167 NIRVANA ARIEL’S POV I snuggled closer to Luke, my head resting on his chest. The rhythmic sound of his heartbeat lulled me into a state of tranquility. I traced circles on his bare chest with my fingers, feeling the warmth of his skin under my touch. The lovely and exhausting moment was still in my head, and indeed, it was times like these that made all the chaos and stress of life disappear. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, savoring and soaking up every bit of this blissful moment. “So, how was work today?” Luke asked, caressing my hair. “Just normal. Nothing remarkable. What about you? Your day’s been going great, right?” Luke chuckled. “I don’t want to talk about it.” “Why not?” I glanced at him. “It was really complicated, and somehow unbelievable.” וול “Somehow unbelievable? What do you mean by that?” Luke looked at me for a few seconds. “Did you join the police force?” “No. Why are you asking?” “Because you’re trying to act like a detective right now.” I laughed. “Okay, that is so crazy.” “You know you’ve always been crazy.” He taunted, his lips curving into a smirk. “A sweet psychopath, I know that,” I stated, getting up from the bed and getting dressed. Luke was just smiling, staring at me. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way to the kitchen.” “To the kitchen? Why exactly?” Luke raised an eyebrow. “That’s a dumb question, you know.” “No, it’s not.” “Yes, it is!” I blurted. “I mean, what do people do in the kitchen?” “They have sex,” Luke replied with a grin. “Oh my goodness,” I said inaudibly, hitting my face softly. “What?” I set my eyes on him. “Seriously? You’re going to start talking nonsense right now.” seen?” “Oh, come on, Ariel. You do know what I’m talking about. I mean, haven’t you 167 NIRVANA 2/4 “For the sake of Pornhub, do not finish that sentence.” I cut him off. He snapped his fingers. “You totally get me. I shook my head, letting out a deep sigh. “You know what? Let’s just put an end to this conversation. I gotta go to the kitchen now.” Luke sighed and didn’t reply, acting like he didn’t hear me. I ignored him and left the room. Walking towards the kitchen, I realized he was following me, smiling mischievously. I could feel his eyes on and I turned around to see him staring at my backside. me, “Seriously, Luke? Can’t you just act like a normal human being right now?” I rolled my eyes at him. “What? I can’t help it if you have a nice view,” he grinned. I shook my head, trying to hide my smile. “You’re impossible.” “I know,” he shrugged, walking into the kitchen behind me. I started to gather ingredients when he suddenly asked, “So, can you cook?” I stopped in my tracks, staring at him with my mouth agape. “Did you seriously just ask me that?” Luke looked at me innocently. “What? I’m just curious.” I couldn’t believe he was asking me this. He never really made me prepare food for him, but I wanted to do that yesterday until I was informed about the whole Lukel stuff, and that was how that chapter ended. Well, the thing here was that I could cook, but Luke never wanted to taste my food, all because of his hatred towards me those years. I sighed. “Luke. Do I have to keep reminding you that you were the one who refused to let me cook for you? But still, you don’t know if I can cook or not?” He shrugged. “I never really asked before.” “Uhmm hello. Mr. Billionaire, you don’t seem to have forgotten about those years, have you?” Luke chuckled. “The past is the past.” I shook my head in silence and suspired after that. “Well, I can cook. I’m not a master chef or anything, but I can whip up a decent meal.” Luke laughed. “Really? I had no idea.” His tone was somehow mocking. I crossed my arms, staring at him. “How did you think I survived all these years, huh?” He chuckled. “I always thought you ate takeout or frozen meals.” I gave him a fake smile. “How nice. I’m not that useless, you know.” Luke held his hands up in defense. “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that. I just….” “You just what, huh?” I asked, crossing my arms together. 167 NIRVANA “I didn’t know you could cook.” “I thought we talked about something like this.” Larched an eyebrow. “Really?” He asked, raising both of his brows, and I nodded. He shrugged, saying, “I can’t remember. I chuckled, shaking my head. “Well, now you know. Are you happy?” “Very,” he grinned, wrapping his arms around me from behind. I couldn’t help but smile, feeling his warmth and love enveloping me. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood right now.” “Oh really?” He whispered, kissing my neck. “If you were in a bad mood, what were you going to do, huh?” I closed my eyes, feeling his soft kisses on my neck. “I would punch you in the stomach, push you to the floor, and smack your head repeatedly.” “Hmm, I see. That would be really wild, you know.” His lips continued to move around my neck. I turned around in his arms, wrapping mine around his neck. “Now, let’s get serious around here. I don’t want to burn the house down.” Luke laughed. “I’ll help you. I promise I won’t get in the way.” “And you’re sure about that.” “I’m a hundred percent sure. It’s a promise.” He smiled and pecked me on the lips. After that, one of the maids showed up, having his phone on her hand, which was ringing. “Sir, someone’s calling you.” Luke turned to her and took his phone; he answered the call. “Uhmm, hello, who is this?” I just watched him as his phone call continued. His eyes widened immediately, and he quickly hung up, making me sort of confused around here. “What’s the problem?” I asked in curiosity. Still holding his phone, Luke fixed both of his hands on his waist, his face not looking good. “Come on, Luke, tell me, what’s the problem?” “I forgot to tell you,” he replied, almost inaudible. Tell me what?” I made a confused face. “It’s Harriet. She escaped from prison.” “Say what now? Harriet escaped from prison?” Luke nodded, and then I asked, “Was she the one who called you?” 167 NIRVANA. 4/4 “Yes,” Luke answered in hushed tones. He moved his hands around his face. “Only God knows where she is right now.” “You think she’s going to come back into our lives?” “Ariel, she just called me. So I think you know the answer to your question. I have to inform the police about this.” He began to walk away. “You’re leaving?” I quizzed him. “Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it.” He finally left my presence. not coming I sighed, crossing my arms. “Yeah, he’s definitely back anytime soon,” I said to myself, and I went back to focus on the ingredients. But my mind was far away; I was thinking about the lady I saw at the time I was searching for Lukel. If Harriet had broken out of prison, it meant that she was the one I saw. Wow, that woman’s really courageous.
