Chapter 313: Chicken or Fish?

Jessica kept her eyes firmly on the tray in front of her as Kai walked into the restaurant and joined the queue.

If she did not look at him, perhaps he would disappear.

It was not a particularly intelligent theory, especially considering the entire restaurant had fallen suspiciously quiet since he walked in, but she was willing to give it a chance.

"Next, please," she called brightly.

But she noticed nobody moved. She looked up to see that the employee standing at the front of the queue had somehow abandoned his position, maybe deciding he didn’t need protein for the day. And standing where he had been was Kai Mondragon.

Jessica stared blankly at him and Kai smiled.

She looked behind him, half expecting to find whoever had allowed the Chairman of Jescore Tech to casually jump a queue of employees waiting for lunch. But nobody appeared willing to object.

Cowards.

She straightened and summoned the pleasant expression she had used on the other staff before him.

"Good afternoon, sir."

"Good afternoon." His voice was all too cheerful.

Jessica glanced down at the serving counter. "Chicken or fish?"

Kai looked at both trays thoughtfully. "Which one would you recommend?"

"The chicken."

"Then I’ll have the fish."

Jessica’s serving spoon paused, and Kai’s mouth twitched.

She looked at him. "Was there a reason you asked for my recommendation, sir?"

"I wanted to know what you liked," he said with a grin.

Was he teasing her right now? Jessica blinked, and then smiled professionally. "The fish it is."

She started to reach for the fish.

"No, I’ve changed my mind. Chicken."

Jessica slowly put the fish back and Kai let out a soft chuckle, his eyes never leaving her. She took in a long breath and reached for the chicken.

"Actually..."

Her eyes snapped up to him and Kai stopped. There was something in her expression that made his smile widen. This was his Jessica, the woman he loved to tease.

He could see the effort it took her to remain calm and polite. The old Jessica would have called his bluff, but she was trying so hard to remain polite, which he believed wasn’t going to last. And he was enjoying it.

"Yes?" she asked sweetly.

"Chicken is fine."

"Excellent choice, sir."

She dropped a piece onto his plate with slightly more force than necessary.

Kai looked down at it and smirked. "Are you angry with the chicken?"

"No, sir."

"It seemed personal."

"I assure you, sir, Jescore Tech does not permit its restaurant employees to hold grudges against poultry."

A laugh escaped him before he could stop it. It was a proper laugh that made Jessica’s eyes flicker to his face. And for one strange second, something tugged inside her.

The laugh. It felt so familiar, like something she had heard before. She was almost certain she had.

Jessica’s fingers tightened around the serving spoon and Kai noticed it immediately.

"What is it?" he asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"Nothing."

His expression sharpened. "You looked like you remembered something."

She frowned. "I didn’t."

"You did."

"I did not."

"You had that look."

Jessica glared at him, however subtly. "You have known me for approximately four minutes, sir. I don’t think you’re qualified to catalogue my looks yet."

Kai’s smile returned slowly. "I’ve known you much longer than four minutes," he muttered, but loud enough for her to hear.

There it was again.

Jessica exhaled through her nose and added rice to his plate. "Anything else, sir?"

"Yes."

"Vegetables?" she asked.

"No."

"Salad?"

"No."

It took considerable effort for her not to glare up at him. She carefully kept her gaze on the counter. "Water?"

"No."

Jessica gave up and looked at him. That seemed to please him. He leaned slightly closer to the counter.

"I want to know your name."

Her eyebrows lifted. "My name is written on my badge."

"I can read."

"Oh, congratulations," she bit out.

Somebody behind him made a choking sound and Jessica immediately remembered who she was speaking to and her smile returned so quickly it almost hurt.

"I mean, congratulations on your excellent eyesight, sir."

Kai let out another subtle chuckle. She stared at him for a moment, and despite herself, the corner of her mouth twitched.

Kai saw it, and the ridiculous warmth that moved through his chest was immediate.

There she was.

Not the frightened woman who had pushed him away that morning or the stranger insisting she had never met him. In this moment between them, it was just him, Kai Mondragon and his soul bond, Jessica Ashfang.

He lowered his voice. "You used to do that."

Her smile disappeared. "Do what?"

"Throw my words back at me."

Jessica’s shoulders stiffened, and he immediately regretted it. Dennis had told him not to push. But Kai was losing control and couldn’t promise he could let her be.

He straightened. "Sorry."

Surprise flashed through her features and she studied him for a moment. "For what?"

"For this morning." He was looking very serious now, all the teasing glint gone from his eyes.

She hadn’t expected that.

Kai rested one hand against the edge of the counter. "I shouldn’t have grabbed you."

"No."

"Or hugged you. Or told you I wasn’t letting you go."

Jessica remained silent, suddenly at a loss of what to say. He kind of wasn’t the man she had expected. Annoying, yes. But not entirely the jerk she had preconceived in her mind.

Kai nodded solemnly. "In my defence, I had just discovered that someone I’d spent three years believing was alive despite everyone telling me otherwise was standing directly in front of me."

Jessica bit her lower lip and hesitated a bit before she spoke. "I...I understand that you were emotional."

Kai’s lips curled. "That’s generous."

"But I’m still not her."

Kai held her gaze without blinking. He wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that he knew every line of her face, every expression, every irritating habit she had possessed before the accident.

Instead, he remembered Dennis’s voice. Give her room.

So he nodded. "Alright."

Jessica wanted to ask what he meant by "alright." Did it mean he wasn’t going to pester her anymore? Why did that suddenly feel like a loss?

Kai carried his tray, dazzled her once more with that mischievous smirk, and walked back towards the tables.

Jessica watched him go, slowly letting out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, and wondered if she truly disliked this man as much as she thought she did.