“Don’t push yourself.” He said softly. “I feel like… so much happened yesterday. And yet I can’t…” I squeezed my eyes shut, frustration bubbling. “I hate that my brain feels so stuffy, yet has nothing to show for it.” “It’ll come back gradually. Don’t worry about it.” Saying “don’t worry about it” only gives me more reason to worry. “Did I… get drunk last night?” He tilted his head with a small smile, the movement exaggerated by the sharpness of to soothe the unease coiling in my stomach. I pulled the silken sheet higher, a flimsy shield. What did I do? Did I embarrass myself? Or worse—disgust him? Seeing my distress, he straightened. “I’ll get you food,” he said softly. I nodded. He turned and left the room, the door clicking shut behind him. Alone, I finally let my eyes sweep the room. It was more like a tech lair than a bedroom. The throne-like chair, the monitors, the dizzying city view from the floor-to-ceiling windows—it was a fortress. Surprisingl
CHARLOTTE'S POV My eyelids felt like sandpaper as they fluttered open to a sight that made absolutely no sense. I blinked. A wall of screens. Lines of emerald-green code cascading like digital waterfalls. Coupled with relentless keyboard tapping. My blurry gaze followed the sound and found— A man?! My heart stumbled. For a moment, panic flared, clawing up my throat. A shirtless man. His face was focused on the screen, and his bare back looked like a beautiful artwork of muscle to me. My gaze snagged on the tattoo on his left shoulder blade, and yhe one that traced the line his spine. They looked familiar, but I couldn’t place a finger on it. I couldn’t tell if I was still dreaming. My head throbbed and my brain felt foggy. I tried to sit up, but a dull ache pulsed behind my temples. The sheets were too soft, and the air smelled faintly of ozone and male cologne. “Where am I?” I hadn’t meant to say it aloud. The rapid-fire clicking of the keyboard stoppe
She cried loudly taking a moment. My chest ached. I guess it's my turn, now. I filled my lungs, and my shout was not one of pain but of defiance — a truth I needed the universe to hear. “YOU ARE THE STRONGEST PERSON I KNOW. I LOVE YOU! LOVE ME BACK! GIVE ME A CHANCE!” The effect was instantaneous. Her screaming cut off. She turned her head, eyes wide and shimmering with fresh tears, searching my face in the dim light. She cried again, but this time it was a different kind of ache. “She will,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “She will love you, okay? Don’t cry.” A heartbreaking attempt to comfort me, to absolve me of the pain she was drowning in. It’s you, silly, I thought, my heart cracking. It’s always been you. She whirled back to the water. “JUN! EVEN YOU TOO! I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME FOR ME! YOU BASTARD! YOU BASTARD! YOU CALL ME FAT! YOU ARE ASHAMED OF ME?” she shrieked, her voice breaking with a bitter laugh. “YOU SAID I AM UGLY? WHO CARES? DOES IT MAKE
However, wit as too late. Her body gave a great, heaving shudder against mine, and a raw, quiet sob escaped her. “I just… I feel so heavy,” she choked, her voice muffled by my chest. “Like all of it is just… sitting on my chest.” I cupped her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. Her tears wet my thumbs. “Let me carry them instead. Share it with me, okay? Will you do that for me?” She nodded. I smiled. “Good. Now, let’s go somewhere.” She blinked, confused. “Where?” “You’ll see.” I released her face and took her hand, lacing my fingers firmly with hers. “You trusted me to be your guardian angel, right?” I said, picking up the shopping bag that held the remaining first-aid kit. She took a shaky breath, then another, her eyes searching mine for the truth in my words—for that anchor. Slowly, hesitantly, she gave a single, determined nod. I smiled back and helped her put the helmet on, my fingers gently buckling the strap under her chin. I mounted the bike first and ki
Her giggles finally died down, and I found myself staring at her—messy curly hair, flushed cheeks, brown eyes glowing even in her drunken haze. The words slipped out before I could stop them. “You are really pretty, Charlotte. You make my world brighter. You said I’m like your guardian angel. I would say you’re like my goddess.” She smiled, sheepishly then hiccuped and pointed a wobbly finger at me. “You are really handsome. You make my world…” she drew the word out dramatically, “…hotter!” Then she dropped her voice, exaggerated and husky. “Uuuuuhhh, sexeeeyyyyy.” I choked on a laugh, shaking my head. “God, Charlotte…” I won't lie, I am enjoying this version of her a little too much. She wiggled her brows up and down and bit her finger seductively. That same finger dragged a slow, teasing line down my chest, sending a silly, unexpected shiver through me. “How old are you anyway?” she asked suddenly, then hiccupped. “Thirty-two,” I answered. No way I’d tell h
After a while she lifted her head. Her face was so close that my breath caught. She was staring at my mouth like she wanted to kiss me. I swallowed tightly; my heart hammered. I leaned in slowly, giving her the choice. She leaned in too. My heart was pounding so loud now. Have we kissed before? I wondered. I think we had. Yet why did it feel like I was about to kiss her for the first time? Just before our lips met, she jerked back from my arms and slapped her cheek. I was startled. I rushed to her. “Are you okay?” She laughed shakily. “Sorry about that. I think I’m a little tipsy.” Sorry for what? I wanted that kiss. I rubbed my neck and smiled to put her at ease. “Actually, I did want a kiss.” She looked away, then whispered, “If I fall in love with you, it’s over for me.” The words hit me harder than the punches earlier. “Over? Why?” I asked quietly. She nodded quickly, a little too fast. “You don’t get it. Guys like you… you don’t stay. Once you’re wit