CHAPTER 124: CHAPTER 124: I’M JEALOUS RIGHT NOW

The car stopped at the intersection.

Allen Shaw got out and greeted Mason Rivers.

"I remember you live around here, so do I. Let’s go together, buddy."

Mason Rivers opened the car door and glanced back at Poppy Hale.

There was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

Allen Shaw put an arm around Mason Rivers’ shoulders and dragged him away.

"Come on, let’s hang out at my place. Last time, there was a project at your company that caught my interest."

"Alright."

The two walked away, and the car remained stationary.

Declan Hawthorne glanced over calmly.

Poppy Hale immediately understood what he meant.

He was implying whether he was being treated like a driver.

Sitting in the front passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt, Poppy Hale was about to speak when Declan Hawthorne reached over and grabbed her wrist.

He examined it repeatedly.

His gaze was serious.

On her porcelain-white wrist were scratch marks from fingernails, leaving bloody wounds.

There was also a handprint, deeply ingrained.

Looking at it, quite a bit of force must have been used.

Declan Hawthorne let go of her hand and turned the steering wheel.

He didn’t say much during the drive, but his brows remained furrowed, showing no sign of relaxing.

The atmosphere in the car was somewhat heavy.

From the time they got in until now, Declan Hawthorne hadn’t spoken; it was Mason Rivers and Allen Shaw bantering away.

Outside the window, the world was already lit with neon, dazzling lights.

The road looked like they were heading back to the hospital they had just left.

The navigation route was also set for the hospital.

Poppy Hale looked out the window and calmly said, "There’s no need to go to the hospital; I can just apply some ointment at home."

Declan Hawthorne’s demeanor was quite tense.

His knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Not going to the hospital? Waiting to go home and let your mom see your hand? She probably doesn’t know what you’ve been up to after work, right?"

Of course not.

If Truth Hale knew, she would surely worry.

Declan Hawthorne let out a cold laugh.

"You knew how to bandage Mason Rivers but not yourself?"

Poppy Hale felt inexplicably guilty.

She mumbled, "His injury seemed more serious."

"Do you still plan to paint in the future? Are you just going to disregard your wrist? And Mason Rivers is with you, yet you still got hurt?"

His tone was somewhat urgent.

It sounded even a bit harsh and stern.

Poppy Hale felt a bit dazed.

She remembered back in college when she once went gaming with Mason Rivers and several others.

They played a bit late, and the dorm’s curfew had passed.

Poppy Hale simply didn’t return and continued gaming.

Before long, someone took off her headset.

Declan Hawthorne stood behind her, looking at her with displeasure.

He frowned and asked her, "Why aren’t you going back to the dorm?"

"Huh? I lost track of time. The curfew’s already passed, and my score this season isn’t enough. We thought we might as well play overnight."

The light in the internet café was dim.

There were curses from losing games, greetings to teammates’ parents, and smoke swirling around.

Back then, smoking wasn’t banned in internet cafés.

In Poppy Hale’s line of sight, she saw a girl who went gaming with them, looking sleepy, resting her head on the table.

A boy nearby leaned over and kissed her cheek.

No one around noticed.

Poppy Hale lost the mood for gaming in an instant.

That boy had a girlfriend at the time.

She tugged on Declan Hawthorne’s arm, "Shall we get a room?"

Declan Hawthorne was tall, and she had to look up at him when he stood behind her.

All she could see was the unfathomable emotion in his deep-set eyes, like dark clouds.

Later, they did get a room, but Poppy Hale always remembered Declan Hawthorne’s expression at that time.

It made her feel like she had done something wrong, making him unhappy.

Thinking about it now, she asked aloud.

The man driving, originally intending to take her to the hospital for treatment, didn’t want his emotions to affect her.

But he was caught off guard when he heard her speak.

"Were you upset back then when I forgot to return after gaming?"

Declan Hawthorne didn’t expect her to ask this suddenly.

He was stunned for a moment, wanted to shake his head, but restrained himself, then nodded.

"Why were you upset?"

"Can I be honest?"

What he said was a statement.

His eyes held a bit of uncertainty.

Poppy Hale nodded.

"Of course, otherwise what’s the point of asking you."

"You and Mason Rivers were gaming nonstop and forgot about our dinner plans."

Poppy Hale was slightly taken aback.

She remembered that she probably did mention having dinner with Declan Hawthorne before heading to the internet café that afternoon.

But back then, they nearly ate together in the cafeteria every day.

Declan Hawthorne didn’t like dining out and didn’t want to spend her money.

She thought she was respecting her boyfriend’s pride by not dining out often.

Even in the cafeteria, there were always people paying attention to Declan Hawthorne.

Right in front of her, his legitimate girlfriend, some would even ask directly for his contact information.

Declan Hawthorne wouldn’t give it, but wouldn’t outright say, "She’s my girlfriend."

Poppy Hale was very mindful of this.

So she didn’t enjoy dining with Declan Hawthorne as much.

"You often forgot about our meals too. I wasn’t angry."

Declan Hawthorne paused.

"It’s not about the meals. It’s about Mason Rivers. I thought... you might have feelings for him."

Poppy Hale looked at Declan Hawthorne in surprise.

"I don’t game, but Mason Rivers often shares his gaming experiences with you. I couldn’t fit in."

Sometimes, the three of them would dine together.

Poppy Hale would chat about games with Mason Rivers.

Declan Hawthorne would sit silently by.

He couldn’t join their conversation.

On top of that, Poppy Hale’s attitude towards Mason Rivers was always so natural and warm, different from how she treated him.

Even when they argued, such an intimate thing, Poppy Hale would share it with Mason Rivers.

Declan Hawthorne watched the road ahead, driving steadily.

But his voice trembled slightly.

"I was jealous."

For the first time, he candidly admitted his inner thoughts.

Even though these feelings, for Declan Hawthorne, weren’t something to be proud of.

Poppy Hale’s eyelashes fluttered.

After a long while, she sighed softly.

"I would have been happy if you’d told me back then."

Now, she no longer had any reason to feel happy or sad over such matters.

Declan Hawthorne turned to look at Poppy Hale.

The light and the moonlight fell on her beautiful profile, casting a gentle and serene glow on the woman before him.

She seemed to overlap yet differ greatly from the always quarrelsome Poppy Hale of the past.

Declan Hawthorne’s throat felt dry.

"What if I say I’m jealous now?"

Poppy Hale suddenly looked up.

She met Declan Hawthorne’s gaze.

They locked eyes and saw the unfamiliar emotions within each other.

Declan Hawthorne slowly spoke, "I don’t like seeing you with Mason Rivers."

"It was just a coincidence."

"So why not have a coincidence with me?"

He clearly waited around the market department entrance several times a day.

He’d also linger outside her building for a long time.

As long as she opened her bedroom curtains to look down, she could easily see him.

But she never did.

Poppy Hale found Declan Hawthorne a bit baffling.

"I had some errands to run, and I just happened to run into Mason. What’s the problem?"

"You ran into him and got hurt?"

"Mason Rivers’ injury is much worse than mine."

Declan Hawthorne pressed his lips together.

If it weren’t for Mason Rivers’ more severe injury—

He wouldn’t have restrained himself for so long when he saw them today.