Ice on the Outside, Screaming Love on the Inside Chapter 07

Ice on the Outside, Screaming Love on the Inside Chapter 07

The forkful of pasta Joren had just lifted dropped straight back into his bowl. His ears turned red instantly.

“You know?”

“You’re so obvious even an idiot could tell.”

Remembering that kiss made me cringe with embarrassment.

I swallowed.

“And… sorry about what happened before.”

Joren just cleared his throat twice.” Then… how do you feel about it?”

[AHHH, she knows. She actually knows.]

[My heart’s beating so fast I can barely breathe.]

I looked down and poked at the pasta in my bowl.

“I think it’s great.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You have good taste.”

[I can’t. I actually can’t handle this.]

[What does that mean? What does she mean by that?]

I let out a helpless laugh.

“I mean, if you like someone, go for it.”

“Don’t keep everything bottled up. If you like someone, say something.”

Thump. Thump. Thump…

His heartbeat thundered in my head, so loud I thought my eardrums might burst.

Finally, Joren managed to get one sentence out.

“I’ll try.”

My chest felt empty. My eyes burned, and I wanted to cry.

No. I wasn’t going to cry in front of Joren.

I held it in until my nose was stuffed up and my voice came out nasal.

Joren handed me a napkin.

“Maybe go easier on the chili flakes next time. This is pretty spicy.”

I took it and gave up on looking graceful. I blew my nose right there.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Joren’s mouth twitch.

He was secretly laughing at me again.

Annoyed, I tossed the used napkin at him.

“Can you be honest about anything?”

Without changing his expression, Joren picked up the gross napkin and tossed it in the trash.

Cool and aloof on the outside.

A total child on the inside.

Whatever.

I hoped he’d finally tell her soon.

And I hoped Marnie would reject him just as fast.

Maybe it was because we’d had that heart-to-heart the night before, but Joren was unusually attentive to me

the next day.

I got it. He was being nice to me because I was close to the girl he liked.

Joren was clearly in a good mood. He seemed extra enthusiastic about tutoring me and even looked at me

more than usual.

“Was that clear? Do you understand it?”

His voice was so gentle it almost didn’t sound like him.

Marnie leaned closer and whispered, “What is going on?”

I leaned closer to her. “The power of love.”

Obviously, Marnie misunderstood.

I immediately waved both hands. “Not me.”

Marnie looked at me, then at Joren.

I laughed at how clueless she looked.

Joren caught us whispering and tapped the desk with his fingers.

“Pay attention. Bring your grades up a little more, and you’ll have a much better shot at top-tier colleges.”

I gave Joren a pat on the shoulder. “You’re a real one.”

Once I got to college, I was going to date someone too.

I was done being a bodyguard for other people’s love lives.

The bell rang.

“Oh, you two keep going. Someone’s looking for me.”

Marnie ran out.

I watched Joren closely.

Kael was standing right outside, so why wasn’t Joren jealous at all?

Was his self-control really that good? How could he stay this calm?

“Do you need to use the restroom?” Joren’s voice broke into my thoughts.

“What?”

“If not, let’s finish this problem. Stop spacing out.”

“Oh. Okay.”

It wasn’t until after school, when Joren showed up to help with cleanup again, that something started to feel

off.

He’d even gone back inside to get me a chair and made me sit down. Then he put a hot chocolate in my

hands.

“You’re not feeling well. Don’t do anything. Just sit there and wait for me.”

I stared at him, confused.

Did he know I was on my period?

I looked down at the cup. Caramel drizzle, extra marshmallows-exactly how I always ordered it.

Then a terrible thought hit me.

Was he… trying to string both of us along?