Chapter 24 Your Kissing Skills Are Actually Pretty Bad Juliette could sense that something was off with Max after he came upstairs . But she never connected it with Percy - just assumed he'd run into trouble at work . After a simple dinner , Juliette washed the dishes and walked over to Max . " Wanna go for a walk ? " " Sure ," he agreed . Sometimes , a breath of fresh air really could help blow away the gloom . & 75 +20 Free Coins Seeing Percy today had brought back thoughts of Mom - how she'd died in her prime , in a bizarre , unexplained fire . The evening breeze gently tousled Juliette's hair , adding a messy kind of beauty to her . " Actually , there's nothing in life you can't get through ," she said softly . " As long as you're alive , everything will eventually be okay . " Max turned to look at the woman beside him . Was she ... comforting me ? " Look at me ," she continued . " Three years ago , I was framed - I lost my dignity , my status , and even my health . But I got through it , didn't I ? Don't get sad over some little setback . " Then she stepped in front of him and opened her arms . " Come on , give me a hug . Human hugs have a kind of magic - they recharge you ." She wrapped her arms around his waist . There was nothing sexual in the embrace , yet it made Max's soul tremble . Seriously ? We'd barely known each other . How could she read me so easily ? How did she know exactly what I was feeling ? Not even the people who raised me knew how much it hurt every time they chose the other child over me . " Juliette . Do you know ... your kissing skills are actually pretty bad ? " Max changed the topic , almost like he was trying to deflect . Juliette looked up from his arms , indignant . " What ? I'm comforting you , and you're insulting me ? Of course I'm not good - I never had anyone teach me . How would I know all those tricks ? " 1/4 19:51 Fri , Sep 26 Chapter 24 Your Kissing Skills Are Actually Pretty Bad My thing with Gavin had always been childish - at most , we held hands or hugged . 75 +20 Free Coins Back then , my parents had strictly forbidden any intimacy between us . Now that I thought about it , they were probably already paving the way for Vivienne . While Juliette was still spacing out , two large hands cupped her face as Max leaned in slightly . His thin lips brushed hers , gently teasing , parting her lips , and delving deeper , entangling with hers in a slow , consuming kiss . Every subtle motion of his made every pore on Juliette's body open up . So this ... was what kissing really felt like ? It made my scalp tingle . " Meow- " A stray cat wandered nearby , mewing as it spotted the two of them . Only then did Max pull away , his Adam's apple bobbing . " That ... is what you call a kiss . " For some reason , seeing Juliette completely stunned made him feel inexplicably better . He patted her on the shoulder . " It's getting late . Let's go home ." Juliette stood frozen in place . When she finally snapped out of it , her face turned bright red , and she bolted toward home . What the heck ! If I'd known this would happen , I wouldn't have tried to comfort him ! I ended up giving away my imaginary first kiss ! After showering , Juliette returned to her room and collapsed onto the bed , twisting around like a little worm . Why did Max kiss me ? Was it because ... he liked me ? No ! He'd told me not to catch feelings . So was that his revenge ? What happened earlier when I kissed him in front of Percy ? Yeah ... that had to be it . That kiss followed Juliette into her dreams , 2/4 19:51 Fri , Sep 26 Chapter 24 Your Kissing Skills Are Actually Pretty Bad She dreamed of the man from three years ago - the one who had ruined her life . She'd been drugged back then , groggy and unable to see his face clearly . All she remembered was the roughness ... and the pain , like he was tearing her apart . In a fleeting moment , she thought the man's face looked exactly like Max's . She woke up the next morning . After a quick wash , she took the subway to work . Today's tasks were pretty much the same as yesterday's . Around noon , a lab technician named Lauren approached her . " Juliette ." " Yes , Lauren ? " Juliette answered . 75 +20 Free Coins " I've got an experiment to run later . Can you shred these old documents for me ? " Lauren handed her a thick file . Juliette glanced at the data . " Isn't this the key project the lab's been working on recently ? You're tossing it ? " " Why are you asking so many questions ? You're just here to record data - what makes you think you know more than I do ? Just shred it . The data's all wrong , and we can't afford confusion later . " Hearing that , Juliette didn't argue . After Lauren left , Juliette went to the shredding room and fed the thick stack of papers into the machine . When she was done , she made herself a coffee in the break room to wake up a bit . Later in the afternoon , Samuel Drake - who'd been working tirelessly in the lab - finally emerged . S Lab had been developing a new sleep aid , and Mr. Samuel was the project lead . Everyone respected him deeply . " Where's the experimental data I asked to be brought out earlier ? Where was it placed ? " 3/4 19:51 Fri , Sep 26 Chapter 24 Your Kissing Skills Are Actually Pretty Bad The room fell silent . No one had seen any such data . 75 +20 Free Coins That's when Lauren stood up . " Juliette , Mr. Samuel's asking for that file . Bring it over already ." Juliette frowned , confused . She had no idea which file they meant . Seeing her still puzzled , Lauren snapped , " What's wrong with you ? Didn't I give you a file this morning and ask you to make copies ? Hand over the copies already ! " " Lauren , I think you've got it mixed up . You said that was scrap data and told me to shred it . " Samuel's expression changed the moment he heard the word " shred . " " When did I say to shred it ? I clearly said to copy it ! I heard your hearing's not great , but I didn't expect it to be this bad . How could you mess up something so important ? A deaf person like you - what are you even doing working here ? You're just holding everyone back ! " Lauren berated without mercy . Juliette bit her lower lip . My hearing issues were real , but I'd asked Lauren twice . There was no way I misheard both times . " Enough ! What is wrong with all of you ? That file was crucial . The executive board is meeting tomorrow afternoon , and they need it . It was a handwritten original - there's no backup ! " Samuel's voice turned stern as he scolded them . 4/4 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!