Third Person Point of ViewAfter cleaning the messy house and showering, Riley forced herself to prepare for the presentation. Even while practising the presentation, she thought about everything that had happened today.If Eash wanted to go to one of those girls, as Ezra indirectly said, why did he want to go on this specific night when there was a lot of work to finish? There were many more relaxed days; he could go to them and enjoy however long he wanted. But he didn't go like that. He spent almost all the evenings with Riley. Even on the nights he didn't come to see her, he talked with her over the phone. So Riley finally concluded that what Eash said was 100% true. Ezra had just tried to cultivate a seed of suspicion in Riley's head. She almost let him do that successfully. But fortunately, Eash could make her see clearly. This night actually confirmed how much Eash cared about Riley. He was willing to leave all his work and come to see her in the middle of the night just becaus
Third Person Point of View"Eash..." Riley murmured his name for the nth time. She'd lost count of how many times she'd called his phone. Still sitting on the floor amidst her mother's chaos, she felt utterly drained.She had no energy left to clean. Physically and mentally exhausted, she clung to one thought: If Eash would just answer, hearing his voice might give me the strength to keep going. But something felt terribly wrong. Why would he ignore her calls for so long?Ezra's words slithered back into her mind, making her chest tighten. Was Eash somewhere he shouldn't be? Somewhere, he couldn't answer his phone? Somewhere, "acceptable" if he wasn't her boyfriend? Where is he?Only one place came to mind, a possibility that filled her with dread. But he swore he'd never go back to those girls, she reminded herself. He said he didn't want to lose what he had with Riley by going to those cheap fake girls.Debating with herself, trying to find even the tiniest fact to oppose Eash, has
Third Person Point of View"None of your business..." Riley said coldly. She had been nothing but polite with Ezra all this time, but it seemed like he was trying to provoke her by always saying something about Eash.Ezra just chuckled. So unusual to his normal behavior...However, Riley honestly didn't care. She just wanted to finish this quickly and go home. She was exhausted and desperate to rest, but more than that, she was worrying about Eash. She knew how he would react if he knew Ezra had suddenly come to see her.Ezra opened his laptop and, as usual, began to work quickly. Riley reviewed the changes he had made to the presentation. As expected of Ezra, those changes looked to be on point and more focused, so she had no objection to changing them."We can do these changes. " Riley agreed."Okay, then there should be changes in what we have to say, too. " Ezra said."Yeah... Let's point out the significant changes. So we can change our parts and practice. Tomorrow, we can get to
Third Person Point of ViewEash's lips crashed against Riley's desperately, his hands gripping her waist as if he wanted to devour her whole. There was no tenderness, only a primal claim of ownership. Riley gasped as his teeth grazed her lower lip. She tried to pull back, but his fingers tangled in her hair, holding her head in place."Eash..." She barely whispered his name before he deepened the kiss, his tongue invading her mouth, exploring every corner with possessive intensity.Finally, after only God knew how long, Eash tore away, resting his forehead against hers. His breathing was ragged. He placed a lingering kiss on her forehead."You're not allowed to praise him in front of me..." he muttered, his thumb brushing her flushed cheeks."I didn't praise him. I just stated facts." Riley muttered."I don't want to hear them either!" Eash pouted."I know you hate your brother and don't want to hear anything good about him..." Riley chuckled."True. But this isn't just that." Eash sa
Third Person Point of ViewThe next moment, Eash suddenly stood up, pushing his chair backwards with a deliberate, loud sound."Riley!" he spoke up as he walked toward Riley and Ezra."Eash..." Riley said nervously. She was genuinely afraid, thinking Eash might make a scene because of the unintentional things that had just happened."Let's take a break. Come, let me show you my room," Eash said without even asking if others wanted to take a break right now."We are in the middle of something. We can't take a break right now," Ezra said coldly, looking at Riley."I see you're in the 'middle of something'," Eash sneered."Riley, let's finish changing this diagram and concluding this part before we take a break," Ezra said without even looking at his brother."Eash, can we wait just a few more minutes? We're about to finish this part," Riley held Eash's hand and asked."I want to have a break now!" Eash removed Riley's hand from his and said firmly."So go and have one with your teammate
Third Person Point of View"You..." Eash seemed speechless. For a moment, he stared at Riley's face as he combed his hair backwards with his fingers, something he does every time he is nervous."You are my closest friend... the person closest to my heart..." he said, avoiding her eyes and focusing strictly on the road. After that, he resumed driving, the two-minute journey to the store passing in tense silence."He could still steal you from me. Make you the closest to him instead... leaving me alone again." The words slipped out in a murmur as he parked the car.Riley's heart ached. Eash looked so vulnerable; his usual confidence was nowhere to be found. She hated seeing him like this. Kimberley's plan was supposed to help him realize his feelings. Still, now, faced with his raw sadness, she wanted to abandon it entirely.Yet Kimberley's warning echoed in her mind: "It'll hurt him at first, but it's the only a kiss to his cheek before stepping out of the car."Will you pick me up aft