Love’s Cunning Ruse

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.

no

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 hadnt 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

Kieran’s face, leaned in like a dragonfly skimming the water, gently pressed her lips

red ink. She said to him, “Now, your first kiss

than a rabbit. Falling plane tree leaves landed on her shoulder. She wore a flowing white school uniform, the skirt

face as red as a boiled

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?

“I’m

widened as she sat next to

me, don’t I feel like I’m burning up? Can you call in sick for me tomorrow? Just

Julie’s head, “If you want to skip class, just say so. No need to fabricate

though Sansa said that, she still helped Julie take a day

Kieran at school, afraid that he would confront her. In class, Kieran always sat in the front row while Julie sat in

back door after the bell rang. A few minutes before dismissal, she would leave early Although she was caught by the teacher a

scolded by the teacher was still better

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

hadn’t come to confront Julie. Even though Julie had been avoiding him for a long

creams, and was ready to make peace with Kieran, she saw Annalise sitting on the back of Kieran’s

cream slid down her fingertips. Even though it was in a dream,

leaned towards a warm place, closer

have found the source of warmth. She comfortably leaned into the warmth, and then slowly, peacefully fell asleep.

the woman lying in his arms, his heart ached as he gently wiped away the tears that slipped from the corner of her eyes. The clear and translucent tears seemed to seep into

day, when Julie woke up, she found herself on

taken the regular dose of sleeping pills last night, but she didn’t expect to sleep so heavily that she didn’t even know she had been carried onto

and sat up groggily. Her mind was in a fog

as she got to the cabin door, Karl popped out of nowhere, giving her a polite nad, ‘Moming, Mrs.

address. She asked

Hernandez is working. What would you like for breakfast?” Karl asked.

can you make?”

“Most things. What

him and bring him to

That’s not

back to Whispering Pines? Julie

Karl nodded.

I have for breakfast” Finished speaking, Julie looked around the cabin. She couldn’t find her bag and phone, so she said to Karl, ‘Also, tell Kieran, if he doesn’t want to crash with me, he better return my stuff.”

that, Julie went back

relayed Julie’s words to Kieran, “Mrs. Hernandez said if you don’t want to crash with her, you should return her things.”

and glanced at Karl, “Tell her there are parachutes on