StarNovelChapter 335 Serena was indeed very young. She was far too young compared to Hugh.
That realization made him instinctively step in the role of the more mature one. He reached out and gently smoothed a loose strand of hair at her temple. Then, his palm rested lightly on her head, giving it a soft pat like one might rub a pet's head.
"I wasn't working late. I was just standing by the door replying to smessages. Don't worry." He just couldn't bring himself to return to his empty, lonely room. However, he didn't say that out loud. Something so blunt might scare her off.
Serena stared at Hugh, a little dazed. She understood his explanation.
What confused her were the warmth on the top of her head and the way he rubbed her head, just like how he'd stroke Snuggle's tiny orange head.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtDid he just treat her like a pet? That felt a little undignified.
So she leaned closer and tugged his hand off her head with a trace of protest.
"Are you pettinglike a cat?" "N-No..." Hugh actually stumbled over the word, which was something that rarely happened. Realizing how different she'd interpreted the gesture, he let out a soft laugh.
"It's something older people do sometimes to comfort someone younger. It just cnaturally. I wasn't treating you like a cat." Frankly speaking, there weren't any cats as big as Serena. And even if there were, none would be as charming and adorable.
Serena's eyes widened.
She took a good look at Hugh's sharply defined face, which didn't have an ounce of softness. She then turned slightly to glance at her reflection in the mirror.
She was obviously younger. Even with her bold, striking features, there was still a bit of softness in her cheeks. It wasn't quite baby fat, more like the gentle curve that cwith youth and collagen.
The age gap was obvious. Only now did it really hit her how often she forgot how much older Hugh actually was. "I keep forgetting you're way older than me." "Way older?" Hugh's brows knit together. He wasn't that much older.
The years that separated them didn't account for much. There was still so much of the future left for them to share.
After doubting for a second, he leaned in slightly, his gaze sharpening.
"So, do you think I'm old?" Noticing his gaze was getting dangerous, Serena realized too late she might've said something she shouldn't. She quickly waved her hands and tried to explain. Yet, she just couldn't find the right words.
Hugh took her silence as confirmation and felt a strange frustration rise in his chest. Did she really think he was old? The space between them got a little too close.
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Serena pressed a hand to his chest and quickly explained, "That's not what I meant! I just never really felt the age difference! We talk easily.go on walks, and you even helpedclimb into that flowerbed to find a kitten. I always saw you as someone my age.
"And honestly, I don't have many older people in my life can actually count on! So it felt a little unfamiliar, I guess?" Her voice got softer and softer. Her gaze started to drift, tinged with memory.
Zach was only two years older than her. She'd watched him start a m business, return to the Foster family, but he had never becsomeone she could truly lean on. None of the other older people in her life had ever been there to protect her.
It felt like only Hugh, her husband in name, was the only one who still noticed Phow young she was. He was the only one who'd ever stepped up for her after Amber passed away.
And in that moment, Serena realized she had forgotten what it felt like to be protected by someone older. Hugh's voice cut through her daze. "You'll get used to it."
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