had arrived, it was time to fulfill her promise. On her daring to-do list, there was one task: a one-night stand with someone.
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