บททั้งหมดของ My Enemy [BL]: บทที่ 391 - บทที่ 400

ELLISSaturday mornings at Sandy's Cafe tended to be pretty predictable. It was busy, loud, a bit annoying sometimes but kinda comfortable, and filled with at least three customers who treated ordering coffee like it was some kind of deeply personal spiritual quest that needed everyone’s undivided attention and patience.The same familiar faces showed up each week, maybe with a philosophy student thrown in who was just there for oat milk and a little validation.Normally, I could handle it. I had my systems in place. My muscle memory kicked in. Plus, I had Sera, who was much quicker at the register and a lot better at pretending to care about what people were saying.But today was different. I was running on about two hours of sleep, wrestling with some pretty strong emotions, and just trying to survive through sheer caffeine-fueled willpower and a splash of spite.That meant I was one minor annoyance away from snapping at someone. Preferably Julian Cross because he was 40% of my prob

ELLISJulian remained quiet, which was somehow more revealing than anything he might have said, his gaze locked onto mine with that intensity that had shifted since last night, looking less cold and more—something else I couldn’t quite name.I turned back to the counter and finished the latte with all the focused energy of someone absolutely not having any kind of internal crisis. I got the temperature perfect, snapped the lid on with maybe a bit more force than necessary, and set it on the counter."There. Your coffee," I declared. "Take it and get out."Julian reached for it, with that cute unbothered smile of his. As if he had unlocked some sort of happiness in his life by irritating me.I let go at the same time his fingers brushed against mine. The touch was brief and ordinary in every sense, yet it sent a jolt up my arm that had me pulling back way too quickly.Julian’s gaze flicked up to mine. He held it for a beat longer than casual and about three beats longer than I could ha

ELLISI was dumbfounded, what did this guy mean ’no’?!"No?" I repeated, disbelief heavy in my voice. "Just no?""Just no.""That’s not how returning money works.""You’re not returning it; you’re refusing it. Different thing."I stared at him, frustrated. Technically, he was correct, and I hated that."Take it back, I’m not a damn charity case." I said again, slower, hoping the pacing would help.Julian set the spoon down and turned to face me, leaning casually against the counter in a way that, under most circumstances, would have looked relaxed but now seemed like a deliberate effort to annoy me.Even over the food, he smelled clean and expensive in a way my exhausted brain was noting against my will."It wasn’t charity," he said, even and direct, without any qualifiers. "You earned it.""I just made a latte, I didn’t earn that amount of money.""You served my latte while clearly running on no sleep and still doing your job. The tip reflected the whole situation."I let out a dry l

ELLIS"Oh my God," Julian said, clearly holding back more laughter. "Was that your stomach? It sounded like it was staging a protest.""Shut up.""It sounded aggressive. Like it’s personally offended by your stubbornness.""I said shut up," I shot back, feeling my cheeks heat with embarrassment as I crossed my arms even tighter.His shoulders shook with another laugh while I stood there burning alive in humiliation.This was awful, all of this was awful."You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?" I accused, narrowing my eyes at him."A little," he admitted, plating the food with calm precision before setting down one dish at the kitchen island across from another already waiting there. "Can’t blame me when your stomach is making such compelling arguments."I eyed him suspiciously. "You poisoned it, didn’t you?"His unimpressed look was obvious. "Ellis.""You’re right. Poison is probably too cheap. You rich people just hire hitmen.""If I wanted to put something into your food..." He smiled a

ELLISIt’s been one week.An entire week had gone by since Julian and I had that weird argument that somehow ended with an apology, a strange dinner, and me bolting from the kitchen like my life depended on it after our hands touched for just a moment.Not that I was keeping track.Okay, I totally was.Life at Pinnacle Hall had turned... odd. It wasn’t bad odd or good odd, just odder than usual, like that familiar song you suddenly hear in a minor key. You recognize it, but something’s off, as if the whole thing shifted when you weren’t looking.The tension that used to fill every room had lightened a bit, like someone finally opened a window and let in some fresh air. We weren’t arguing anymore. No more passive-aggressive fridge notes. Julian wasn’t glaring at me every five minutes, and I wasn’t trying my best to drive him crazy with eighties music and mind games.But we weren’t friends.Definitely not friends.That’s what I kept reminding myself each morning, like a mantra from some