Ivy had presumed that Joshua would not do anything to her at least during dinner. But she was wrong. She had never imagined that he would be this touchy with her with the way he had refused to leave her even while she was cooking. He had only allowed her the time she set the plates and the dishes on the table to be away from him. As he sat at his chair, waiting for her he had an evil smile on his face which Ivy did not notice.

Once she was done arranging the plates, Ivy was about to sit in her usual position when Joshua pulled her suddenly making her squeal in surprise. Ivy did not even know what had happened. By the time her mind was back, she was already sitting on Joshua's lap and he was smiling at her devilishly.

"What are you doing?" She started nagging him, though she was not angry.

"What am I doing?" He asked back feigning ignorance. He was enjoying her plight thoroughly. He liked the way she was getting flustered with all the things he was doing to her and it made him want to tease her and do things of these sorts all the more.

"Let me go."

"Why?"

"I need to eat."

"You can eat here."

"But.."

"Why? Can't you eat while sitting on my lap?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I am uncomfortable."

"But I am fully comfortable. I have never been this comfortable before." He stated, his face becoming serious all of a sudden. His sudden confession stopped Ivy from struggling and she stared at him to see whether there was any sincerity in his words or not. But she could not make out anything with the way Joshua was being expressionless except for his eyes that were brimming with love and care for her. This was enough for her to calm her anxious mind.

Joshua too stared back at her and on noticing her not moving even after a few minutes had passed, his lips quirked up a little. "Am I that handsome that you are unable to take your eyes off me?" He asked, his voice filled with playfulness making Ivy scoff.

"Handsome? In your dreams."

"Then, am I not handsome?" He asked raising an eyebrow and tightening his hands around her pulling her closer to him. But Ivy was unaware of the increasing closeness between them. She was still thinking about how to retort back to his question.

"Umm? Let me think." Ivy said and glanced at the man before her before she averted her eyes.

"Sure. But let me tell you, I am not going to let you go before you give me a satisfactory answer. So take your time and think well. We have all the time in the world."

"Can I eat before I give you your answer?"

"Sure."

Joshua opened the plate covering one of the dishes and yelled in surprise. "Noodles?"

But Ivy did not answer him. She was staring at him, no almost glared at him intently until he looked at her to see what she wanted.

"What?" He asked innocently when he knew what exactly she wanted.

"Release me." She said raising her eyebrows.

"Why?"

"Because I need to eat." She answered and gave him a look that clearly read 'I think you have become a fool. Your mind has lost its thinking capacity.'

"You can eat here. When did I stop you?"

"Oh really?" Ivy asked folding her hands. When she couldn't do so, it was only then did she realize how close they were.

"Yes." Joshua did not wait for her and started serving food on his plate while Ivy tried all possible means to get up from his lap. But it was in vain. It made her wonder where exactly was the strength stored in his body. Though he looked thin, he was stronger than many hefty men. She had seen the way he had sent those hooligans flying in the club and unknowingly she pressed on his biceps, trying to squeeze them.

Joshua stopped what he was doing with the ladle in his hand and his eyes darted to where Ivy was pressing on his biceps. He felt weird with the way she was squeezing them while she admired them. "What are you doing?"

"I like your biceps," Ivy answered absent-mindedly before she comprehended what she had done. She retracted her hands immediately and turned away from him in embarrassment.

"Well, thank you for your appreciation. I guess my hard work since childhood paid off today. If you want to admire them more, I can remove my shirt I am wearing for you to see to your heart's content." Joshua placed the ladle back in the bowl and leaned closer to her before he whispered, "I can strip for you if you want and you can admire as much as you desire."

Ivy shivered as soon as his hot breath fell on her ears and she pulled away from him at once. "No. No. I am fine. No need for stripping. I am fine."

Joshua smiled seeing her get agitated. Unable to control himself, he held her head by her hair, strong enough to keep her in place but not strong enough to hurt her, startling her in the process, and forced her to look at him before he pecked her lips.

He then returned his attention towards the delicious food before him while he waited for Ivy to get her senses back.

"Are you not going to eat today? Are you in the mood to fast?" Joshua took the first bite and licked his lips happily. The food was as great as always. Since the time Ivy had started living with him, he was having the food prepared by her every night. After tasting such delicacies, he found everything else bland. None of the restaurants or the master chefs could produce any dish to his liking. It was Ivy and her cooking he liked the most.

"I am very hungry. But how am I supposed to eat with the way you are holding me. Let go of me so that I can eat to my heart's content." Ivy protested but failed miserably when Joshua's evil gaze fell on her.

"Well, I am not allowing you to leave from here. So, if you want to eat, eat in this position." Seeing her hesitate, he continued. "I have a solution to your dilemma. If you want, I will tell you."

Ivy waited for him to speak but seeing his devilish smirk, she deduced that he had some wicked ideas in mind. She watched Joshua twirl a fork full of noddles before he put it into his mouth. As she waited, Joshua inched closer to her and before she could even object, he had pressed his lips on her, forced her to open her mouth to take in all that he had in his mouth.

Joshua only pulled back when he had pushed all the noodles he had in his mouth and smiled in satisfaction. "How did you like this method? I loved it. The food tastes better this way. Don't you think so?"

He took another bite and leaned in for another kiss. But Ivy stopped him suddenly. Seeing that her mouth was still stuffed, he waited until she had chewed and swallowed everything before he proceeded with his attempt again, only to be stopped again.

"Joshua, wait."

"No."

"Please."

"No." It sounded weird and came out muffled with the way he was holding the noddles in his mouth.

"It's serious."

He sighed and dropped the fork. He swallowed the food in his mouth before he started speaking again. "Fine. Tell me what you have in your mind?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"What am I doing?"

"A few hours ago, we were just good friends who were staying in the same house. But now, you are kissing me, hugging me and even clinging to me like a koala bear. I am unable to understand you. What is happening? Please explain before I lose my mind."

Joshua leaned back and he released his hold on her. He made her sit on the chair beside him and adjusted it such that she was facing him directly. He held her hands in his and gazed at her locking her eyes with his. "Ivy, I have some things I want to tell you and I guess it's time for me to come clean."