CHAPTER 165: FORGET ABOUT IT

Mari sat by the island in the kitchen, determined to wait there until Jax returned from wherever it was he had disappeared to.

She knew very well that no matter how much time he spent away, he was bound to come to the kitchen to get something to eat.

His refrigerator was stocked up in a way that told her he preferred homemade meals to eating out, so she had no doubt that he would show up in the kitchen sooner or later.

She was going to be waiting right there when he showed up.

Bored and not having anything else to do to while away the time, she took out a box of cereals and made some for herself.

She replayed her last conversation with Jax over and over again in her head as she ate the cereals halfheartedly.

No matter how long or how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t understand why he was mad.

Where was he anyway? Was he going to stay away again for a whole day like he had done two days ago?

After eating she washed the bowl and she sighed when she glanced at the wall clock in the kitchen and saw that it was almost midnight.

She yawned as she sat down again, her body beginning to feel heavy. She decided to close her eyes for a little bit.

Mari folded her arms on the island and rested her head on top of them. Her legs dangled off the chair, toes brushing the floor.

She shifted a little, snuggling into her arms like a sleepy cat. Her hair fell over her face. She didn’t move it.

Just as she began to drift off to sleep, the sound of footsteps approaching made her eyes flutter and she raised her head to see him walking into the kitchen.

She blinked up at him, her hair stuck to her cheek as she scowled.

He wore a dark shirt and sweatpants. His face looked tired. His white hair was a little messy, like he’d been running his hands through it. When he saw her there, sitting at the island and blinking at him sleepily, his steps froze.

"I knew you’d eventually come to the kitchen," Mari mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

Why was she out here? She looked like she had fallen asleep right there. Jax thought as he gazed at her, his eyes softened for a moment. Then he shook his head and headed for the refrigerator without responding to what she had said.

He had come out now only because he thought she’d be fast asleep in her bedroom. He had wanted to check if she had eaten something.

He pulled the refrigerator door open slowly and reached for a bottle of water he didn’t need.

"What? Giving me the silent treatment now?" She asked, raising a brow.

Jax paused, the bottle still in his hand. "Why are you sleeping in the kitchen?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"What do you think?" she asked, rubbing her eyes with her knuckles. "If you didn’t decide to pull your disappearing act all day, I wouldn’t be here when I should be in bed."

Jax raised a brow. "Did you expect me to babysit you all day?"

Mari leaned back and crossed her arms. "Yes, I did. But now I’m wondering who the real baby is between us. Maybe you’re the one who needs babysitting."

His eyes narrowed. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"You’re sulking like a baby," she said, sitting up straighter.

He opened his mouth, but she didn’t let him speak.

"How can you just flare up in the middle of a normal conversation and walk away like you did earlier?" she asked, her voice rising a little. "You didn’t even say what I said that made you mad. I spent the whole day trying to figure it out."

Jax looked away, twisting the cap off the water bottle. "Don’t worry about it. It’s past now."

"It’s not past to me. I was worried," Mari said flatly. "That’s why I’m still awake. That’s why I’m here. I don’t like to be on bad terms with anyone. Especially not people I like. Just tell me what I said that upset you so I can apologize."

He took a slow sip of water and leaned against the counter even though he knew he should leave and not let her engage him in a conversation. "It doesn’t matter. Like I said, I’m over it now."

"Well, I’m not over it," Mari said. "I want to know what I said to upset you so I don’t say it again next time."

"You don’t need to worry," he said flatly. "I won’t give you the chance to say it again next time."

Mari sighed loudly. "So, I did say something that upset you. What did I say? Please tell me."

"Forget about it," Jax said, not willing to tell her anything.

What was he supposed to say, anyway? That he got upset because she said she wanted to have sex with him and nothing more?

"I like things simple and straightforward, Jax. You’re making it unnecessarily complicated. You should just say; ’Mari you said this, and I didn’t like it.’ How hard can that be?"

When he still didn’t say anything, she looked at him, her gaze steady, and voice soft. "Alright. Don’t tell me if you don’t want to. I don’t know what I did wrong, but I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to."

Jax raised a brow. "Why are you apologizing for something you don’t know?"

She gave a small shrug. "Because you won’t say what I did, so I guess it doesn’t matter what it was. I believe... if something I said hurts someone, then I owe them an apology. Especially if it wasn’t my intention to hurt them."

Jax looked at her for a long moment. Then he sighed and set the bottle on the counter. "Did you eat?" He asked, changing the subject.

Mari nodded. "Yeah. Had cereals a while ago."

He tilted his head. "Just cereals? You hungry?"

She shook her head. "It’s past midnight. I don’t eat this late. Besides, didn’t you say I could starve to death if I wanted to? Why do you care whether I’m hungry or not?"

"I don’t care whether you’re hungry or not. You can go to bed now that you’ve seen me," Jax said, trying to sound cold again.

Mari tilted her head and smiled gently. "I know you care. So, is my apology accepted? Am I forgiven?"

Jax didn’t reply.

"Am I?" She asked again.

"I told you I wasn’t upset anymore. It’s past," he said, and she raised a brow.

"Yet you stayed away all day. Can I get a hug if you’re no longer mad?" She asked, and he frowned.

"No."

"No? Then you’re still mad?" She asked again.

"No, I’m not mad. But I don’t want to hug you," he said simply.

Mari grinned. "Why? Worried your body might react to the hug?"

When he didn’t smile back and merely stared at her she raised both hands in surrender. "Okay. Fine. No hugs."

"Where did you go all day? And what’s that smell again?" She asked, sniffling the air.

"What smell?" Jax asked even though he knew she was referring to the smell of paint.

He had spent all his time in his studio painting and even though he had worn an overall over his clothes, the smell of paint still clung to him.

"I perceived it on you the last time in your bedroom," she said and he shrugged.

"Maybe it’s my Oud," he said and she shook her head.

"No it’s not. This is harsher and not very pleasant," she said, and then assuming that he didn’t know what the smell was, she changed the subject. "So, I guess we are going to have breakfast together in the morning, right?"

"I guess," he said with a shrug, glad that she changed the subject.

Although he knew it wasn’t a big deal letting her know that he was an artist, but knowing what little he knew of her, he knew she would want to see his studio and watch him paint.

He didn’t want that.

"And will we see a movie together tomorrow?" she asked with a hopeful grin.

"Only if you promise to stop flirting with me," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Nope. I’m not going to stop flirting with you. Never," Mari said without hesitation. "So you better get used to it."

Jax’s heart skipped a beat but he scowled. "Then I guess we won’t be seeing a movie together."

"Is that it? Were you upset earlier because I asked you to be my sex buddy?" She asked thoughtfully.

"I thought we were done with that subject?" Jax asked with a raised brow.

"I guess we are." She stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "I should go to bed now," she said sweetly, then blew him a kiss. "Sleep tight, baby."

He watched her as she walked toward the door, her bare feet soft against the floor.

She paused at the doorway, glanced over her shoulder, and winked before disappearing.

Jax’s lips twitched with amusement as he watched her go.

What was he going to do with her?