New World with Four Husbands-Chapter 172: Introduction of a new friend [2]

Jonathan felt his breath caught in his chest as his gaze locked onto hers, his mind racing to process the sudden and intense attraction he felt.

"Just like Renaldo, Jonathan is a mediator." Another sentence that went through deaf ears, his eyes locked into Jacques’ gaze as his heart raced faster than earlier.

"I’m sure that Renaldo and Jonathan would be able to get along just fine once they meet each other—"

Bang!

Jonathan’s eyes were snapped out of their almost trance-like focus by the sudden sound of a door being slammed open.

The noise shattered the moment of intensity that had built up between him and the woman that Coco introduced to him, the sudden noise snapping him back to the present.

He shook his head slightly, trying to clear the haze of attraction that had been clouding his thoughts and refocus on what was happening.

Jonathan’s gaze was wrenched away from the pink haired woman as his head snapped around in the direction of the noise, his expression changing from surprise to confusion as he saw the source of the disturbance.

The mediator turned his attention to the other man who had just entered, his gaze quickly taking in the scars that ran across the other man’s face.

The sight of the scar on the newcomer’s face immediately grabbed his attention which was less severe than his own, but the mark was still visible, a puckered line that cut through one cheek.

The man had a number of scars on his face, but they were nothing compared to the ones that criss crossed on Jonathan’s own face.

Despite the difference in the severity of their scars, the similarity was striking, and Jonathan found his attention immediately glued to the stranger standing by the doorway.

Jonathan could recognize the familiar look of someone who had been through a great deal of pain and trauma, and unconsciously, his heart went out to the newcomer even though he’s not aware of what he went through.

They may not have been as prominent as his own, but there was no denying that the man had been through some kind of trauma in the past.

Jonathan felt a jolt of surprise and curiosity as he realized that he was not the only one with a facial scar in Yogusho Village— he had been living in the village for the past two years yet, he had not bumped into Coco’s friend.

Coco, his dearest friend, brightened up when she set eyes on the village’s butcher, her face lighting up with a wide smile.

"Renaldo! Perfect timing! I had just finished introducing my friend to Jacques!" She waved enthusiastically towards the man by the door, her expression filled with friendly warmth and excitement.

It was clear for Jonathan that she seemed happy to Renaldo, her body language relaxed and open as she stepped forward to meet him.

"Is this a new friend of yours?" Renaldo grumbled out with a gruff as he raised an eyebrow at his friend, letting her grab his calloused hand and lead him inside the shop towards Jonathan.

"Yeah!" Coco answered with so much energy as she stopped before Jonathan, "Now, let me introduce the two of you!"

Almost immediately, Jonathan felt a lurch in his gut as he realized that another introduction will happen, the nervousness and anxiety creeping back into his mind.

He knew that her cheerful mood meant she was sincere about introducing him to the newcomer, and he couldn’t shake the feeling of anxiety that came with meeting someone new.. Again.

Jonathan shifted on his feet, his hands clenching the basket, bracing himself for the interaction.

"Renaldo, this is Jonathan." Coco introduced the nervous mediator curtly with a smile, "He’s very shy right now, but once you get to know him, you’ll find out that he’s way more adorable than you would ever think!"

Renaldo merely raised an eyebrow at that and didn’t comment on it.

"Nice to meet you, Jonathan." Renaldo spoke up and nodded his head towards the man before him, "I’m Renaldo, Coco’s friend and Jacques’ husband."

The unnamed introduced himself as the beautiful woman’s husband, a small and simple greeting that carried a deep weight which made Jonathan’s heart felt a pang of bittersweet emotion upon hearing the words.

Renaldo’s words caused Jonathan to feel even more nervous and he felt his heart skip a beat as the realization sunk in, his mind racing with questions.

He couldn’t help, but feel intimidated by Renaldo’s status, feeling a sudden unease at the thought of interacting with someone so important to his friend and almost acting on his attraction towards Renaldo’s wife.

He tried hard to swallow down his guilt, not wanting his nervousness to show, but it was difficult to keep his heart from racing.

"Jo.. Jonathan." He stammered out and looked away from Renaldo, "I don’t know, but.. If you don’t mind.. Please, don’t believe Coco’s words. I’m not as amazing as she painted me to be."

Coco gasped audibly and her eyes went wide slightly. "Jonathan—"

"Now, Coco introduced me and my wife to you for a reason." Renaldo accidentally cut Coco off with a chuckle as he raised his free hand pat Jonathan on the shoulder, "We can’t be too sure if her words are the opposite or the exact truth, can we?"

"Right, right!" Coco agreed beside him.

"Let’s get to know each other first before judging if we can be friends or not." Renaldo said, pulling his hand away from Jonathan’s shoulder and letting it fall to his side.

Jonathan merely stared at him for a moment, letting the words sink into his brain.

Renaldo turned to Coco and handed her the bag he was holding onto, the noise within followed by several clinking sounds and making Coco smile at him.

Renaldo returned the smile and turned back to Jonathan. "I hope you don’t mind, but how does lunch sound to you? Tomorrow? Are you free?"

".. Only if you don’t mind, of course." Renaldo quickly added on.