Chapter 69 - What A Coincidence (1/2)

”Oh, what a coincidence!” Sean exclaimed as he raised his hands in an awkwardly comical way. He wasn't much of an actor so he was a little stiff.

Cleo smiled and pointed to the restaurant across the street. ”Do you come here often? Max is opening a restaurant there soon. Make sure to check it out,” she shamelessly advertised.

Sean grinned at the woman awkwardly, ”Oh yes, I work near here. I'll definitely check it out.”

”Are you working right now? What time do you finish work? Max and I were planning to grab some dinner and visit a karaoke bar that his friend owns. Would you like to join us?” Cleo suddenly asked as she looked at the man with hope.

Sean glanced at Max awkwardly. Max did not look pleased. But, the mention of a karaoke bar reminded Sean that Jackson owned one. Could Halia be there?

Sean quickly realized it was a good opportunity to investigate Halia's whereabouts and confirm her safety, so he agreed.

”I've already finished work for the day. Dinner and karaoke sounds fun. I'd love to join you,” he replied.

...

Back at the lab, Halia and Jackson were lying awkwardly next to each other in bed.

There was a slight gap between the couple. Even though they had been affectionate earlier, being in bed together still made the two of them extremely nervous.

Initially, Jackson was simply planning to keep Halia company until she fell asleep, but since he stayed up all night to make a bracelet for her, his eyes began to feel heavy and he unexpectedly fell asleep.

Halia glanced at the man beside her and noticed he had nodded off. With a smile she tucked him into the blanket and brushed some hair out of his face.

All of a sudden, Jackson grabbed onto her hand and held it firmly against his chest.

”Sorry, did I wake you up?” Halia whispered.

The man smiled without responding as he continued to hold onto her hand with his eyes closed. He quickly fell back asleep.

Halia looked down at the man and felt her heart warm up and her awkwardness fade. Slowly, she shuffled in closer to him and lay her head on his shoulder. She felt safe and comfortable around him. So, before she knew it, Halia completely let her guard down and fell asleep as well.

...