His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 83: Awkward Encounter

The two monkeys finally got going.

Zoe slung her bag over her shoulder and walked up to Iris. "Let's call it a day. The cameras are still rolling, right?"

Iris kept her eyes glued to the monkeys behind the one-way mirror. "The cameras already caught them going at it a few times, but the female still isn't pregnant. I need to check if the male actually came inside her this time. Better to be safe than sorry."

"Then take all the time you need. I'm out of here."

"Okay. Tomorrow's the weekend. Go rest up."

"Bye!" Zoe trotted out of the lab, her steps light.

She walked down the hallway, pushed open the main door, and froze when she saw Julian walking toward her.

After what went down with Lily last time, Zoe still felt a little weird around Julian.

She figured he might be mad at her because of Lily.

But to her surprise, he smiled warmly and politely, with no trace of anger at all.

"Zoe, hasn't Iris finished work yet?" Julian stopped in front of her and asked nicely.

Zoe held the door open wider to let him pass. "She's in Lab 6, watching two monkeys get it on. She'll be a bit late. You can wait outside the door or go in and sit."

Julian walked past her. "I'll wait inside."

Zoe turned around and called after him. "Hey, Julian!"

Julian stopped and turned back, his eyes still soft.

"About last time..."

"It was Lily's mistake," Julian cut her off. "Don't sweat it."

Zoe was a kind person. When she heard that, she waved her hand, grinning. "I'm not that petty. I just worried you'd take it out on Iris because of that fake nice girl."

"What's 'fake nice girl'?" Julian frowned, confused.

Zoe smiled and shook her head, kind of amused.

No wonder he didn't know how to keep his distance; he had no clue what "fake nice girl" meant.

Zoe explained, "It's for girls who hang out with guys like they're brothers, get super close, but don't know where to draw the line. Or they act all cozy on purpose to make the guy's girlfriend jealous."

Julian stiffened up, his eyes darkening a little.

Zoe knew he was a smart guy. Her explanation was more than enough.

"I'm off. Bye." Zoe waved and turned to walk away fast.

Julian clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and turned to keep walking inside.

The door to Lab 6 was open. Julian knocked on the doorframe and peeked inside.

Iris spoke softly, not looking up. "Zoe, go on without me. They'll be a little longer."

Julian glanced at the cage behind the glass. The male monkey was on top of the female, trying to breed.

He hesitated, unsure whether to leave or step in.

"Iris," he called out.

His voice made her heart skip a beat.

She turned to the door, and when she saw Julian, her face heated up even through her mask.

She jumped to her feet, walked over, and gently pushed him toward the door. "Wait outside for me, okay? They'll be done soon."

"Sure," Julian said, letting her push him back a little.

Iris couldn't meet his eyes. She hurried back into the lab and shut the door.

She leaned against the door and let out a breath.

She'd done so many experiments. She'd seen it all.

But why did running into Julian during this make her so embarrassed?

She calmed her racing heart and went back to work.

Julian sat on the bench outside the lab and waited.

Half an hour later...

Iris took off her lab coat, pulled off her mask, turned off the lights, and grabbed her bag to leave the lab.

When she stepped out, Julian put his phone in his pocket and stood up.

"Sorry I kept you waiting so long," Iris said, a little awkward and still shy.

Julian slid one hand into his pocket. "It's no big deal. I didn't wait long. But compared to how long those monkeys took, you were pretty patient."

Julian was just being honest, but his words made Iris even more awkward, flustered, and shy.

"No, they weren't that long," she stammered. "I needed to take data, so I had to wait until the male monkey..." She trailed off, too embarrassed to finish. She glanced at the lab door and kept going. "After he was done, I had to run a bunch of checks on the female to make sure the data was right."

Julian's eyes softened, and he held out his hand to her.

She looked at Julian with her clear, bright eyes, then at his outstretched hand.

Her heart felt hot and fluttery, racing a mile a minute.

She worried she was reading too much into it, unsure if he'd meant to hold her hand, and hovered indecisively.

Julian lowered his hand and took hers gently.

In that moment, Iris bowed her head shyly, a soft, reserved smile tugging at her lips.

His hand was warm, big, and strong. She felt safe just holding it.

He held her hand, and they walked side by side out of the building.

They left the lab behind.

The street outside was quiet, with only a few people and cars around.

The night air had a slight chill, and the streetlights cast a warm yellow glow over everything.

They held hands as they walked on the sidewalk, lined with thick green bushes. The streetlights blended their shadows together, stretching out behind them on the road.

They walked slowly, their hands tight in each other's.

The silence between them felt nice, not awkward.

"Is there still something wrong with the new drug?" Julian asked, breaking the silence with the thing he knew mattered most to her.