Page 95 of Back Room Host

So, I continued hesitantly. The closer I got, the better I could see him. He was shivering from the cold. To my surprise, he was wearing a suit under his knee-length black coat—of course, also black. Even the shoes matched. And as if his outfit wasn’t exclusive enough, he also wore a purple scarf, making his style unique. He had a magnetic presence I couldn’t resist.

Juri blew out smoke and crushed the cigarette. Once he noticed me, he flinched and tensed up. When he nervously looked around, I understood what he was doing here. He was waiting for a client.

“Hi,” I said, clearing my throat since my voice was so quiet.

“Hey,” he replied cautiously.

He had his hair styled into a quiff and his eyes subtly made up. He reminded me of a model. His sight left me speechless, so I could only stare at him. As he raised the collar of his coat and rubbed his cold hands, it dawned on me that I probably had only minutes left before his client arrived.

His client.

Deep down inside me, something grumbled. Was I jealous?

“You look good,” I managed to choke out.

“I’m meeting someone soon. Don’t you need to be somewhere?” His words sounded cool and rushed. Nervously, he glanced around again. But his tone was by no means disdainful. It was as if he wanted to protect not only his client but also me.

“I’d like to talk.” It wasn’t easy to say that, but even if I didn’t know what I wanted to say yet, it was the right thing to do. A crease appeared between Juri’s brows, and something flickered in his eyes. Something foreign. But also something I had seen before. Back when I found him after he’d strangled himself, he was on drugs. He wore the exact same expression then.

Oh, Juri.

“I can’t right now.”

“Not now. Tomorrow. Or the day after. Anytime.”

He shifted nervously from one foot to the other, pressing his lips tightly, and appearing overwhelmed.

“Please,” I said gently, surprised at myself for remaining so calm.

But it was because of Juri. He had this effect on me, which was undeniable. The attraction between us was still there, and I realized how unique the time with him had been. There was so much more between us that we couldn’t grasp because it had been so natural. The way we had kissed, the affection between us, the intimacy.Fuck!Part of me wanted to hug him. Now. Here. But my mind kept me from it. I longed for this man, but right now he wasn’t the one I had met. Before me stood the person he had been talking about all this time.

How foolish I was. He shared all these stories with me, yet I kept them at arm’s length, refusing to let them affect me. And now, here he was, right in front of me, dressed up and awaiting a client. It was all so obvious, yet my mind refused to comprehend it. Yes, something grumbled inside me. From the bottom of my heart. But who was I anyway? I didn’t even have the right to be jealous.

“Please, leave!” Juri’s tone became more urgent.

I couldn’t. Should I have just turned around and left? Maybe, but then it was already too late. A man approached us and placed his hand on Juri’s shoulder.

“Juri?” he said with a deep, sonorous voice.

My breath caught. My pulse. My heart. All warmth left me, and the blood rushed to my legs.

The man was in his mid-fifties and wore black horn-rimmed glasses. With his already white hair, he looked like a mad professor. He was a bit overweight but seemed well-groomed and clean. My gaze wandered to the hand on Juri’s shoulder. There was actually a wedding ring. His wife probably had no idea what her husband was up to.

“Hello,” Juri said, turning to him.

“Sorry for making you wait.”

So friendly? What the hell …?

“No problem,” Juri replied politely. “We can leave whenever you’re ready.”

“Sure. Time is money, right?” the mad professor joked.

I felt sick. Really sick.

“Exactly,” Juri said, smiling, then turned back to me. “Have a nice evening.”

I stood there like a statue, completely frozen. That was definitely not the Juri I knew.

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