CHAPTER 4: Not Just Him Anymore

KENDRICK

I shouldn’t have kissed her. It wasn’t even a kiss worth overthinking—just her cheek, a brief moment of contact that should’ve meant nothing.

But it did, and that was the problem.

I ruffled my hair, staring blankly at the surveillance analytics displayed across my MacBook’s screen while absolutely none of it registered in my head. 

I dragged a hand down my face slowly before muttering under my breath, “Get a hold of yourself.”

One girl shouldn’t be affecting me this much, especially not her.

I stood from the chair, loosening the sleeves of my black shirt before leaving the office upstairs. I barely made it halfway down the hallway before another door opened.

There she was. Yulia froze when she saw me. Her blonde hair was messy, like she had just gotten out of bed, and she wore an oversized shirt that hung slightly off one shoulder. Completely casual, unaware of how dangerous she looked.

I forced my expression to remain neutral. “What’s up with you?” I asked casually, my voice quieter than intended.

She patted her hair before answering, “I’m hungry.”

“Just woke up?”

 She nodded sleepily. I glanced at the watch on my wrist. “It’s noon.”

That made her eyes widen instantly. “Wait… seriously?”

“You slept like the dead,” I chuckled under my breath.

She shrugged. “Well… I didn’t sleep early last night, remember?”

“Oh, I surely do.”

She rolled her eyes slightly, though I noticed the small smile she tried hiding. Everything about this girl was becoming something I couldn’t ignore.

“Come on,” I said before turning toward the stairs. She followed behind me quietly.

The dining area was already prepared by the staff when we arrived downstairs. Plates of roast chicken, buttery mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, Yorkshire puddings, and warm dinner rolls were arranged neatly across the table, alongside fresh juice and tea. 

Yulia stopped briefly at the sight. “You people really live like this every day?”

“You people?” I repeated, amused.

“You know exactly what I mean.”

I pulled out a chair for her. “Sit down before you start sounding judgmental.”

She sat while muttering, “I am judgmental.”

“Noted.”

The conversation flowed more easily than it should have while we ate. After eating, we moved outside toward the pool area. The weather was decent for London. Rare enough to enjoy.

Yulia sat across from me, pulling her legs slightly beneath herself on the lounge chair while sunlight reflected against the water behind her. I shouldn’t have noticed how pretty she looked. But I did.

“So,” I started calmly, “which university do you attend again?”

“King’s College London.”

Impressive.

“And you study?”

“Law.”

I arched my brow, skeptical. “Like your father, huh?”

She looked amused by my reaction. “Yeah… You seem surprised.”

“I can’t picture you willingly reading legal textbooks for fun.”

“I don’t do it for fun,” she said quickly. “I cry during exam season like everyone else.”

I laughed loudly, surprising myself. She noticed it too.

“You laugh more than people say,” she pointed out.

I leaned back slightly. “People talk too much.”

“That’s true.”

A comfortable silence settled between us after that, and strangely enough, I didn’t mind it. That alone should’ve concerned me, because I didn’t do this. I didn’t sit around casually talking for hours.

I definitely didn’t enjoy it, yet here I was, listening to her rant about terrible professors and impossible coursework while I found myself genuinely interested.

My phone suddenly buzzed against the table between us. The screen lit up instantly.

Natalie.

I noticed Yulia’s eyes drift toward the phone before quickly looking away, but not fast enough. Her expression changed for just half a second.

And suddenly, I had to fight back a smirk. Interesting. Very interesting.

I answered and placed the phone on speaker beside me. “Natalie.”

“Wow,” Natalie’s voice flowed through brightly. “You actually answered.”

“I usually do.”

“Debatable,” she teased lightly. “Where are you?”

I glanced toward Yulia deliberately before responding, “Home.”

“Well, apparently, your mother is secretly married now.” She laughed softly. “I overheard her talking about some honeymoon plans with my mother.”

“Yeah.”

Yulia stayed suspiciously quiet beside me. Watching. Listening.

Natalie continued talking. “Are you busy today?”

Right before I could answer, Yulia’s smooth voice slipped into the space, needing Natalie to know there was a her with me. “You want to watch a movie with me?”

My eyes slowly shifted toward her. She stared right back innocently. Then, just like that, I caught it. Jealousy. Possessiveness. Small, but definitely there.

I snorted before I could stop it.

Natalie’s voice sharpened immediately through the speaker. “Who was that?”

Yulia suddenly looked very interested in the pool water.

How cute.

“I’ll call you back.”  I ended the call and stared intensely at Yulia.

She squirmed, uttering. “What?”

“Don’t do that,” I warned quietly.

“The thought just popped into my head.” She shrugged like it was no big deal.

I stood slowly from the chair, still staring directly at her. “You interrupted me.”

She gulped, crossing her arms immediately. “So?”

I snickered. “So… you sounded jealous.” 

“Jealous?” Her mouth dropped open instantly. “I was not jealous.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

I stepped closer, just enough to make her nervous. “Then why’d you suddenly need my attention the second another woman called?”

Color immediately rose to her cheeks. “It was just a thought,” she mumbled, like she hated herself for letting jealousy rear its head and have her say things she was too scared to follow through on.

She stood abruptly from the pool lounger. “Forget I said anything.”

“Mhm.”

“I mean it.”

“Sure.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re annoying.”

“And you have a jealous streak.”

“I do not!” She shot back.

I tilted my head, lips curled. “Since you want to watch a movie so badly, go on—move your jealous ass inside.”

“I am not jealous!” She hissed. 

I started walking back toward the house, still amused. Behind me, I heard her mutter something under her breath that sounded dangerously close to an insult.

I barely paid attention because, for the first time since she entered my life, I wasn’t the only one losing control anymore. She was responding to me, whether or not she understood her feelings.

I had already crossed a line in my head that couldn’t be undone.