Babies' Secret: My Ex Wants Me Back!
Chapter 42: Date & Spice

Chapter 42: Date & Spice

Chapter 42

The house felt too quiet.

For once, there was no excited chatter about cartoons, no messy leftovers lying around, no running up and down the hallway—it was peaceful. The twins were out with Mathew for a weekend playdate. Although Katherine loved every minute with them, she wasn’t going to lie—this silence was nice. A rare kind of peace she hadn’t had in a long time.

Inner peace—but the peace didn’t last long when there was Aaron Knight somewhere, trying to take every opportunity he saw to be with Katherine.

"The kids are out, let’s go and enjoy ourselves," Aaron had said over the phone, his voice cool yet laced with anticipation. He was requesting, unsure if Katherine would be willing.

Katherine didn’t reject him. She didn’t have the energy to listen to his sulking, and maybe... maybe a small part of her didn’t want to. She wore a soft cardigan over her dress, something simple and comfortable, and met him downstairs outside her apartment, where his car was already waiting, humming quietly.

Katherine shook her head looking at him. She’d told him about his wife—well, there was no need for her to because she wasn’t having an affair with him. There were boundaries.

She was just doing this for her children.

Are you? A snarky comment echoed in her head.

Both of them didn’t speak much on the drive to the local cinema, yet the silence in the car wasn’t awkward. It was peaceful—each of them lost in their thoughts.

When they arrived, Aaron got down and opened the door for Katherine, to which she rolled her eyes.

The cinema buzzed with people chattering, the scent of buttered popcorn thick in the air and the homey scent of air freshener lingering. It wasn’t a fancy place—just a cozy spot within the neighborhood.

"I’m coming," Aaron said, leaving her at the corner to go get the ticket as Katherine’s eyes scanned through the movie posters.

"Hey," a guy walked up to her, breaching her personal space. The guy was dressed casually with a flirty smile on his face. "You here alone?"

Katherine scrunched her nose from the garlic breath assaulting her senses. She grimaced a little. "I’m—"

Before she could even complete the sentence, she felt an arm snake around her waist, pulling her closer to a firm chest. Aaron’s cologne wrapped around her senses before she even saw his face.

"You were saying?" Aaron’s voice cut through the air, rising an octave as he looked the man dead in the eyes.

The man blinked, caught off guard. "Oh—uh, sorry, man. I didn’t know she was taken."

Aaron’s grip tightened just a little. "Yes, she is. And she’s the mother of my children."

Katherine elbowed him lightly. "Stoppet," she said under her breath. "Stop scaring the poor man."

Aaron didn’t take his eyes off the guy, a scowl on his face. "I’m smiling," he whispered to her.

"Exactly. That’s what makes it worse."

The man mumbled another apology before practically running away, his face flushed. Katherine could imaginatively see the man’s tail between his legs as she glanced up at Aaron with a soft glare, but he only returned it with an innocent smile like he hadn’t just scared the poor man.

They walked inside together. Aaron refused to let her carry anything as he balanced a tray with two drinks, a large bag of popcorn, and a smaller bag of gummy candies—Katherine’s favorite, though she rarely bought them for herself.

"I didn’t ask for these," she mumbled softly as they entered the dim theater.

"I remember you always like them," Aaron replied casually, giving her a small smile. Katherine felt her heart somersault a little at his statement and action.

They slid into a middle row, away from the few other people scattered around. The lights dimmed, the movie started, and Katherine tried to lose herself in the screen. But it was impossible because she could feel his gaze.

He was watching her like a predator watches prey.

She could feel Aaron watching her, trying to puncture a hole in her skull. Not just glancing—watching, staring, looking deeply.

Katherine couldn’t take it anymore; his scorching gaze was making her edgy. She turned to him, brows furrowed. "Are you really watching this?"

Aaron smiled immediately. "Yes," he answered, eyes still on her. "I’m watching every scene without missing a beat."

Katherine rolled her eyes, heat creeping into her cheeks, and turned back to the screen, trying to focus, but her lips curved into a smile she couldn’t fight.

Halfway through the movie, their hands rested on the armrest, fingers close but not touching. Then it happened—an accidental brush of pinkies.

Instead of pulling away, their pinkies stayed there, quietly tangled like a silent promise. Neither of them moved.

Katherine’s eyes grew heavy, and without thinking too much, she leaned her head softly on his shoulder. Aaron stilled for a second, then relaxed, his body shifting just enough to lean closer.

The movie ended eventually, but Katherine couldn’t recall half of the plot. All she could think of was the warmth of Aaron beside her and the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek.

The night was cold. The night breeze rustled lightly as the sky stretched dark, not adorned with stars. Katherine rubbed her arms gently; despite the cardigan, she could still feel the chill.

Aaron noticed her action, removed his jacket, and dabbed it on her shoulders. Katherine raised her head in surprise, looking at him, and Aaron smiled, reaching out for her hand and took it in his without saying anything.

"You hungry?" he asked, already dragging her slightly toward a small grilling shop just down the road.

"Am I?" Katherine muttered.

He chuckled and ordered two plates of grilled meat. The spicy grilled meat sizzled on the open flame, the air warm from the heat of the charcoal. Katherine coughed as the smoke hit her face and waved her hand to clear it.

Aaron laughed. "It looks delicious and smells heavenly."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "I can already feel eating this is a bad idea," she replied, though she was already reaching for the skewer he offered.

They sat on a nearby available bench, sharing the grilled meat between them and laughing, yet tears welled up in the corner of their eyes through the bites.

"This is pain," he muttered, blinking as he felt his tongue and lips were on fire.

"A beautiful, sweet pain," Katherine responded, her eyes darting from the spice. She gulped, her tongue out as she stretched her hand to grab the water beside Aaron—but it slipped and splashed on Aaron.

Her eyes widened, and she yelped, quickly patting his thigh while Aaron grunted.

"I’m so sorry," she mumbled, her hand still on his thigh as Aaron quickly jolted up, his eyes on Katherine before looking away.

"Let’s go home," he stated, his voice coming out deep.

Katherine looked at him, dumbfounded, and nodded, asking for a packaging nylon to pack the remaining grilled meat.

Fuck! Aaron cursed under his breath as he tried to adjust the bulge in his pants. He couldn’t let Katherine see this. Even though Katherine’s touch was mainly innocent, his head and junior didn’t think of it like that.

He smiled sheepishly and guided her to the car.

He really hoped this raging boner would go down soon as he mentally recited multiplication tables.