Chapter 134: You’re Weird

Chapter 134: You’re Weird "So, are we going to a fancy restaurant for dinner?" Mari asked Jax, falling into step beside him as they left the room. Jax scoffed, "You wish." "You’re not very romantic," Mari said with a pout. "I’m not your boyfriend," Jax muttered. "I don’t have a boyfriend, so you could be," she said with a wink. Jax sighed. "Go keep your stuff in your room then you can meet me in the kitchen," Jax said, needing to be away from her for a moment. "I’ll quickly freshen up and change out of these before joining you," she said with a wink before leaving him, swinging her arms lazily as she walked away. The moment she disappeared from view, Jax shook his head and let out a soft sigh. He had never met anyone that chattered endlessly like she did. Mari both entertained him and wore him out. As he walked into the kitchen, he went straight to the fridge. He brought out two containers and set them on the counter. He popped one of the containers into the microwave and leaned against the counter, arms folded as it hummed. How could she stay for twenty-four hours without eating? Her parents had told him that she didn’t eat much, but twenty-four hours was a lot of time to stay without food. And how could she not be embarrassed that he bought her undies? He had expected her to blush and swear at him or something, not laugh and hold it up for him to see. And how could she go into his room so fearlessly? He had known the moment she stepped into his bedroom. Thankfully he had put everything important away the very day she arrived, so he had taken his time to finish what he was doing in his studio before stepping out. The fact that she wasn’t even scared that he had caught her snooping, amused and annoyed him at the same time. He hated it when people touched his stuff, and he’d need to set some ground rules for her. He had left for a gallery show and was supposed to be away for two days, but had to cut the trip short because he couldn’t trust her not to burn down his house as she had threatened. The microwave beeped. Jax opened it, grabbed the plate, and set it down on the island and then returned to heat the second container. He sat down to eat as he waited for the second container to heat up. Just as he finished eating, she returned. He noticed she was wearing the glasses now, and pajamas. Mari sniffed the air. "Something smells good. Why are you eating without me?" She asked with a scowl. "I told you we weren’t eating together," he said as he rose with his plate. "So grumpy. So what’s on the menu?" She asked as she pulled out a chair and sat by the island. "Chicken. Rice. Something like a stir-fry," he said as he placed his plate in the sink. "You’re not trying to poison me, right?" "Not tonight." She smiled. "What would you rather do to me tonight?" She batted her lashes at him. She was all levels of weird, he thought with a shake of his head as he served her meal since the microwave had beeped while he was busy eating. He placed the plate, a fork and a glass of water in front of her. "Eat." "So bossy," she said as she stared down at the food— steaming rice, golden pieces of chicken, bits of vegetables. It looked better than she expected. She picked up the fork beside the plate and poked at it. "Who prepared this?" "I did." "You cook?" she asked, eyes wide with playful shock. "What can’t you do?" "Stay sane and quiet around you," he muttered under his breath. She grinned. "You say the sweetest things, baby." Jax said nothing as he watched her. She took a bite. Chewed. Blinked. "Wow. You can really cook." She took another bite, faster this time. "If you’re trying to bribe me into not escaping, this is a good way to start." Jax sat across from her, folding his arms in front of him. Mari peeked at him between bites. "So what did you do while I was dying of boredom?" "Work." "Kidnapping someone else? Or supplying your products?" "Supplying my products," he said, and she shook her head. "What a waste. I think you can be better," she said. His lips twitched but he said nothing. "So, how did you get my exact size of clothes and undies?" She asked curiously. After seeing and trying out the things he got her, she had been thinking. She had a theory. "I checked the tags on the clothes you came in with," Jax lied, looking away briefly. "You went through my stuff?" Mari raised an eyebrow. "I needed to know your size," he said still not meeting her gaze. "You could have just asked," she pointed out, noticing how he was avoiding her gaze. "You were sleeping." "So you went through my stuff. You’re weird," she said, and he snorted. "But also efficient. You’d make a decent boyfriend, you know. For me," she said with a wink. Jax said nothing. "So, do you really live here all by yourself?" "Yes." "What about your sister and your fuck buddy? Where are they?" Jax grimaced, "Don’t call her that." "Don’t call who what?" She asked innocently. "Don’t call Diva that," Jax said, giving her a pointed look. "You called her that, not me. I wouldn’t refer to her that way if you didn’t say it first," she said with a shrug. "So? Where are they?" "They’re not here all the time," he said. "They come and go. They have other things to do." Mari nodded slowly. "That’s why no one fed me." "You had food," he said. "Kitchen’s always stocked." "Right," she mumbled. "But I don’t cook. I prefer to summon food." That earned a twitch from the corner of his mouth, but it wasn’t quite a smile. Mari folded her arms and looked at him. "Are you always this serious?" Jax didn’t answer. Mari tilted her head. "Do you ever laugh?" "Shut up and eat," he said, pointing to her plate. She made a face when he didn’t respond. "Your good look is wasted on you." She ate in silence for a while then sighed. "Doesn’t it get lonely for you here?" "No. I like to be alone." She tilted her head. "You don’t talk much, do you?" "I don’t." She rolled her eyes and kept eating. "That must make you super popular at parties." Jax didn’t answer. Mari finished half her plate before slowing down. She glanced around the kitchen, then back at him. "Do you always eat like this?" she asked. "In silence? No music, no TV, no small talk?" "I eat to eat. Not for entertainment." Mari leaned back in her chair. "You’re so weird." He raised a brow. "You’re one to talk." "Touché." She took another bite, then looked at him more seriously. "So, are you going to tell me how this Cassidy Banks man caused your father’s death?" Jax met her eyes then. "You’ll find out eventually." For a moment, she didn’t know what to say in return. So she kept eating. And thinking. The more she thought about it the more she was convinced that Jax wasn’t a bad person. What she just couldn’t understand was the role her father must have played in his father’s death. They sat in silence again. Not uncomfortable, but not entirely peaceful either. Mari set her fork down. "Thanks for dinner." Jax nodded without a word. She pushed her plate aside, rested her chin in her palm, and stared at him. "You know, for someone who kidnapped me, you’re not very scary." "Would you prefer if I was?" She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No. I like that you’re this way." "What way?" "Nice." Jax stood up and carried her empty plate to the sink. "Don’t get comfortable." Mari grinned. "Too late." She rose to her feet, stretched with a little dramatic yawn, and turned to him. "So, what now? Back to my room?" He faced her. "Unless you’d prefer to wash the dishes." She held her hands up like he’d threatened her with a knife. "No, thank you. I’ve been through enough." She watched him as he did the dishes. "Hey, baby?" He turned to look at her before he could stop himself. "I don’t know what you want or why you’re doing this, but thanks for the food. And the stuff you bought. And... for not being awful. This could have been a whole lot more uncomfortable." He didn’t respond. He Just gave the smallest nod before turning back to the sink. "And..." she drawled, watching him. He turned and raised a brow. "Don’t disappear like that again. I’m not you. I can’t stand being idle and lonely at the same time. You don’t want to see me go crazy." "You could have seen a movie. The television works," he pointed out. "It’s not fun seeing a movie alone. You know what I think? We should have a timetable," she said, and he frowned. "What?" Was she out of her mind? She smiled, testing him. "Yeah. I think we should have a timetable so you know when to spend some time with me..." "I’m not your boyfriend. I kidnapped you, remember?" He asked with a frown. "Would you rather spend some time with me or let me be bored out of my mind enough to find ways to escape? Cause trust me, I can be very creative," she said, and Jax sighed. This arrangement was stressing him out. If he didn’t love and respect her father so much, he would never had agreed to do this. Jax held her gaze for a moment as though considering her request. She watched and waited. What real kidnapper would even consider her request? He just happened to know the right solution for her eyes. He knew she kept her spare glasses in her car. He knew her clothes size. He kept tolerating her and letting her roam around freely within the house. Did her parents arrange her kidnap? Mari pondered. She wouldn’t put it past them. "I’ll come up with something," Jax finally said, and she smiled at him. "I knew I could count on you." Blowing him a kiss she walked away from the kitchen.