His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 85: A Movie Night at Home

Iris figured he'd take the wipes to clean his own hands.

But instead, he took her hand and wiped it carefully.

He used four wipes to get both her hands clean, then grabbed a fifth to wipe his own.

Julian held a crumpled ball of wipes, cleared his throat, and asked, "You wanna eat dinner at home or go out?"

"Let's head home."

"Alright," Julian said, then started walking.

They didn't hold hands again after that. Iris felt a little blue, and she hurried to catch up.

They got home, cooked two dishes and a soup, and ate together in quiet peace.

Julian cleaned up the dishes again, like always.

Iris went back to her room, read for a while, took a shower, and dried her hair. By then it was already ten o'clock.

She sat at her desk, chin in her hand, trying to study.

But all she could think about was Julian kissing her.

The more she thought about it, the shyer she got. She covered her face to calm down.

She whispered to herself, "Iris, calm down! You're trying to get your PhD. You've got so much studying to do. Don't let a guy throw you off. He's right here at home. He isn't going anywhere.

"It was just a kiss. No need to lose your mind over it."

Iris pulled herself together, put her hands down, and went back to reading and taking notes.

As she wrote, she accidentally scribbled "Julian" on the paper.

She stopped writing, set her pen down, laid her hands on the desk, and closed her eyes to take a deep breath.

The later it got, the more jumbled her thoughts got. She couldn't focus on studying at all.

That mark on her neck couldn't have come from a gentle kiss like the one on the street.

She had no experience, but she wasn't dumb.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door.

Iris jumped and sat up straight, her heart pounding as she stared at the door.

Two more knocks came.

Her heart raced. She hurried to her feet, smoothed out her plain cotton pajamas, ran a hand through her fresh-dried, soft hair, rushed to the door, and then slowly opened it.

Julian almost never knocked on her door at night.

That little move made her mind race.

Before he even said a word, her cheeks were pink, her ears burning. She smiled shyly, bit her lip, and asked awkwardly, "What's up?"

Julian had showered too. He wore a soft white T-shirt and brown pants, looking clean, fresh, and handsome.

He smelled like the same body wash as her.

"You busy?"

Iris shook her head. "Nah, I'm not."

"Tomorrow's the weekend. You don't have to work. Wanna watch a movie together?"

"Now?" Iris looked shocked. "At the theater?"

Julian laughed a little. "At home, on the projector."

They'd been married two years, and she had no clue they even had a projector at home.

"Yeah!" Iris walked out of her room and closed the door behind her.

Julian walked beside her to the living room.

Iris noticed the living room lights were off, the curtains pulled tight, and a white screen set up. Julian had gotten the projector ready before coming to ask her.

The projector light fell on the coffee table, which held her favorite cut fruit, snacks like baby corn, as well as yogurt and juice.

There was also a clean thin blanket and two pillows on the sofa.

She didn't dare think how disappointed Julian would've been if she'd said no.

All the things he'd prepared—it would've all gone to waste, and it would've broken his heart.

Iris felt really touched, but at the same time, she was confused.

He'd changed so fast.

Not that long ago, when he was drunk, he'd pushed her against the wall and said he hated how plain she was, how cold she was. How much time had even passed since then?

Ever since she'd brought up divorce, he'd been a whole different person.

It didn't feel real.

Like a good dream—one that could break any second, one she could wake up from and be right back where she started.

Iris felt a little nervous. She sat down on the sofa and hugged a pillow to her chest.

Julian sat next to her.

He sat real close, almost touching her arm. He held out his phone, screen lit up, and asked softly, "What kind of movie you wanna watch?"

Iris didn't even think. "I like comedy movies."

Julian held back a laugh, smiled, and mumbled, "You seem so quiet and shy. Never thought you'd like goofy comedies."

"I used to have so much study stress. When I couldn't let it out, I'd watch comedy movies. They're super relaxing, real funny, and they make me happy."

Julian put one hand on the back of the sofa behind Iris, used the other to scroll through his phone, and leaned closer to her. "Which movie do you wanna watch?"

"Either one's fine. I'm good with whatever."

When she was little, her family was real poor. Every summer and winter break, her parents would send her to her grandma's house to get free food. Back then, she was totally into comedies. She'd watch any one of them over and over.

"Then we'll watch Accidental Heroes."

"Do you like comedy movies?" Iris looked at him, curious.

Julian nodded. "I watch comedies all the time too."

Iris was shocked. She never expected they shared the same hobby.

Julian set his phone down. "It's starting."

Iris sat up straight, a big smile on her face. Even before the movie started, her mood had lifted. She felt light and happy.

"How many times have you watched this?" Julian asked her.