LOVE IN PARIS: Married To My Brother-in-law-Chapter 109: Confession

The kitchen was quiet except for the rhythmic chopping of vegetables on the wooden cutting board and the occasional clink of utensils and the sizzling of oil in the pan.

Tyrell and Leila moved around each other in silence, the air between them thick with unspoken tension. From the living room, the laughter of the girls occasionally drifted in, a cheerful counterpoint to the subdued atmosphere in the kitchen.

Leila however, focused intently on her task, her hands moving with mechanical precision as she chopped carrots into neat, uniform slices, thoroughly grateful for Tyrell’s silence.

But even without words, his presence felt heavy, charged with an unspoken energy that made her pulse quicken.

She had avoided him all week, in every way possible, citing work and other flimsy excuses, throwing herself into work to escape the growing turmoil in her heart and now that they were alone, she dreaded the confrontation that felt inevitable.

So, she dared not look up, afraid that even a fleeting glance at him would unravel her carefully constructed façade.

However, the confrontation came sooner than she expected.

"I noticed you’ve been avoiding me lately, is anything wrong Leila?". Tyrell’s voice broke the silence, low but insistent.

Leila froze mid-chop, her heart thudding painfully.

"I’m not avoiding you". She said quickly, too quickly, refusing to look up and Tyrell noticed her actions.

"Then look me in the eyes and say that again". He challenged, his tone soft but firm.

She swallowed hard, her grip tightening on the handle of the knife. Slowly, she set it down and turned to face him as she slowly lifted her gaze up.

His dark eyes were locked on hers, searching for response and the intensity she saw there made her breath catch that she immediately shifted her gaze to the floor.

"Leila". Tyrell said softly, stepping closer. He reached out and gently took her hand, his warmth startling against her cool skin. "Look me in the eyes and say you’re not avoiding me."

Reluctantly, she lifted her gaze, her dark eyes meeting his. Her throat felt dry, and she struggled to find her voice.

"I... I was just busy". She stammered, the words tumbling out awkwardly.

"Busy?". Tyrell arched a brow, his skepticism plain. "Busy doing what? Work that wasn’t even yours on set? Tasks that had nothing to do with your job? All just to avoid me?"

"I wasn’t avoiding you" She insisted, though her voice lacked enough conviction.

He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming her in the small kitchen. "Is that how much you hate me?" . He asked, his voice laced with frustration, his eyebrows left arched.

Her eyes widened in shock, and she shook her head vehemently. "No! I don’t hate you."

"Then what is it, Leila? Why go to such lengths to stay away from me?".

"I..." . She faltered, unable to find a convincing excuse.

Her gaze darted around the room, desperate for a distraction and almost immediately, her eyes landed on the cupboard.

"I need the soy sauce". She said quickly, moving to reach for it.

But, the cupboard was too high and totally out of reach, her fingers barely brushed the bottom of the bottle.

Before she could even grab a stool, Tyrell was beside her, effortlessly retrieving it. He handed it to her, their fingers brushing briefly, and she felt a jolt of warmth that sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"Here". He said, his voice softer now.

"Thank you". She murmured, avoiding his gaze and touch as well.

But as she took the bottle from his grasp, she noticed him wince.

And her eyes flicked to his shoulder, where a dark stain was spreading across the bandage under his sleeveless vest.

"Tyrell" . She said sharply, her tone laced with alarm. "You’re hurt!"

"It’s nothing". He said dismissively, turning back to the counter.

"Nothing? Your bandage is soaked in blood!" Her voice rose, panic threading through it, her worry mounting as she stepped closer and was stunned, he was indeed injured. "How did this even happen?" .

He shrugged nonchalantly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "On set, of course. But you wouldn’t know that as you’ve been too busy avoiding me. Even everyone on set was aware" .

Leila felt her chest tightened with guilt. She had been avoiding visiting the set or anywhere he was after what transpired between them the other night.

She couldn’t bear the thought of confronting her own emotions, so she had stayed away. And now he was hurt, and she hadn’t even known.

Without a word, she rummaged through the kitchen drawers until she found the first aid kit.

"Sit". She ordered, her voice shaking slightly.

"Leila, I’m fine—"

"Sit". She repeated, her tone brooking no argument.

Tyrell sighed but complied, lowering himself onto a chair and Leila knelt beside him, her fingers trembling as she unwrapped the blood-soaked bandage.

When the injury was finally exposed, her breath hitched. A jagged cut ran across his shoulder, red and angry and tears pricked her eyes as she dabbed at it with antiseptic.

"Don’t cry". Tyrell said softly, his voice losing its edge. "It’s not that bad." He added in a comforting tone as long as she could stop crying, he didn’t want to see her crying because it made him felt hurt and sad also.

"Not that bad?". She snapped, her tears spilling over despite her best efforts. "You could’ve gotten an infection! How could you be so careless and why didn’t you even say anything about it?" .

He chuckled softly, though it turned into a wince. "How am I supposed to say anything when you were all bent on avoiding me ".

"I’m sorry". She lowered her gaze feeling guilty as she focused on wrapping the new bandage securely. "It won’t happen again".

Tyrell chuckled, though it came out more like a wince. "I’m glad" . He smiled but she still looked so sad.

"You should be happy. At least now I can’t tease you. No strength to embarrass you anymore." He joked and Leila shot him a glare but kept working, her hands gentle despite her frustration.

"I mean it" . Tyrell continued, his tone turning unusually serious. "I tease you because I love you, i think it’s my own little way of showing my affection."

Leila’s hands froze and she looked up at him in shock, her tears momentarily forgotten. "W-What?"

"It was love at first sight for me". He said, his dark eyes holding hers with unwavering sincerity. "I’ve been trying to tell you but every time, I chickened out. Teasing you was my own little way of getting close to you without risking rejection".

Her heart was racing, her mind reeling. "Tyrell, I..."

"I mean it". He said, cutting her off. "I love everything about you. The way you blush when you’re flustered. The way you mutter to yourself when you’re focused, I love every single thing about you. I didn’t know how to tell you, so I kept teasing you, hoping you’d notice. But then you started avoiding me, and I thought... maybe I pushed too hard."

Leila stared at him, her mind reeling. She had avoided him to hide her feelings, fearing rejection, and now he was confessing his love for her? It felt like a dream come true, one she was afraid to wake up from.

"Even your sister’s been calling me ’brother-in-law ,". He added with a small smile. "So i figured I might as well summon the courage to confess , I’d better not disappoint her."

Her lips parted and closed and parted, but no words came out.

Tyrell leaned closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "I mean it, Leila. I love you".

Before she could respond, he leaned in and kissed her. It was soft, tentative, as though he were giving her a chance to pull away and she felt her heart leal in her throat.

She stiffened at first, her hand hovering in the air as if unsure what to do and the he whispered with a smile.

"I’m kind of considered one handed now, if you don’t feel the same, just push me away now. I’ll forget everything I said and never bring it up again."

At first, she froze, her mind blank with shock. But as he began to pull back, she reached out, clutching the front of his vest.

"Don’t". She whispered, her voice barely audible.

Tyrell stilled, his eyes searching hers. "Don’t what?"

"Don’t pull away". She admitted, her cheeks flushing.

A slow smile spread across his face, and he cupped her cheek with his uninjured hand.

And this time, when he kissed her, she didn’t resist. Instead, she leaned into him, her heart swelling with a joy she hadn’t felt in years as she reciprocated the passionate kiss with an equally burning frevor.

The world around them seemed to fade, the sounds of the laughing girls in the living room becoming a distant hum and this time they could only feel themselves and nothing more.