Chapter 204 - Just One Taste

Trisha looked into the man's eyes and felt her heart race, but she tried to keep a straight face like she always did around him.

Previously, when Oliver asked her if she liked Jackson, she had told him that Jackson wasn't her type. But, deep down, there was actually more to her answer that she didn't dare to say. 

She wanted to tell him that the type of man she liked was slightly nerdy yet cool, good-looking yet shy, serious about his work yet playful during everyday life, and smart yet modest. A man that believed in justice and would use whatever legally non-violent methods he could to achieve it. 

A man...like him...

But, she had already used Jaclyn's case as an excuse to see him again and she had already dragged him across the continent to Germany. Seeing him again was already enough, she didn't want to take things too far and lose this friend forever.

So, Trisha quickly glanced away awkwardly and leaned back down to sit in her chair.

However, to her surprise, Oliver suddenly grabbed onto her arm again and stopped her.

"I want some sweetness too," he said as he pulled her closer to him.

Trisha looked at the man with confusion, "Do you want me to order you another slice of..."

Before she finished her sentence, Oliver suddenly leaned over and gently licked off the cream that was on the side of her lip...

Trisha held her breath and opened her eyes wide in surprise as she felt her heart explode like fireworks. What did this man just do? 

"Mmm, you're right. A bit of sweetness isn't too bad," the man commented as he sat back down with a satisfied smile.

Trisha frowned and punched the man on the arm. "What was that?" she asked as she grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth.

Oliver held onto his arm and laughed. "I wanted a taste but you ate all the cake, so I had no other choice," he said.

Trisha looked away as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. Even if he wanted a taste, didn't he overstep his boundaries? They were just friends, right?

Meanwhile, Oliver lifted his hand to his heart and smiled. It may have been selfish of him to do what he did, but he just wanted to share one kiss with the woman - even if it was slightly indirect, even if she didn't like him - he just wanted one taste.

...

At that time, in another part of Munich, Halia and Jackson had just arrived outside John's apartment and the man had just opened the door for them.

When he saw the bags of food in Jackson's hands, he was quite surprised. "Is that all for Jaclyn?" he asked.

"I got a little excited. I'm sure there's enough for you and Mia too," Halia replied.

John peered into the bags and smiled, "Pork knuckle, bratwurst, and pretzel! Good choice!"

"I'll prepare the pork knuckle while it's still warm, otherwise the skin won't be crunchy later. Jaclyn is in the second room on the left. The door is locked just in case she tries to escape. Here's the key," he said as he handed Jackson a key.

Jackson took the key and headed for Jaclyn's room.

But, as soon as he opened the door, a body rammed against him with a scream. Jackson subconsciously grabbed onto the person.

It was Jaclyn. She was trying to escape.

"I need to go back to Muller," she mumbled as she looked at the floor. "I forgot something there."

Jackson held onto his sister worriedly and said, "Jaclyn, it's me."

Jaclyn lifted her head and saw her brother.

Her pupils were dilated, her eyes were red and her face was pale.

All of a sudden, tears began to stream down her face.

"Jackson! Just one shot! Can you get me one shot? I promise I'll quit after one last shot," she pleaded.

At that moment, John approached after hearing Jaclyn's scream.

"I thought you said she was doing fine," Jackson said.

With a sigh, John replied, "Let's take her back into the room first."

With Jackson's help, John carried Jaclyn back into the room and lay her down on the bed. He then tied her down to the bedposts.

This was exactly the reason why he tried to keep family away during the first 3-5 days. This was the toughest stage to witness.

"I'm sorry that you had to witness this. She was perfectly fine a couple of hours ago and she was pretty decent all night, but I guess the cravings must have suddenly kicked in," John apologized as Jaclyn screamed and flailed behind him.

"I suggest you visit again tomorrow. This may be difficult to watch, but I promise she will pull through and be fine. We just need to keep her away from any more heroin."

As he spoke, John quickly ran out to grab a warm towel. He then leaned over and started wiping Jaclyn with it. This seemed to ease her discomfort and she stopped screaming.

"Just one shot," Jaclyn pleaded as she looked into John's eyes.

John held onto Jaclyn's hand and shook his head, "You can do this. You are strong enough to resist."

Jackson saw the gentleness in John's eyes and trusted the man. He could tell that he was genuinely concerned about Jaclyn. So, he grabbed Halia's hand and left the room.

"She's in good hands. We should leave. Jaclyn wouldn't want us to see her in this state," he said.

Halia nodded her head in agreement.

Just as they reached the front door, the door opened and Mia walked in. Her dark blue eyes stared at Jackson in surprise. "Did you come to visit Jaclyn?" she asked.

"Yes, but she's not doing too well. John might need some help in the room. We'll come back tomorrow," Jackson replied.

As soon as Mia heard this, her eyes immediately lit up with concern and she rushed for the room. 

But, as soon as she opened the door, she saw Jaclyn looking at John with a strangely seductive look in her eyes. "I'll give you a kiss if you just give me one shot," she said. "I've never kissed a man before. You can be my first."

Mia frowned and quickly cut in, "Let me take over from here!"

John turned to look at Mia in surprise and quickly stood up. "I'll go prepare dinner. Jaclyn's brother and sister-in-law brought some food," he said awkwardly as he walked out.

It wasn't the first time he had been bribed by his patients. In fact, there were times when he was offered more than a kiss. But, he usually worked on his own or with a nurse that he had been working with for years; no outsider had ever witnessed a scene like this.

He never accepted these bribes nor took advantage of his patients. For him, it was like white noise. But, did Mia trust him? Why did he sense a bit of disappointment on her face? Did she think he was actually considering it?