chapter8 Leisure Time

Scarlett winced nervously, but she nodded helplessly.

During dinner prep that day, Asher seemed bored and wandered into the kitchen to watch Scarlett cook. Despite his efforts to keep his tail out of the way, it still took up space. Scarlett was always wary of it accidentally hitting her, so she made sure not to step on it. Her boss stood nearby, staring at her intently, which made it hard for her to concentrate. But this was his turf, so she couldn't ask him to leave. She lowered her head, grabbed some tomatoes from the basin, placed them on the cutting board, and focused on chopping, trying to block out the distractions.

Asher stood on her left, admiring her profile. He thought her nose and eyebrows formed a perfect side profile, with her thick eyelashes creating a graceful arch. He watched her closely and couldn't help but comment, "You're quite good-looking, you know."

He spoke gently, with no hint of lewdness, just stating a fact, like saying tonight's dinner was tasty.

Scarlett brushed off the compliment, saying, "I'm just average. There are plenty of people out there who are way better looking than me."

"I don't see it, and besides, they're all annoying and can't cook," Asher replied, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Maybe they're intimidated by you."

"What about you?"

Scarlett hesitated. She was afraid, not of Asher hurting her physically, but of disappointing him and getting kicked out. After a moment of silence, she replied, "You're easy to get along with."

The tomatoes oozed red juice as Scarlett sliced them, accompanied by their greenish-yellow seeds. Suddenly, Asher remarked, "These taste pretty good raw."

"Tomatoes are good whether you eat them raw or cooked," Scarlett said, turning to see him eyeing the tomato slices on the cutting board before glancing back at her. She understood what he was hinting at and handed him a slice with her left hand.

Asher nodded slightly, taking the tomato directly from her hand. He couldn't resist grazing her slightly cold fingers with his tongue.

Scarlett felt a bit embarrassed. Asher seemed to be getting lazier, treating her more like a maid, but she didn't know what to do about it.

She arranged the sliced tomatoes on a plate, planning to make tomato and egg soup, and then went to grab some celery. But she heard Asher say, "Why don't you slice some cucumbers? They taste good raw too."

She set aside the celery, grabbed a fresh cucumber, rinsed it under the faucet a few times, and handed it to him.

But Asher didn't take it. He furrowed his brow slightly. "How am I supposed to eat it if you haven't sliced it?"

She had to slice it a few times and handed him a piece.

Asher seemed satisfied, continuing to eat directly from her hand. After finishing, he looked at Scarlett again, silently asking for another piece.

That evening, while cooking dinner, Scarlett occasionally picked up a slice of cucumber and fed it to him. She felt a bit overwhelmed. It seemed that he had quickly assumed the role of being served, even too lazy to move his hands.

During dinner, Asher said, "Let's not juice fruits tomorrow, let's just eat them."

So the next day, Scarlett didn't hold a cup by the poolside but instead held a small plate. Asher continued to lounge in the swimming pool, occasionally leaning against the edge for her to feed him a piece of fruit, feeling relaxed and natural.

Leaning against the pool wall, his tail swayed lazily in the water, sometimes coiling, sometimes gently swinging, creating ripples on the surface. He glanced at Scarlett by the poolside. Her face was glowing in the afternoon sunlight, her eyes shining like diamonds, floating in the water. He said, "Put the plate over there."

Scarlett obediently placed the fruit plate on the small table. As she turned around, his tail slowly approached her, wrapping around her soft waist.

Scarlett gently pushed him away. "Asher, don't be naughty."

But his tail continued. He lifted Scarlett lightly and put her in the pool. "Come down and play for a while. The water's nice and cool."

The pool water had been soaking in the sun for half a day, and it was a comfortable temperature. Every pore in her body felt comfortable. Scarlett stood in the pool, since she was already there, she wanted to swim a few laps in the water. She said to him, "Let go of me first."

Asher released his tail, and Scarlett stretched her body and started swimming in the water, as agile as a fish. Luckily, she was wearing pants today, so she wasn't worried about revealing anything.

Asher watched her swim freely, occasionally touching her with the tip of his tail. At first, it made her uncomfortable, but then she tried to grab it with her hand. The tail moved through her warm fingers, and Asher seemed to find it amusing, slowing down and playing with her for a while. The smooth water relaxed her whole body. She reached out and grabbed his tail, and after a while of playing, she looked at Asher with a proud smile.

Asher was very comfortable there, his face showing a relaxed expression.

The courtyard was beautiful, with low bushes and tall trees swaying in the wind. The gentle breeze and sunny weather made everything pleasant. The red roof and white walls were dazzling in the sunlight. The climbing roses on the arbor cast a shade, with layers of green leaves and red flowers blooming vigorously. Occasionally, a butterfly or bee would land on them.

Asher enjoyed the gentle afternoon sun. If he wasn't swimming, he would often lie half-awake on a chair. Scarlett, besides managing the three meals a day, wasn't as busy as she was in the first two days. In the afternoon, she would make a drink and bring it over to the small table, then relax and enjoy the pleasant weather. The clouds in the distance were soft as gauze, with golden edges bathed in sunlight. Scarlett looked calm and peaceful, temporarily forgetting her situation and unhappiness, enjoying the beauty of nature.

Asher didn't call her often when Scarlett was busy or relaxing like this. He wasn't accustomed to bossing people around, and he didn't want to spoil the beauty of the scene.

Scarlett opened her eyes and looked at the tall coconut trees. She liked their drooping feathery leaves and graceful posture. Seeing the round fruits at the top, the idea of picking one came to her mind. She hadn't eaten freshly picked coconut before, so she turned her head and asked Asher, "Can we eat those?"

"Sure," Asher leaned back in his chair, his tail swaying casually.

In a moment, he got up, walked to a coconut tree, looked up to measure its height, and then his tail wound up the trunk and finally picked a dark red coconut. With his tail wrapping around the coconut, he handed it to Scarlett.

Scarlett took it and asked, "Should I open it now?"

"Wait a moment, pick another one."

After he picked another one, Scarlett carried both into the kitchen, used a sharp knife to poke a hole at the top, which was a bit clumsy since she usually bought them ready to drink from the store. Not used to using the knife, she was afraid of cutting her hand. She searched the kitchen and found a more convenient knife for punching holes. Then she inserted a straw into each coconut, carried one in each hand back to the courtyard, and handed one to Asher.

The coconut juice was sweet and rich. Scarlett lay back in her chair, holding the fruit, looking up at the red flowers and green trees, the blue sky and white clouds.

The gentle breeze flowed among the green leaves, and the fragrance of flowers filled the moist air. The sunlight scattered golden fragments on the water surface. Asher's white tail stretched out completely, extending to a dozen meters away. He drank the coconut juice quickly, threw away the straw, and placed the coconut on his tail. As it was about to roll off, he shook his tail slightly, adjusting its direction, and it rolled back onto his tail. Then he raised it slightly, and the coconut flew up like a ball, drawing an arc in the air, straight into Asher's arms. He reached out his hands and caught it.

Scarlett couldn't help but admire the agility of his tail, praising, "It's very flexible."

Asher's mouth curled up slightly, and he casually threw the coconut into the air again. His tail lifted, swinging gracefully, quickly catching the coconut. Then his tail swayed, playing with the two coconuts, like a skilled juggler.

Scarlett was amazed and playful. She threw away the straw in her coconut and looked at Asher, her eyebrows raised. "I threw mine too."

Asher's tail lifted, and the red ball flew high up. He quickly swung his tail to catch Scarlett's coconut. Before her coconut fell, he also caught it. His face was calm, and his tail held the two coconuts, gently swaying, as if magnetic, the two balls rolled around, always staying close to the tail.