Chapter 2

"You're done already? Is this all you own?" I asked him.

"I don't have much," he replied.

That was the first time he'd ever spoken to me. His voice, which should've been cool and distant, came out soft and almost syrupy.

He kept his eyes lowered, walking behind me like a stray that had been abandoned too many times.

-

I brought Ben home with me.

The moment we stepped inside, I immediately pushed him into the bathroom.

"Take a good shower. Look at your hair."

I reached out and ruffled his hair. Thankfully, it wasn't too greasy. I kind of envied people who could go days without washing their hair and still not have it turn oily.

But Ben just stood there, helplessly staring at me.

His gaze was so pure and innocent that it made me feel like I was at fault no matter what happened between us.

I sighed and waved him on.

"Look at this switch. Turn it on, and the water will come out… Turn it to the left for hot water, and right for cold. You can tell the difference, right?"

Finally, I got him into the bathroom. As I sank into the couch, I could hear the sound of running water.

It felt like I had just bought myself a whole lot of trouble.

He showered quickly, probably because he'd already cleaned up earlier. There weren't any major issues, just that he flooded the bathroom with water. It was like a mini pool there.

When he opened the door, though...

His face was surprisingly handsome. If it weren't for his lack of intelligence, I bet girls would line up from my house to Selena's just to get his attention.

I admired him carefully—his jawline, collarbone, abs... and then I stopped myself.

"Where are your clothes?!"

I had caught sight of some things that were definitely too much for me to be looking at, so I quickly grabbed a pillow to hide my face.

I heard his cautious voice.

"They got wet."

"Even if they're wet, you need to put your clothes on first!"

-

Ben seemed to be terrified of the sound of the hairdryer.

When I tried drying his hair, he kept dodging me.

He even shook his head, splattering water all over me.

I gave him a light tap on the head.

Immediately, he lowered his eyes and obediently stayed still.

As I gently rubbed his damp black hair, I noticed a scar on the back of his neck. It looked like a pretty deep wound.

I couldn't help but wonder how he got it.

I was drying his hair, getting it halfway dry, when the doorbell rang.

I set the hairdryer down and went to open the door. Oh, of course, it was my dear sister—the one who had stolen my eleventh boyfriend.

"Jennifer, I heard you got your heart broken. You must be so upset. Oh, who's this?"

Before I could even invite her in, she darted inside, her eyes landing on Ben sitting on the couch.

"My new boyfriend."

I smiled thinly, even though my heart wasn't in it. The hairdryer was still buzzing.

By the time I turned to switch it off, Selena had already leaned down, getting way too close to Ben.

Probably not used to being so close to a stranger, Ben suddenly recoiled.

He furrowed his brows, his eyes wide with fear and uncertainty, and anyone could feel it.

Without thinking, I rushed forward and positioned myself between them, blocking Selena's view.

Selena laughed playfully.

"Wow, Jennifer, your taste has really changed. You're into handsome idiots now?"

For some reason, I didn't like hearing Ben being called an "idiot".

So, I gave her a push and urged her to leave.

"It's none of your business, is it? If you came to see me, you've seen enough. Now leave."

Selena, of course, was exactly how she'd always been. From childhood until now, no word described her better than "pick-me".