"Hmm, Sir Raymond," she called hesitantly, not daring to look up at him. "How long are you going to hold my hand?"
Maddie had left the room a few minutes ago. Now only the two of them remained. Since the Lieutenant's departure, a sudden silence had fallen and her body felt stiff. And—yep! It was all because they were still standing in the same position as before. Nothing had changed, they were still in the same position even though they were both aware of each other. Josie was still standing face to face with Atlas Raymond, who was still holding her hand calmly, as if he had no intention of letting go anytime soon.
As a result, her cheeks flushed, looking exactly as they had when she was about to enter the room, but instead saw the sight of Atlas half-naked with a woman, who turned out to be their military doctor. Or perhaps her cheeks were even redder, like ripe apples hanging from a tree in autumn. All because her mind couldn't stop replaying the brief scene from earlier that morning.
Atlas's half-naked body continued to spin around in her mind, dancing like a mischievous shadow that refused to go away. It was as if it was mocking her for being transfixed for too long by a sight she shouldn't have seen. Every time she tried to distract herself, the image of the man returned, clearer, sharper, making her cheeks burn like embers.
Oh my God. Please. Erase it. Erase it. Erase it!
Unfortunately, every time she tried to erase the image from her mind, it appeared even more clearly in her head. Once again mocking her for being transfixed by the Major General's naked body. Especially now that the man was standing so close in front of her. She could faintly smell him, a distinctive combination of room fragrance and a masculine scent that was too disturbing for her sanity.
Josie closed her eyes for a moment and took a slow breath. Perhaps by calming herself, everything that was disturbing her mind would disappear. However, it was all in vain. The image of Atlas's chest became even more vivid in her mind, making her want to bang her head on the table to bring herself to her senses.
Argh, damn it! How long would her mind keep replaying that scene? In her heart, Josie kept cursing herself, feeling she had committed a great sin. Couldn't her imagination—at least for one day—stop replaying the forbidden scene she had accidentally witnessed? Because no matter how she looked at it, imagining the naked body of a grown man was not good. Especially since she could describe it in great detail, from the shape of his shoulders and bone structure to the scars on his body.
She only had time to see the scene for a split second before turning away. But during those few seconds, funnily enough, Josie remembered everything in such detail that she could have been suspected of being a pervert!
If the man could read her mind now, he would surely think Josie was a pervert who was crazy about him. Or worse, think she was a strange slut obsessed with adult men's bare chests.
No. She couldn't let that happen! Her reputation would be ruined and where would that leave her?
Atlas finally spoke, after a long pause spent observing Josie, who continued to avert her gaze from him. "Why? Do you mind? If you want me to let go, just say so."
"That's not ... I mean ... it's not like that," she muttered stammeringly, staring at the floor, then the ceiling, then the floor again, basically anything but Atlas's face. "I just—"
"Just what?" he interrupted quickly.
Josie swallowed hard. Her mind went blank, confused about what to say. Staying silent would only make things worse, so evasion was the best course of action at the moment. "I just wanted to make sure you realised you were still holding my hand, sir."
"And you don't mind?"
He paused for a moment, thinking about it, before sighing softly in surrender. "I mind, but I also don't mind. It's hard to explain."
It didn't matter whether Atlas wanted to hold her hand or not. It was just that the timing was wrong. Josie's mind was in turmoil right now, too many errors swirling around in her head. So, in order to maintain her sanity, the only way was to stay away from the trigger, which was the man himself.
Atlas chuckled at her reply. His laugh was so crisp, deep, and somehow made Josie's body feel even hotter. "You're funny," he said, finally letting go of her hand. "And honestly, even though the way you explained it was terrible."
Bad, you say?! Josie wanted to retort right back at him, but she held back. If you knew what I was thinking, you'd be shocked to hear it!
Ignoring the comments in her own head, Josie immediately pulled her hand away and hid it behind her back. Suddenly, she was worried that Atlas would grab her hand again. Even though earlier, she had admitted that she didn't mind him holding her hand. But seeing the current situation, she felt it was better to stay away from the trigger of her mental errors. She was still reluctant to look at him, even though she was aware from the corner of her eye that Atlas was watching her reaction intently.
"If Sir Raymond thinks I'm funny, then that's entertainment, right?" she said, trying to sound confident and break the silence between them.
Atlas, who was about to turn back to his desk, stopped in his tracks. Then, in a calm but deadly movement, he turned back, staring at Josie with deep, dark eyes.
Josie reflexively straightened up, but was shocked when the man suddenly leaned towards her. Her breath caught in her throat. With them this close, who wouldn't panic? It was too dangerous a distance for a girl who was not mentally prepared to come face to face with the man who was the muse for her novel.
"Try again, Miss Everhart," he whispered in a low voice, yet strangely, it sounded like a tempting challenge. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips, barely detectable, but enough to send shivers down Josie's spine.
It was a smile that rarely appeared, but it was very disturbing. Annoying!
Josie had sworn she wouldn't look at his face, but when the man leaned towards her, his eyes glowing like embers in the dark, she felt she had to respond. At least, to save her pride. So she looked up—slowly—and their eyes met.
And that was when she sank.
Those dark grey eyes trapped her. Into an abyss of calm, but also like a stormy sea that had yet to break. Josie forgot to breathe, even her heart seemed to stop beating for a second.
"Funny isn't entertaining," said Atlas in a lyrical voice. "But you can try again with something more original."
In a flash, she blinked, unsure of how to respond. Her lips parted, ready to speak, but no words came out. It was as if all the answers she had prepared were stuck in her throat.
Atlas finally pulled away, allowing the space between them to widen again. "Every morning you come," he continued as he turned away, walking back to his desk, leaving Josie still trapped in her tension. "Every afternoon you leave without results. But strangely, you keep coming back."
He stopped in front of his desk, picked up Josie's notebook lying there, and looked at it again. "You're stubborn. That's the only reason I haven't kicked you out of Raventon Hall."
Josie remained silent, trying to calm herself down, almost collapsing to the floor if she hadn't remembered where she was. But then, she realised that her book—her notebook, her soulmate—was still in that man's hands. The only reason she was willing to stay longer at Raventon Hall.
"Maybe today I managed to cheer you up?" he said with a small, hopeful smile. Her attention was now completely focused on the notebook, hoping that today Atlas Raymond would return it so that the debt of entertainment between them would end.
Atlas looked at her once more before shaking his head. "Not yet." Then, very calmly, he placed the notebook back on the table, ignoring the pleading gaze of the girl.
Josie sighed deeply. "You cruel man," she muttered, mourning her notebook with longing and affection.
"More accurately, an honest critic," he replied as he sat down in his favourite chair, crossed his legs and looked at Josie as if waiting for her next reaction.
The god of courage must have entered her. Or perhaps it was just the effect of the momentary euphoria after seeing her notebook lying on the table. Whatever the cause, Josie now stepped forward without thinking twice.
For a moment, she managed to forget the embarrassment that had haunted her since that morning, and even her wild imagination about Atlas's half-naked body vanished from her mind. Josie's thoughts were completely distracted by her notebook, and now she had only one goal to achieve.
To get her notebook back!
But before her fingers could touch the brown leather cover, another hand grabbed her wrist first. The movement was so fast that Josie didn't even realise it.
"How dare you," muttered the man, finally making Josie realise that her reaction had been too slow. Atlas's hand had prevented Josie's hand from taking the object that was still in his possession.
Josie tried to pull her hand back, but failed. The man gripped her even tighter than before, their hands touching for the second time. Josie's heart was beating so hard that she was worried Atlas could hear it.
"I just want to take it for a moment, just five seconds, just long enough to smell it," she said, still trying to pull her hand back, which again failed.
Atlas raised his eyebrows. "Smell it?"
"I mean ... smell the book. Hehe. It's my creative habit ... hehe ... as a writer." Josie immediately swallowed hard. She was confused about how to explain her habit of smelling books, which most people considered strange behaviour.
Atlas leaned forward, his upper body crossing the table that separated them. His gaze remained locked on Josie's face, intense and meaningful. His hand, which was still holding Josie's, showed no signs of letting go. On the contrary, his grip tightened, then slowly pulled her hand closer to him.
Josie, who hadn't expected the movement, automatically stepped closer. Her body was pushed towards the table, almost colliding with the smooth, shiny wooden surface in front of her.
"In that case, let me help," he said, then without releasing his grip, he took the notebook with his other hand and placed it closer to Josie's face. "Go ahead. Breathe it in as much as you want. But don't touch it."
Ugh!
Josie felt like punching that handsome face. The longer it went on, the more annoying he became! But from this incident, she also felt an overwhelming urge to write down this scene immediately because—for God's sake—it really felt like the climax of chapter fifteen in her novel. When the male and female protagonists teased each other, touching the boundaries of unspoken affection, but it felt so real.