Chapter 259

In the end, Zinnia only paid for the figure she bought for Yannis. Everything else was on him.

“Hungry? Wanna grab something to eat first?” Yannis asked.

After shopping, they walked out of the accessory store. Yannis carried the bags in his left hand and held Zinnia’s hand with his right.

There were more people on the street now. It was crowded. If they didn’t stick close, they could easily get separated.

Zinnia’s hand felt a little cold, so Yannis tucked it into his coat pocket.

“I’m hungry. I want chili con carne. Maisie said there’s a place up ahead that makes a really good one,” Zinnia said, feeling her stomach growl.

Ever since she moved in with Yannis, her daily routine had become regular. She got hungry right on time, like clockwork.

It wasn’t like when she lived at the Shaw residence. Sometimes she didn’t even get to eat, thanks to Betty messing with her. Two months there had thrown her whole body off.

“Then let’s go there,” Yannis said.

They headed to the chili con carne place. It was a popular spot, packed with customers. The restaurant had a great reputation and used good ingredients, so lots of people liked it.

They showed up at the perfect time – just as a table was being vacated. The waiter led them over. They didn’t ask for a private room; it was just the two of them anyway.

“What do you want to drink?” Yannis asked.

“Milk,” Zinnia said, looking at the tablet menu with him.

“You still a baby? Asking for milk?” Yannis smiled at her.

“Why not?” Zinnia puffed her cheeks, not thinking there was anything wrong with drinking milk.

“Of course you can. Kids like you should drink milk. Two bottles okay?” Yannis chuckled and ordered two.

“That’s enough.” Zinnia nodded obediently.

Once she picked her drink, Zinnia left the rest to Yannis. She was picky about food, so he ordered carefully. While he was busy, Zinnia got bored.

“Yannis.” She stared straight at him.

“What is it?” he asked, still writing notes.

“It’s been a while since I checked your pulse, huh?” she said suddenly. After he tricked her last time, she hadn’t found another chance.

Hearing that, Yannis looked at her right away. He remembered how she had said she was leaving right after that last check.

“No need. I feel fine,” Yannis said, pulling his hand back, pretending to stay focused on the menu. He was afraid she might be leaving again.

“Let me check,” Zinnia said, ignoring him. As Yannis tried to dodge her hand, she grabbed his wrist in one quick move. He couldn’t get out of it now.

What Yannis didn’t know was that Zinnia was just bored. She didn’t mean anything by it.

Since she was checking his pulse, Yannis stopped ordering and looked down, nervous about what she’d say.

“Go ahead and order,” Zinnia told him. “Ignore me. I’m just checking.”

Before her fingers even touched his wrist, she could already feel him staring. She pushed his head away with her hand, not letting him watch.

Yannis didn’t say a word. He figured Zinnia was getting bold now – she even dared to push his head.

But from the way she looked, and knowing her, he could tell she was just messing around. She wasn’t planning to leave. That settled him down, and he went back to ordering.

Yannis stopped looking at her, and only then did Zinnia place her fingers on his wrist.

She rested her fingertips lightly against his skin. Through the thin layer, she could see the faint blue veins underneath. Whatever else, his flawless skin made her a little jealous.

She checked his pulse first. Yannis had been recovering for months, and his once-weak body was already half-healed. As for the rest, as long as he kept resting and taking care of himself, he’d get better over time. He was still young, after all.

While Zinnia was checking his pulse, Yannis didn’t really focus on ordering. He kept quietly watching her instead. It was only when she didn’t say anything alarming after the check that he went back to the menu.

Zinnia snuck a glance at him, then looked back down at the skin on his wrist. Her eyes lit up a bit. The skin there was soft and thin – really nice to touch.

She moved her thumb and index finger to gently pinch a bit of that delicate skin. Then she squinted and gave it a little rub. The skin shifted under her fingers, which made her giggle.

Yannis noticed all her little moves and couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh. Sometimes she really did act like a kid – just playing with his hand like it was the most fun thing in the world.

Noticing she couldn’t get a good grip, Yannis casually bent his wrist inward, making the skin there even softer. Zinnia smiled and switched fingers, pinching a different spot.

“Having fun?” Yannis asked at last, once he figured she was about done.

Zinnia noticed his wrist had turned a little red from all her messing around. She was just about to pull her hand back when she heard his voice. She looked up and gave him a sheepish chuckle. “Yannis, you done ordering?”

People always tried to cover up when they did something wrong, and Zinnia was no different. She chuckled awkwardly as she rubbed the red mark with her fingers, hoping to smooth over what she’d done.

“I thought you were checking my pulse,” Yannis said lazily, clearly amused. “Doesn’t seem like you’re very good at it – you pinched me so hard my wrist’s all red.”

“Well, that’s because you’re too weak. I couldn’t feel your pulse, so I had to press harder,” Zinnia shot back with a quick excuse.

“Oh, I’m that weak now? Then you’d better take care of me, Zinnia. Until I’m fully healed, my health is all on you,” Yannis said slowly, like he really believed it.

“Of course. I’ll make sure you’re completely healthy.” Zinnia nodded right away. As long as he didn’t blame her for the red mark, she was fine. She’d just gotten carried away and didn’t know her own strength.

“I’m gonna remember that promise. You can’t ditch me halfway. You have to take care of me till I’m fully recovered,” Yannis said with a serious face, like he meant every word.

“Okay.” Zinnia kept nodding. She promised herself she’d heal him before she left.

But even though she could help his body recover, she still didn’t know how to fix his insomnia. She guessed it might be from something that happened seventeen years ago, but Maisie had told her not to bring it up – it could trigger him again.

Zinnia didn’t know anything about that time, so she had no clue where to start. She needed to find a way to learn what really happened. If the past wasn’t dealt with, Yannis would never fully heal.

She could tell the herbal pouch was starting to lose its effect. Sometimes she’d get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and she’d check on him. His study light was always still on.

Yannis’s body might’ve been getting better, but his mind wasn’t improving much at all.

Zinnia thought about her half-full jar of candy. By her guess, Nathan would probably come back for her in two or three months – no later.