"Juho Isota," Kaija said, one hand covering her face as she tried to chew down the salmon rice. "While I can perfectly tolerate the countless inappropriate teases you’ve thrown at me, this should be classified as the kind of teasing you really shouldn’t be making."
"If you still think I’m joking, then I’m afraid I’m not." Juho’s voice remained calm, though his face had taken on the same severe expression he wore whenever she displeased him. "You should also know that I wasn’t joking at all, when I told you I wasn’t just playing the boyfriend role in front of your ex, Kaija."
"Stop, Juho. That’s enough. I’m serious."
"There’s no reason for me to stop. I am serious about what I’m saying."
Juho had known by now that Kaija was the stubborn type. He had set his mind on running a long campaign, slowly drawing her into falling for him again.
But with how relentlessly Kaija kept poking him with her blunt, horridly inaccurate remarks, he could feel the pride that had held him back from revealing his intentions earlier crumbling into pieces.
Kaija, on her end, could already feel her head spinning as Juho’s soft tone grew firmer with each sentence.
"Look, Juho, I already have a lot on my plate. Whatever intentions you’re harboring toward me, I suggest you direct them toward someone more deserving, or at least, less... occupied."
"Occupied?" Juho repeated, a brow lifting. Just the image of Charles Kosonen’s smirk flashing through his mind was enough to make his blood boil.
The spoon was set aside, the feeding coming to a halt. "If you’re going to tell me that you’re occupied with Charles Kosonen, then you should know that I am already mentally well-prepared to prove to you that I am far more worthy of your time."
Kaija sighed, the sound heavy with exasperation. If only it were Charles Kosonen alone, she wouldn’t have had to use occupied to explain the situation she was in right now.
"It’s... much more complicated than that," she said.
"There’s nothing that complicated, the way I see it," Juho replied with conviction. "I’m certain I’ve already proven to you that I’m far more efficient at protecting you than Charles Kosonen. Whether you’re within my sight or not, no one would ever have a chance to do you any harm."
Kaija fought the urge to pinch her temples, recalling the agonized screams spilling from Niklas’s throat. "I suppose I could... agree with that, though I’m not exactly fond of the scandalous consequences of your methods."
"I’m sure I’ve made it clear to you that I’m fully capable of taking care of any consequences that result from my actions," Juho added, still not done with his passionate sales pitch. "I’m also confident that I could give you far more than what Charles Kosonen ever could."
Dark lines immediately creased Kaija’s face. She was beginning to suspect that Juho had brought her to his private mansion more to flaunt his wealth than to treat her to lunch.
"Juho, did you actually think those are things I’d consider when dating someone?"
"I don’t see anything wrong if you did. What good is a man if he can’t protect you or provide you with the best he possibly can?"
"Erm... what happened to the most crucial things, like feelings and understanding?"
"Those, I consider the necessary basics. If you choose a man based on those alone, you’re practically guaranteeing you’ll end up with a loser like that douchebag ex of yours we ran into earlier today."
Kaija’s face twitched. As clueless as Juho claimed to be about feelings, he was disturbingly precise when it came to relationships. In fact, he was so precise that Kaija was already starting to itch, reminded of just how terrible a boyfriend she’d chosen four years ago.
"Perhaps you have a point, Juho," she replied with a frown. "But still, as much as I appreciate you as my photographer and my savior, I can guarantee you that I currently don’t harbor any feelings toward you to even consider the possibility of being your girlfriend. To be honest with you, I don’t understand you at all either."
"But you once had feelings for me."
"That was toward the version of you that—"
"That you imagined in your mind, not who I really am, wasn’t it?" Juho’s voice was firm, as if every word had been engraved into his brain. "How can you be so sure you wouldn’t fall in love with who I truly am?"
Kaija’s brow began twitching. "You... you still remember?"
"How could I not? That very declaration of yours has been haunting me in every waking minute." He couldn’t even sleep properly at night.
"I can be sure, Juho, because I can’t figure out who you really are."
"Neither can I, Kaija Sepala. Not even I myself can figure out who I really am."
Kaija’s face stretched in surprise, her blue eyes blinking repeatedly as if she wondered whether the wine from earlier had distorted her hearing.
What did he even mean by that? He always seemed so certain, so confident, so decisive with his actions, especially when they involved violence.
"But I am showing you pieces of me I’ve never shown anyone else before," Juho added, his voice softening again with sincerity. "Once you’ve seen enough of me, I hope you can decide for yourself whether you could harbor any feelings for me or not."
Kaija’s lips quivered faintly, momentarily at a loss for words after hearing that sincerity.
Was this really Juho who was speaking to her? She couldn’t even tell whether this was just another mask he was wearing, or whether he had taken all his masks off in front of her when he said those words.
No, she shook her head hard. If Juho was actually being serious, then the situation was far more severe than she had initially thought.
"Listen carefully, Juho Isota," Kaija said, grabbing both of Juho’s shoulders. "You’re wasting your time and your energy. Right now, I’m actually... occupied with more than just Charles Kosonen."
Juho went stiff, immediately catching on to what Kaija was implying.
Great. What had he even expected? If she had managed to capture both Charles Kosonen and he himself, why should he be surprised that more competitors were lining up for her heart without his knowledge?
His lips curled into a bitter smirk. "Exactly how many are you occupied with, then?"
Kaija swallowed hard, then, reluctantly, three fingers lifted in the space between them. She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.
Juho’s face darkened immediately. He had expected one more man, but two? That was simply outrageous.
"I see I’m a little late to the party." The bitter smirk deepened.
"You’re wasting your energy on the wrong target, Juho," Kaija replied, pinching her temples for real now.
"No, my dear Kaija," Juho replied, his face suddenly easing into a warm smile. "It seems all the plans I had regarding winning you over need urgent revision."