Never Fall in Love With Him(7)

15

As Benjamin's words told me to reflect on my actions stuck in my mind, I could not help but worry he would dismiss my self-reflection as unserious. So that night, I returned to my own house to make my reflection count. I planned to return to his apartment the next day and let him know that I had deeply reflected on my actions.

Unexpectedly, my sleep was plagued with nightmares.

In my dream, I was a child again, surrounded by a group of bullies who taunted with crude remarks about my appearance and told me that I did not deserve anything.

When I woke up in a cold sweat, I tried to recall the faces of those who had bullied me.

I was certain that once I had earned enough money, I would pay someone to give them a taste of their own medicine.

Feeling famished, I wandered to the kitchen to cook myself a comforting plate of pasta.

I sauteed onions and boiled water. In the boiling water, I added pasta noodles and cooked two poached eggs to perfection.

As I walked back into the living room with my fragrant bowl of pasta, I turned on the lights and froze. Someone was sitting on my couch, catching me off guard. I had no recollection of when he arrived.

I let out a loud shriek and my bowl of pasta nearly dropped. Then, I found it was Benjamin.

"W-When did you come here?" I exclaimed.

Benjamin sat upright on the couch, his eyes carrying a profound sadness.

However, I could not dwell on that. What I needed to know was how he had ended up in my house.

Benjamin ignored my question. He gazed at my bowl of pasta and posed a deeply philosophical question, "Am I really uninteresting?"

What?

Why was he reflecting on himself when he was the one who told me to reflect on my actions?

I was not going to risk offending him by calling him uninteresting, so I complimented him instead, "Ordinary people may be dull, but you are serious and stern. These are excellent qualities that every successful person should possess."

He smiled, but there was still a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Want to know why Closie broke up with me?"

I shook my head.

According to the third rule of being a corporate slave, the less you knew about your boss's secrets, the better.

Benjamin appeared disinterested in my opinion. He continued, "She found me boring and uninteresting, so she dumped me for Zachary."

I finally understood why he had been so upset at the restaurant earlier.

I broke out in a cold sweat, frantic to think of a way to retract the compliment I had given Zachary.

Then I heard myself say, "You can have some of my pasta."

Benjamin remained silent as he glared at me.

I realized pasta was not enough to make up for my mistake.

"How about this? We could do something special," I suggested.

To make things right, I said, "It's free this time."

But Benjamin looked at me as if I were a fool, leaving me feeling embarrassed.

"Never mind then," I said, trying to play it cool

I placed my bowl of pasta on the table and began to eat.

Truthfully, I was a little disappointed. I was longing for some company, hoping for a warm body to comfort my soul.

Since I had no one to keep me company, I took solace in the warm bowl of pasta.

However, before I could sit myself down, I was pulled into a warm embrace.

Benjamin planted a kiss on my lips, a kiss that I could feel his breath on my face.

16

Having experienced making love with someone before, the second time was even better.

For the first time, I finally understood the true meaning of intimacy.

The people from old times were so good with words.

That night, we were two tireless fish swimming back and forth in the water for who knew how many times until we were completely exhausted and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up feeling like my body had been crushed by a truck. I felt soreness all over my body and I almost could not get out of bed.

Benjamin was gone, probably off to work. He was always dedicated to his work.

I picked up my phone and was about to order takeout for myself.

I noticed a notification on my phone. Benjamin had transferred money to me again.

Benjamin had transferred money to me again!

Despite my financial needs, I refused to accept the money as I had to uphold my dignity!

I messaged Benjamin insisting it was a treat from me.

Soon, he replied, "Take it I'd feel better if our encounter last night could simply remain transactional."

His message made me angry.

Who was he looking down on now? Was I incapable of giving?

I refused to accept his money and transferred a dollar back to him.

I replied, "Take this! Last night's on my account!"

About 15 minutes later, he accepted the transaction.

As our transaction concluded, I felt a sense of satisfaction.

Considering the wonderful experience I had the previous night, I thought perhaps I could spend to indulge myself a few more times.

Before I could contemplate a second chance, the paparazzi that I hired to look into Zachary provided me with a shocking revelation.

My fellow working-class comrade, Zachary, was secretly a player.

The photo showed him kissing a young girl.

The paparazzi revealed that Zachary was teaching in an art college in the country, and the girl in the photo was his student.

As someone with his financial background, Zachary had really hit the jackpot by winning the heart of a wealthy woman, but he went even further by cheating on her with one of his students.

This bastard!

My positive impression of him from yesterday had completely vanished.

Initially, I felt inclined to send the photo to Closetta and encourage her to break up with this scumbag. However, I hesitated.

If I did, Closetta and Benjamin would get back together and I would be out of a job.

With only two months' worth of salary in hand, I couldn't afford to lose my job.

After all, I am determined to achieve my goal of earning 150 thousand dollars.

Therefore, I decided to wait and reevaluate my options in two months. Being cheated on for a day or two months would make no difference, anyway.

That being said, I ultimately decided to prioritize my own interests over Benjamin's, despite being aware that it was a dereliction of my duty.

Upon facing Benjamin, I felt a sense of guilt, which led me to hold back when choosing my desired birthday gift that Benjamin would pay for, with the intention of saving him money.

Benjamin was surprised when he saw the bill that I handed him. "I thought you would take the opportunity to splurge using my money," he said with a smirk.

It seemed that my greedy nature had been too obvious. Feeling embarrassed, I smiled and tried to come up with an excuse. "You must be kidding. I am a person with a strong sense of professional ethics."

Amused, there was a flicker of excitement in Benjamin's eyes as he said, "Well, sure. To reward you for your professionalism, I shall buy you a gift. What do you want for your birthday?"

I was surprised that he had offered to give me a gift. Without hesitation, I pointed at the invoice for the things I had bought. "These are all the things I want. I have also made a reservation at the restaurant. Perhaps, you could go with me?"

"I'm not talking about this," Benjamin cut me off. "I meant what will the real Juliette want for her birthday?"

All Juliette wanted was money.

My eyes lit up after giving it some thought. "Well, there is one thing I had always wanted since I was a kid. I want to ride a Ferris wheel at night."

Benjamin looked at me in disbelief. "Are you sure that's all you want?"

17

On the night of my birthday, Benjamin rented out the entire amusement park just for us.

It was just like in the movies. He took me under the Ferris wheel. Benjamin clapped his hands, and by some miracle, the entire Ferris wheel lit up with a display of words that read, "Happy Birthday, Juliette."

At that moment, I knew that money had made it all possible.

Nevertheless, I was deeply moved.

It was a gesture that touched my heart more than 150 thousand dollars ever could.

I remembered when I was younger, someone had promised to light up the Ferris wheel for me on my birthday.

I looked forward to that for my birthday, but the promise had never followed through.

Years later, while browsing through a store, I saw a Ferris wheel night light. Upon pressing a button, a series of small lights would illuminate.

The night lamp was quite expensive for me then, but I bought it without hesitation.

Whenever I lit it up in the dark, it made me feel like the wish from my childhood had come true.

It was a mystery to me when Benjamin noticed that night light, and why he offered to fulfill my wish.

Anyway, I was immensely grateful to him.

I fought back my tears with all my might and said to him sincerely, "Thank you."

Benjamin was surprised by my reaction. He chuckled as he looked at me. "Shall we take a ride on the Ferris wheel together?"

Sadly, fate had other plans. Just as I was about to ride the Ferris wheel with Benjamin, Benjamin received a call from Closetta, and his expression changed.

Although I could not hear the conversation, it was clear that something urgent had come up. Benjamin looked at me with a grave look. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to ride the Ferris wheel alone. Something came up with Closie, and I need to see her."

Despite the disappointment, I nodded understandingly and encouraged him to go.

Benjamin hurried left, and I boarded the Ferris wheel coach alone.

The night sky was clear and the moon hung bright in its full moon phase.

As I sat alone on the Ferris wheel, I was overcome with loneliness. Although I had envisioned myself riding the Ferris wheel alone countless times before.

In my imagination, I walked in the wind, and behind me was a full moon.

I thought it would be as romantic and aesthetic as ET riding a bicycle to the moon.

But when it really happened, I only felt a sense of fear and unease being high up alone in the sky.

I couldn't help thinking what I should do if I was stranded halfway up the ride.

If so, it might become a top trending topic on Twitter the next day, with headlines reading something like "Benjamin's ex-love Juliette left hanging upside down from the Ferris wheel." And this thought was enough to make me lose any desire to stay on the ride any longer.

Besides, I did not feel comfortable sitting on the Ferris wheel at all. I felt foolish and exposed to the cold night wind.

Thanks to Benjamin, I had a glorious birthday, though it was possibly marred by a cold.

I wondered if this counted as a work-related injury.