Chapter 61
Looking at Natalie’s delicate, rosy cheeks and hearing her kind words, James felt a wave of guilt and tenderness washing over him. He wondered how he had ended up with such a sweet and considerate little sister.
He thought for a moment and said, “I’m planning to go on a cookout trip with some friends in a few days. How about I secretly take you along?”
Natalie, with an innocent expression, asked, “Are we taking Phoebe along too?”
James scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. “Just… don’t mention it to Phoebe. I only want to bring you.”
Natalie sensed something was off and probed delicately, with veiled words, “But I share a room with Phoebe every day. If just the two of us go, she’ll definitely notice. Won’t she misunderstand?”
Natalie recalled and realized that over the past few days, James hadn’t talked to Phoebe as much. It was different from the warm and familiar way he had acted when he first promised to look after them.
James pondered Natalie’s words and looked troubled. Indeed, there was no way to avoid Phoebe.
He had a habit of scratching his head whenever he felt troubled, and Natalie worried he might end up balding at this rate. Still, it confirmed her suspicion. James seemed reluctant to spend time around Phoebe.
“James, did something happen between you and Phoebe that I don’t know about?”
James’s expression froze, as if she had hit the nail on the head.
“No… nothing.”
Natalie didn’t believe him for a second. She blinked her big, knowing eyes at him, her expression one of “I know everything” as she pressed, “Really, nothing?”
James lasted barely three seconds before sighing, running his fingers through his hair in frustration, and hesitating. “It’s just… a bit of misunderstanding. Actually, I don’t even know if it really is a misunderstanding. Or maybe I’m just overthinking”
The way he said it was enough to tug at anyone’s curiosity.
Natalie kept her eyes on him, encouraging him to share. “Come on, James, tell me. I can help you figure it out. I’m a girl, after all, so I probably understand girls a bit better than you.”
James scratched both sides of his head, feeling that only a girl could really understand this kind of thing. He finally began to speak. “Alright, so, a few nights ago, Phoebe said she had a question she couldn’t solve and asked me to help. I figured it might be inconvenient in your room, so I invited her to mine.
“We sat at the desk, but as I explained, she kept leaning closer and closer. I thought maybe I was reading too much into it. But then she came to my room again the next night with another question. This time, she leaned against me and looked at me with gentle eyes. I was startled and quickly pushed her away.”
He continued with a deep breath, “I didn’t expect her to start crying, asking if I disliked her. I told her I didn’t, but she didn’t believe me. She said she’d always wanted an older brother, and being around me felt comforting, like family. She claimed it was just sisterly affection.”
James finished, letting out a relieved sigh. “But honestly, I felt uncomfortable about it. Now I don’t know if I’m just imagining things.”
Natalie’s eyes widened with shock. She had suspected Phoebe might try to charm James, but she hadn’t expected her to test the waters so soon. So that explained why, in the original story, while the original character was smitten with the Locke brothers, Phoebe stayed calm and distant She’d already tried and knew they weren’t interested, so she shifted her target in time.
That was truly a brilliant move.
Natalie shook herself out of her thoughts, noticing that James was waiting for her opinion. She quickly summarized, “James, I don’t think you’re overthinking it. Phoebe definitely has feelings for you. She’s trying to get your attention.”
James had suspected this and couldn’t help but asked, “Are you sure?”
Natalie patted his shoulder. “Absolutely sure! Think about it. You’re tall and handsome, with a sunny and cheerful personality. What girl wouldn’t be drawn to you? Didn’t you notice on our way here? Plenty of girls on the bus were glancing your way, tugging at their braids and looking down shyly. They were definitely into you!”
