His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 66: A Warm Vibe

Julian turned around and took her arm.

Iris stepped back, touching her forehead. She apologized, a little shy. "Sorry about that."

Julian's face stayed calm, but his eyes dimmed a little. "Walk ahead of me."

"Oh, okay."

"There are cooking videos online. I'll learn as I go. What do you wanna eat?"

It was rare for him to skip work and laze around at home all day, so if he was offering to cook for her, why should she be polite?

She said, "I wanna eat savory waffles."

Julian frowned, confused. "Aren't waffles supposed to be sweet?"

"I want them savory."

"Waffles are sweet. They're always made sweet."

"If you make them from scratch, you can make them savory," Iris explained patiently.

Julian's OCD acted up. "Waffles can only be sweet."

Iris looked down, her voice soft and lifeless, like a wilted flower. "Never mind the waffles. Just make pasta instead."

She turned and walked on.

Julian took long strides, grabbing her arm again. He pulled out his phone. "I'll look it up. What ingredients do we need for savory waffles?"

Iris smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling as she looked at him. "Waffle batter's the main thing. Add some milk, mix it up, then cook it in the waffle iron and add whatever toppings you want. I like baby corn, bacon, cheddar, and mushrooms. What about you? What do you like to add?"

Julian put his phone down. His deep eyes fixed on her sweet smile, the corner of his mouth inching up. "Whatever you eat, I'll eat."

"Let's go..." Iris headed for the food section.

Iris picked out the ingredients. Julian went to the fruit section and grabbed two big bags of mangoes and oranges.

When Iris came back with the ingredients, she spotted her favorite fruits in the cart. Her heart warmed up a little.

But the warmth faded fast, replaced by a faint sadness and bitterness.

He was only being nice to get her to drop the divorce talk.

Nothing would change.

In a few days, he'd be cold and distant again. They'd go back to living their own lives, not bothering each other.

No fights, but no closeness either.

Iris set the ingredients down slowly. Her nose suddenly felt tight.

If things were just gonna go back to how they were, he shouldn't be nice to her now.

Comparisons only hurt.

Julian came back with two cartons of milk, tossed them in the cart, and bent down to look at her bowed face.

"You good?"

"Fine." Iris turned away from him, took a soft breath, her chest feeling tight, and kept walking.

Julian stared at her back, his eyes darkening.

After a second, he pushed the cart and followed.

At checkout, Iris pulled out her phone like she always did.

"I'll pay." Julian grabbed her wrist, pressing it down gently.

His big hand was warm. It felt like an electric current, spreading from her skin to her whole body—tingly, making her heart race.

It was just a simple touch, but she pulled back fast, nervous and stiff.

After paying, Iris picked up one bag of groceries and headed out.

Julian picked up two bags with one hand and then took the bag from her with the other.

"I can carry it." Iris tried to push back.

Julian took it anyway, speaking softly. "Your hands are too soft. Don't carry heavy stuff."

Iris stared at his broad back, confused.

Is he even making sense?

How does he know my hands are soft? He's never even touched them.

Iris caught up and walked beside him.

May weather was perfect. The path at night was quiet, no one around.

Dim orange streetlights cast their shadows on the stone road. A light breeze blew, carrying the faint scent of osmanthus from the bushes by the road.

The walk was short, but they took their time. No talking, just silence—but it felt nice, calm.

Iris snuck a glance at him.

They were walking side by side, so her glance caught his eye. The corner of his mouth lifted a little.

She wished every day could be like this—grocery shopping together after work, eating dinner together.

It wasn't super loving, but at least it wasn't so cold and distant.

When they got home, Iris changed her shoes and turned to take the bags. He set them on the floor right away. "Don't carry them. Go inside."

Iris wasn't used to him being this nice all of a sudden.

She did what he said, went inside, set her bag down, and washed her hands in the bathroom.

When she came out, she passed Julian's bedroom door and peeked inside.

The sheets and quilt she'd slept on that morning hadn't been changed.

Isn't he a clean freak?

Before, he'd said he was gonna throw away a jacket she'd worn. Even though that jacket was still in his closet, he'd looked so grossed out back then.

Iris frowned, confused, and headed for the kitchen.

Julian was putting away the groceries.

She walked in. "Need help?"

"Go study." Julian had just put the fruits in the fridge. He took out an orange. "Wanna eat some fruit first?"

Iris smiled, shaking her head. She rolled up her sleeves. "I'll eat later. I wanna cook dinner with you."

She liked the vibe of being in the kitchen with him.

Julian put the fruit away, closed the fridge door, and pulled out his phone to look up a recipe for savory waffles.

He read it carefully, thinking it'd be hard. But it turned out super easy.

Iris washed the ingredients.

Julian took out a waffle maker, washed his hands, and got ready to mix the savory waffle batter.

He mixed the batter according to the ratio, but he must've added too much liquid. His hands got covered in sticky batter.