The drive from Rivertown to Herondale took nearly thirteen hours. She was sometimes amazed by Jarrod''s stamina. He had been driving for days without showing any signs of fatigue, and he''d readily apanied her wherever she


    wanted to go.


    Jarrod noticed Elodie hadn''t brought the small bag of fruit with her. He raised an eyebrow. "Did you eat them all?"


    Elodie was too embarrassed to admit they were disgusting and she''d thrown them away. She turned to look out the window. "Yep. They were very sweet. Your loss."


    In reality, they were sickeningly sweet, with a strong artificial vor that she felt had assaulted her tongue.


    Jarrod tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Do you know what that fruit is called?"


    Elodie looked back at him. "You know?" If she ever saw that fruit again, she would steer clear.


    He turned his head, his thin lips parting. "It''s called Silly Fruit."


    Elodie was confused. "...?"


    "Why is it called that?"


    Jarrod put on some music. "They say eating it makes you smarter. You look a lot smarter now."


    Elodie was still confused. "...?"


    Something felt off, but she couldn''t put her finger on it. During their next stop at a service area, she specifically looked it up. It turned out he was just calling her silly.


    When she found out the truth, she was speechless. "..."


    She suddenly wanted to dig that bag of fruit out of the trash and throw it in his face. The rest of the journey was rxed.


    They arrived in Herondale at four in the morning, before the sun had risen.


    Jarrod drove them directly to a seaside vi. The other vis were far apart, offering plenty of privacy. After they checked in, she was starting to feel sleepy. The staff was incredibly helpful, carrying all their luggage into the vi.


    She wanted to take a quick shower and go to bed, but a quick inspection revealed that the two-story vi had only onerge bedroom with a floor-to-ceiling window.


    They had slept in the same bed before, when Jarrod''s was "broken," but nothing had actually happened. This time, however... Elodie had a strange feeling that things were different.


    The past few days of the road trip, with just the two of them, had subtly brought them closer. It felt as if they hadpletely settled into their roles as a couple, a married couple.


    He had apanied her to do


    things he would never normally do, whether it was eating at a street stall, browsing a souvenir shop, or visiting popr tourist spots. clear these werent activities


    was


    someone of Jarrod''s status would


    engage in, yet he had never shown the slightest hint of impatience. In fact, he had beenpletely amodating.


    She couldn''t even pinpoint when she had let her guard down.


    Elodie scratched her head and steeled herself. She couldn''t worry about it now. She


    grabbed her change of clothes and went to take a shower.


    When she came out, she found Jarrod sitting on the sofa by the second-floor


    window, looking at hisptop. It seemed he was handling some work.


    It was almost dawn, but he seemed to be made of iron.


    Elodie didn''t approach him. "Aren''t you going to sleep?" she asked softly.


    Jarrod didn''t look up. "You go ahead."


    That was exactly what she wanted to hear. Sleeping together felt like it came with a subtle pressure, and if she fell asleep first, she wouldn''t have to overthink it. She quickly slipped under the covers.


    But despite being exhausted from the long drive, her mind was strangely wide


    awake, and she couldn''t fall asleep.


    Until the mattress dipped beside her. She could feel his presence, his scent. He was lying right next to her, a powerful and undeniable presence.


    Elodie kept her eyes shut, not daring to open them.


    Even though she had slept with Jarrod before, that had been an ident, an ident caused by drugs. She didn''t have many clear memories of it Now, Now, fully conscious, She felt a surge of nervousness.


    Strangely, she hadn''t felt this way back at home.


    Jarrody down and didn''t make any other movements. His breathing was steady. Elodie thought he must be really tired; it was about time he got some rest.


    She carefully opened her eyes and turned to look. She expected him to be lying on his back, as he always did at home.