"That is none of your business! Stay away from me!" Jean didn't intend on pushing him away, but she was frightened by his stern and aggressive demeanor.
Zed brushed away her hand and pulled up the leg of her trousers. His eyes widened when he found bruises as large as a baby's fist on some parts of her light-skinned thigh. From the size of the bruises he could see that she was hurt seriously.
Without saying anything, Zed immediately scooped her up and turned for the door.
"What are you doing?" Jean asked in surprise.
"Taking you to a hospital!"
"Hospital?" Jean sighed, "The wounds are merely superficial. I don't need to go to a hospital. We just need to buy some iodine and then dab it on the wounds. They aren't as serious as you think."
"I will feel more assured if a doctor were to say the same thing." Then, he bent down to carry her on his back.
Jean wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Then she exerted all her strength to rock herself from side to side and yelled, "I don't want to go to a hospital. Just put me down at once...... Zed, put me down!"
She struggled so hard that Zed felt too exhausted to carry her.
He put her down on the sofa and frowned, "You have to lose weight!"
"Lose weight?" Jean shook her head and responded, "Look at my nice figure. I don't need to lose any weight. You can't lift me because of your limited physical strength. You shouldn't spend all your time in your office without doing any exercise. Now, you even can't lift a woman."
Jean grabbed the opportunity to take a dig at Zed. Such chances were so rare that she couldn't avoid the temptation.
"Jean, are you questioning my masculinity? You seriously want to imply that my strength is not what it should be? Do you want to test that theory? Come, I will carry you again." He approached her slowly. A bewitching smile danced on his handsome face.
She silvered suddenly and waved her hands, "Nope, I was just joking. I take that back. You are in very good shape!"
Then, she wiped the sweat off her forehead, took a deep breath, and tried to settle herself so that the tinge of red spreading from her neck to her cheeks would subside.
"Are you still in pain?" He asked in a gentle voice.
Jean was baffled. As she looked up, she found that Zed genuinely looked like he was concerned about her. 'Does he care about me?'
She looked down, thought for a while, and even felt a little moved.
"Yes, but only a little."
"I am going to buy some iodine." He walked to the bedroom and put his coat on. Then, he left without another word to Jean.
After Zed left, the living room fell quiet. Jean looked at the bruises on her leg and thought about Zed's worried demeanor. A part of her felt elated by Zed's reaction.
Despite the pain, Jean found that she could still hobble around. She lowered her head and sniffed her shirt. Jean scrunched her nose as she realized that she need
“Let's go and register our marriage on your birthday!”
Marrying Daniel should have been her best birthday gift, but everything was ruined the moment when she caught him sleeping with another woman on the day before her birthday.
“He’s going to marry that woman! She... was my best friend!"
ed at Zed. She still wanted to know why Zed had taken hours to buy the medicines. Thus, she asked again, "You still haven't told me why you took so long."
He dabbed on her wounds carefully and looked up. Zed's face was so close to Jean's that if he leaned forward just a little bit, their lips would touch.
Jean shivered as she saw the affection and desire reflecting in his deep, dark eyes. Zed rarely looked at Jean like that and when he did, he turned her whole world upside down.
"I didn't drive as I thought there would be drug stores nearby. After I started walking, I found that all nearby drug stores were closed. Only after I had walked for a long while did I find a drug store that was open at night." He stood up to wash his hands.
As Zed came out of the bathroom, Jean whispered, "Thank you. "
She couldn't believe that Zed had walked so far to find a drug store for her that late at night. Jean was truly moved.
She felt that a simple thank you was insufficient to show her gratitude. Jean wanted to think of a better way to express what she truly felt. As Jean mulled over various options, a shadow hovered over her. Zed stood in front of Jean. Their eyes met for an instant before he bent lower to scoop her up again.
Jean looked at Zed in shock and wondered what he was doing.
"It's been a long day for you. Now that you're injured, you need your rest. Get some sleep!"
Zed gently placed Jean in bed, before turning and switching off all the lights. She felt the bed dip as he crawled in beside her.
Jean held her breath as she waited for Zed to wrap her in his arms, but he fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
Jean waited for a while, carefully listening to Zed's breathing. When she was sure that he was asleep, Jean turned and studied his handsome face. Since it was very dark and the moon was hardly peeking through the clouds, she could only see his silhouette. Even then, he looked very handsome.