Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 134

That night, way past bedtime.

Julie and Kieran were strolling back home, with the streetlights illuminating their path. Taking advice she got online, Julie pretended to twist her ankle, then grabbed Kieran's sleeve, shooting him a pitiful look, "I think I sprained my foot."

Kieran looked Julie up and down, and instead of pushing her away immediately, he looked at her ankle and asked, "Break a bone?"

Julie was feeling down, "No... no bones broken, but twisted. Hurts a bit. Can we sit down for a while?"

While Kieran was mulling over her request, Julie was already limping towards a bench with Kieran in tow. She clung to his sleeve as she sat down, then looked at her ankle, pretending to be in pain, muttered, "What if I can't walk later? Can you carry me?"

Julie saw Kieran pull out his phone and dial the emergency number.

She quickly snatched his phone away, laughing, "I'm not that bad off. No need for an ambulance. Can't waste public resources, right? I'm touched that you care so much."

Kieran extended his hand, "My phone."

Julie stuffed his phone into her coat pocket, then covered the pocket, looked up at Kieran and asked, "What are your thoughts on dating?"

Kieran just looked at her without a reply. The dim light made his facial features more prominent. Julie's heart was pounding.

"Do you mind dating while in school?" Julie persisted.

Despite Julie's daily efforts to get closer to Kieran, intimate moments were rare. Most of the time, she could only daydream while watching his back. Therefore, under the dim light, when Kieran looked at her, Julie couldn't meet his gaze and quickly averted her eyes.

After a while, Kieran still hadn't answered. Julie cautiously spoke again, "So... do you think you'll date in school?"

"No, especially not with you," Kieran responded firmly.

Julie should have focused on the latter half of Kieran's answer, but she only registered the first half.

So she excitedly asked Kieran, "So you've never dated before?"

Kieran was speechless.

"Is your first kiss still intact?" Julie's gaze landed on Kieran's closed lips and she couldn't help swallowing.

Just as Kieran was turning his head away, he turned back to look at Julie.

Julie plucked up her courage, cupped Kieran's face, leaned in like a dragonfly skimming the water, gently pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth, and then...

Julie's cheeks were as red as if they had been soaked in red ink. She said to him, "Now, your first kiss is gone."

After saying that, she started running, completely forgetting that she had just told him she had hurt her foot. She ran faster than a rabbit. Falling plane tree leaves landed on her shoulder. She wore a flowing white school uniform, the skirt flapping in the evening breeze, leaves crunching under her feet.

She ran all the way home, her face as red as a boiled shrimp.

Sansa, in a light blue nightgown, walked up to her with a glass of milk, smiled, and brushed Julie's messy hair behind her ears, "Why are you back so late? Your face is so red, do you have a fever?"

Julie mumbled, "I'm in heat..."

"Huh?" Sansa's eyes widened as she sat next to Julie and looked at her.

Julie snapped back to reality and said to Sansa, "No! I mean I have a fever... touch me, don't I feel like I'm burning up? Can you call in sick for me tomorrow? Just tell them I have a high fever!"

Sansa lovingly touched Julie's head, "If you want to skip class, just say so. No need to fabricate a high fever."

Even though Sansa said that, she still helped Julie take a day off and didn't tell their parents.

From that day on, Julie kept avoiding Kieran at school, afraid that he would confront her. In class, Kieran always sat in the front row while Julie sat in the back.

To avoid Kieran, she would always sneak into class through the back door after the bell rang. A few minutes before dismissal, she would leave early. Although she was caught by the teacher a few times...

But getting scolded by the teacher was still better than getting yelled at by Kieran.

Back then, the Abraham family hadn't declined yet, so Julie was always surrounded by fake friends. Many people were curious why she was avoiding Kieran, and told her that many people had confessed to Kieran recently.

Ever since she gently kissed Kieran last time, he hadn't come to confront Julie. Even though Julie had been avoiding him for a long time, he acted as if nothing had happened.

So, after much deliberation, Julie decided to find Kieran and clearly express her feelings. But, when she plucked up the courage, bought two ice creams, and was ready to make peace with Kieran, she saw Annalise sitting on the back of Kieran's bike at the door. They disappeared from her view like a couple...

In her dream, she was always holding those two ice creams. As the ice cream melted, the cold melted ice cream slid down her fingertips. Even though it was in a dream, Julie still felt the ice cream was heartbreakingly cold, numbingly cold...

Subconsciously, she leaned towards a warm place, closer and closer...