Chapter 2
After Bonny said that, Charles immediately started to freak out.
He said, "Babe, of course I pick you.
"It's totally innocent between Yancy and me. We're just friends.
"He's seriously just my childhood buddy.
"Yancy, help me out and explain to my girlfriend."
His whole tough CEO act totally fell apart.
After a flurry of explanations from Yancy and Charles, things finally made sense.
There was no so-called "bro-girl" who was trying to steal Charles.
Muffin was Yancy all along. He'd had a cat named Muffin for years, so that's what he used as his username and profile pic.
Charles and Yancy grew up next door to each other. Yancy's family was gone, so Charles, as the older guy, just naturally took care of him more.
None of them expected such innocent brotherly vibes to twist so badly, nearly breaking Charles and Bonny up over a total misunderstanding.
Charles was frantically trying to calm Bonny down, and soon enough, they were all lovey-dovey again, wrapped up in each other as they left.
Before heading out, just to keep their relationship drama-free, they left Yancy, who could barely take care of himself, in my care.
Bonny's eyes shimmered as she blinked at me. She said, "Grace, Yancy's so pitiful."
The chill around Charles was palpable; he was back to being the icy CEO straight out of a finance magazine.
He said, "Grace, for the sake of Bonny and me, you're gonna help take care of Yancy, right?"
I replied, "Absolutely, no problem. Guess I'm your official love security guard."
I watched them walk away, agreeing without a second thought, but forcing a smile the whole time.
As soon as Charles and Bonny left, Yancy held up a WhatsApp QR code right in front of my face.
He said, "Here's my WhatsApp, Grace."
I honestly thought the whole "taking care of Yancy" thing was just for show.
I mean, Yancy might live alone, but come on, he was a full-grown adult, six feet tall and everything.
But literally the day after we swapped WhatsApp info, I got a text from Yancy asking for help.
Yancy texted: [Grace, can you come over today? I want to bathe Muffin, but I need help.
[Here's my location.]
I replied: [I'm stuck at work. Can't you drop Muffin off at the pet shop?]
Yancy replied: [I'll wait for you.]
I texted: [How about we do it another day?]
Yancy replied: [Charles has made me wait for half a month already.]
In the end, I resigned myself to being Charles and Bonny's relationship guardian and promised Yancy I'd come over after work.
By the time I finally got out of work, it was already 9 PM.
Yancy lived in a villa up in the hillside community, and by the time I finally made it there, it was almost 10.
I pressed the doorbell, totally wiped out.
The door swung open, and I just stood there, jaw on the floor, staring at Yancy, who was decked out like an astronaut.
Was this some rich-people dress-up game?
Yancy awkwardly scratched at the top of his astronaut helmet, looking a bit embarrassed.
He said, "Sorry for making you come over so late. I already finished the bath, but I might need your help getting out of this suit."
Did I just walk into some wild drama?
So the first thing I was supposed to do was help him undress? Was this how things started here?
Sure, Yancy was easy on the eyes and looked pretty fit, but still, I hadn't even had my first boyfriend yet. This was moving way too fast.
As I sized him up, trying to figure out what was going on, I saw his face turn bright red as he hurried to explain.
He stammered, "I-It's not what you think. I'm allergic to cat fur."
After hearing his explanation, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd been too obvious, making me seem like a villain lusting after a decent man.
Yancy had all the cleaning gear at home, so I helped him get cleaned up and out of his suit. Even then, he couldn't stop sneezing.
Just as he was sneezing, my stomach let out a loud growl.
We both laughed together, and the awkward vibe between us totally disappeared.
Yancy asked, "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"Fairies don't need food," I replied, already packing up to head home.
If it weren't for him, I'd already be home, fed, and crashed on the couch.
Yancy asked, "Well, do fairies eat noodles?"
His voice had that mischievous, almost enchanting vibe, like a fairy trying to cast a spell.
My stomach growled again, basically answering for me.
I tossed my bag down and said, "Of course."
I told myself that since I had helped out, food was my payment. No way I was skipping this.
Yancy's cooking totally blew me away. It was way better than I ever expected.
That bowl of plain noodles was so good that I devoured it like I hadn't eaten in days.
I said, "I always thought rich boys like you never even set foot in a kitchen, but wow, you can actually cook?"
"Guess I'm just one of a kind," Yancy replied, his tone playful.
His eyes held a smile; his beautiful gaze was utterly captivating.
He was as gorgeous as a fox spirit.
I immediately ducked my head into my bowl of noodles, hoping he wouldn't notice how flustered I was.