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Chapter 79: Chapter 79: A Peacock’s Display

Ian Sterling sat before the rolling mirror Aaron had brought over. He pulled Lynn Winslow in front of him, resting against her as he tilted his head up to look at her.

Lynn Winslow’s hand rested on his shoulder, her eyes shining as she looked down at him.

”What is it? You don’t want to be my guinea pig?”

”I do.” Ian Sterling nudged her softly with his chin, his tone a bit wheedling as he tried to bargain. ”I’ll be your guinea pig, but can you promise me one thing?”

”I have to promise you something just to have you as my guinea pig?” Lynn Winslow chuckled, drawing out a long ”hmmm” as if contemplating whether promising him something was worth it.

”Why don’t you tell me what it is first?” Lynn Winslow furrowed her brow, deliberately teasing him.

Ian Sterling chuckled softly, seeing through the playful intent hidden in her every glance and subtle movement.

”After you’re done dyeing it, will you take a few pictures with me?”

’He wanted to post them on his social media, use one as his profile picture, and show it off to Jasper Jennings and the others.’

Lynn Winslow blinked. She knew all too well about this peacock’s desire to show off his feathers.

”Okay.”

Ian Sterling let out a laugh, nudged her again with his chin, and finally let go.

Lynn Winslow turned, walked around the mirror to the sofa, and before sitting down, said to Aaron, ”Give him some light curls while you’re at it.”

Ian Sterling turned his head to look at her. He saw Lynn Winslow press her fingers to her lips and blow him a kiss. Satisfied, he sat up straight and let Aaron work on his hair.

Aaron sighed. ’Ah, such a lovey-dovey couple...’

After his hair was dyed and permed, Ian Sterling stood up and walked to the mirror, casually ruffling his newly ash-brown curls.

Lynn Winslow stood by the mirror, tilting her head to look at him. She couldn’t help but let out a ”wow,” clapping as she praised him, ”So handsome, baby.”

Ian Sterling lifted his chin and let out a smug laugh. ”I don’t embarrass you, do I?”

Lynn Winslow didn’t answer him. She just pushed him aside, sat down in front of the mirror, and with a wave of her small hand, signaled for Aaron to begin.

”Do you want a perm, Miss?”

Lynn Winslow tugged at the ends of her hair and said in a clear voice, ”Perm it!”

Ian Sterling stood nearby, not moving an inch away, his eyes fixed on Lynn Winslow. He felt as if the entire scene was just an illusion.

He suddenly lifted his hand and bit down hard on his own wrist. The pain made him hiss, and only then did he feel reassured.

He seemed happy enough, but Lynn Winslow was startled by his action. She leaned forward to grab his hand, her eyes wide with surprise. ”What are you doing!”

A smile played on Ian Sterling’s lips, his eyes crinkling with mirth. He took her hand and knelt in front of her, saying with a grin, ”It’s nothing. I just wanted to see if I was dreaming.”

Lynn Winslow looked down at the clear bite mark on his hand, where beads of blood were even forming at the edges. She gritted her teeth and scolded him, ”Are you crazy? Who bites themselves for no reason? And to see if you’re dreaming? I’ll tell you what, you *are* dreaming right now, and if you do that again, I’ll kick you out and wake you up for good.”

Ian Sterling kissed the back of her hand, clearly trying to appease her. Lynn Winslow furrowed her brow and refused to look at his face.

’So unfair. Using his handsome face to tempt me.’

Lynn’s brow remained tightly furrowed until her hair was done. After Aaron and his assistant had cleared away all the tools, Ian Sterling wrapped his arms around her and coaxed her in a low voice until she couldn’t help but laugh.

”I’m telling you, don’t you ever do that again,” Lynn Winslow warned, pinching his cheeks with a look of mock seriousness.

”Ai gowit,” he mumbled, his words garbled by her pinching.

Hearing that, Lynn couldn’t hold back a laugh. She raised an eyebrow, let go of him, and found her hands itching to touch his curly hair.

”Lynn, pictures.”

Ian Sterling hadn’t forgotten his plan to show off. He pulled Lynn along and took a ton of photos. Lynn indulged him, and after they were done, she draped herself over his shoulder and watched him pick out a nine-photo grid to post on his social media. He then selected a few more to use as his wallpaper, profile picture, and background image.

Ian Sterling raised an eyebrow as he scrolled through the flood of comments and likes that had already appeared on his post in just a few moments. Completely satisfied, he put his phone away.

”Want to match with me?” Ian Sterling tried to negotiate.

Lynn refused. ’No way. I’m not the peacock here.’

Ian Sterling didn’t press the issue. He just wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled against her repeatedly. Lynn’s heart felt so full it was about to burst.

She suddenly threw herself into his arms, wrapping her slender legs around his waist and her arms tightly around his neck, and planted several hard kisses on him.

Ian Sterling held her and spun in a circle. Lynn cried out playfully, ”I’m getting dizzy! Dizzy!”

”I’m dizzy too.” Ian stopped but still held her steady. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and murmured, ”I dreamed of you so often these past three years. But every time, it was the scene of you leaving. I kept begging you, begging you not to leave me, but you still left. Now you’re right here in front of me, and I can hold you whenever I want. You have no idea how content I am.”

Lynn unwrapped her legs from his waist and stepped onto his feet to hug him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Somehow, they found themselves kissing, slowly moving toward the sofa without breaking apart. Just as they tumbled onto it, the sound of the door lock went BEEP BEEP BEEP. Lynn snapped to her senses. Perhaps because Ian Sterling was caught off guard, she managed to push him clean off the sofa and onto the rug.

Mrs. Sterling came in holding Kiki, talking to the cat as she walked. When she turned her head, she found an awkward Lynn sitting on the sofa and a completely bewildered Ian Sterling sitting on the floor.

”...”

Mrs. Sterling stared at their slightly swollen lips, opened her mouth hesitantly, then bent down to put Kiki on the floor, turned, and fled. The whole sequence of actions was so fluid that Lynn didn’t even have a chance to speak.

Hearing the door close, Lynn let out a snort of laughter. She slid off the sofa and fell into Ian Sterling’s arms, letting out a soft sigh.

Ian Sterling carried her back to the bedroom, ignoring Kiki, who was trailing behind them, meowing insistently for attention.

The bedroom door nearly hit Kiki in the nose as it shut, making the cat let out a sharp MEOW of protest. But her mother, the primary poop-scooper, had been carried away by her future poop-scooping father. Helpless, Kiki could only flop down by the door.

Ian Sterling kissed her while tugging at the conservative pajamas she had changed into because Aaron was coming over.

He narrowed his eyes, looking down at Lynn, whose cheeks were flushed a rosy red.

’She was always so pliant at times like this, going along with whatever he wanted. It felt as if their roles were reversed in these moments. He was the one taking the lead, and Lynn was the one yielding to him.’

Lynn struggled free from his grip on her wrist. She pressed her fingers to his face, caressing it inch by inch, and looked at him with hazy eyes. ”I often dreamed of you too,” she said softly. ”But in my dreams, there was no separation. There was only this.”

Perhaps it was because she had been captivated by his face the very first time she saw him, an attraction that grew into an obsession. That was why, even with the pain of their breakup weighing on her heart, her dreams were only ever of scenes like the one they were in the middle of now.

Ian Sterling let out a deep chuckle and leaned down to reenact the scene from her dreams.

When they were finished, Ian Sterling wanted to carry her to the shower, but Lynn refused no matter what, lying alone in bed and steadying her breathing.

When Ian Sterling came out of the shower, Lynn once again refused his offer to help her wash up, dragging her aching legs into the bathroom by herself.