Chapter 224 - Back Hug

Jaclyn, Mia, and John soon arrived at Mia's home. It was a simple apartment just outside of the city center. "I'm sorry, the place is old and rundown, but there is enough space for both of us," Mia apologized.

Elias Muller always wanted to give his sister a luxurious and comfortable life, and he succeeded for several years, but the means by which he did it were all wrong. So, as soon as he was arrested, the police seized all assets that they suspected were purchased via the proceeds of crime. This included his house, his club, his boat, his car, and his savings, leaving Mia with nothing. Fortunately, Mia had some savings of her own and managed to rent a little apartment in the suburbs, otherwise, she would have been thrown out on the streets.

"You don't have to be sorry," Jaclyn replied. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

It wasn't like Jaclyn couldn't afford 2 weeks in a hotel. In fact, she had enough money to stay 2 weeks in a 5-star hotel if she wanted to, but, she chose to stay with Mia because of the company. She liked being around Mia and she enjoyed every moment they spent together. As long as they were together, the location at which they stayed didn't matter.

John walked in behind the two women and casually walked into one of the bedrooms, "Jaclyn, I'll put your stuff in your room, OK?"

Jaclyn looked at the man and nodded her head, but quickly realized something: why did he seem so familiar with the layout of the apartment? And how did he know that that was her room? Had he been in Mia's apartment before?

Her heart stung a little again. 

A man and a woman, all alone in an apartment. Many things could happen...

Did they hug near the front door, kiss on the sofa, fondle each other in the kitchen...and make love in bed...?

Multiple possibilities flashed through Jaclyn's mind. How far had these two gotten?

Mia noticed the curiosity in Jaclyn's eyes and explained, "John helped me move some furniture and he also set up your room for you. He actually donated the bed that's in your room because I was running low on cash."

"Oh?" Jaclyn said with interest. Was that really all he did?

After John left, Jaclyn and Mia sat down to dinner. Mia cooked a delicious hearty stew and Jaclyn quickly devoured it. "This stew is amazing! Do you make it often?" Jaclyn asked with an impressed smile.

Mia smiled and replied, "No, I only make it on special occasions, so I thought I'd make it to welcome you."

Jaclyn looked at the young woman gratefully and felt slightly moved. It had been a long time since someone specifically cooked for her. "Have you ever made this stew for John?" she tested.

Mia shook her head, "Only for you and my brother." 

Jaclyn smiled to herself. It seemed, Mia and John weren't as close as she thought.

"Since you prepared dinner, I'll do the dishes," Jaclyn offered as she grabbed the plates and stood up.

Mia immediately chased after her, "No, you're a guest. You don't need to do anything."

"I need to contribute something. I can't just live and eat here for free," Jaclyn replied.

She then walked into the kitchen, turned on the tap and started filling the sink.

The kitchen was small and could barely fit two people, so Mia stood outside the doorway and watched as Jaclyn placed the dishes beside the sink.

As the sink filled up with water, Jaclyn looked around the small kitchen for detergent and cleaning tools. "Hey Mia, what do I clean the dishes with? Where's your detergent and scrubber?" she asked.

As soon as Jaclyn said this, an arm stretched out beside her and opened a closet above her head.

"Everything you need is up here," Mia's gentle voice sounded beside her ear.

Jaclyn suddenly felt herself blush a little. The kitchen was small, so Mia's body was slightly pressed up against her back. From this close proximity, she could smell the perfume on her body and feel the warmth of her breath. For some reason, this closeness sent a slight tingle down Jaclyn's spine.

This wasn't the first time they had been this close. After all, they had fallen asleep on the same bed and even on each other's shoulders in the past, but something felt different today. There was an ambiguous vibe to the atmosphere that Jaclyn couldn't explain.

Was this an extension of her jealousy?

Jaclyn stretched up to grab the detergent bottle but found that she was too short. The closets were built for standard European height, so her tiny stature was a bit of a disadvantage.

Mia giggled behind her and grabbed the detergent for her. She then grabbed a scrubbing brush and a pair of gloves.

"You're older than me, but you're like a child," the woman teased as she leaned forward and started rolling up Jaclyn's sleeves. She then helped her put on the gloves. "I bet you've never worked a day in your life. You don't want to damage those silky hands of yours," Mia commented casually.

Jaclyn felt the woman's body press up closer behind her. Her soft b.r.e.a.s.ts rubbed against her back and her warm breaths fell against the back of her neck as her arms enveloped Jaclyn from two sides.

Jaclyn found herself subconsciously thinking about the woman's body. Mia had an amazing figure. She was tall, slender and curvy. Plus, she was young and beautiful. If Jaclyn was a man, Mia would be the ideal woman.

"Did you know that John likes you?" Jaclyn suddenly blurted. The atmosphere was getting a little awkward and Jaclyn was feeling a little fl.u.s.tered so she decided to change the focus to John. But, why was she suddenly feeling so nervous?

Mia giggled behind Jaclyn and slowly backed away.

"Did he tell you that?" Mia asked.

"Well...not exactly...but he never denied it," Jaclyn replied. "Besides, don't you think he treats you really well?"

"He treats me the same as everyone else. He's just a genuinely nice guy," Mia responded as she went to grab a glass of ice-cold water from the fridge.

"Hasn't he made any special moves on you...?" Jaclyn said suggestively.

Did John really not take any of her advice?

"Special moves?" Mia asked with a laugh. "Like what?"

"OK, let's start off with something more subtle. Has he ever fed you or wiped food off your mouth?" Jaclyn asked.

Mia burst into laughter, "I'm not sick or disabled. Why would he do that? That's something I did for you when you were going through rehab..."

"Has he ever wiped your tears or offered you a shoulder to lean on?" Jaclyn continued seriously.

"I've never cried in front of him. Plus, he's pretty much the same height as me, it would be really uncomfortable for me to lean on his shoulder..." Mia replied with amus.e.m.e.nt.

Jaclyn still had her back to the woman, but she remembered the way Mia demonstrated her height a moment ago and nodded her head. That was right, Mia was much too tall to lean on John's shoulder. The last time Jaclyn fell asleep on Mia's shoulder, Mia had a sore neck for days...

"Then, has he held your hand when you crossed the road?" Jaclyn continued.

"I can cross the road on my own. The only time I've ever held a hand while crossing the road was when you almost got hit by a car earlier," Mia teased.

Jaclyn remembered the scene from earlier and suddenly felt her heart race. Feeling fl.u.s.tered again, she blurted out, "Then what about a back hug? That's one of the ultimate moves. He must have pulled that one on you, right?"

"A back hug?" Mia asked.

She then paused for a moment. The kitchen fell silent and all that could be heard was water streaming from the tap.

"Like what I just gave you...?"