Chapter 4

I kept my head down as I dabbed iodine on Ryan's wound. "Don't bother picking up the broken glass. I'll sweep it up later.

"If it hurts, let me know. The cut's pretty deep, so it'll take a few days to heal. Try not to get it wet for now, alright?"

I kept talking, but he didn't say a word. When I looked up, I saw him staring at my phone, lost in thought, but his expression was almost fierce.

I waved my hand in front of his face. "Hey, are you listening?"

"Yeah. It's nothing but a little cut," he snapped out of it and replied, meeting my gaze.

I picked up the bandage and started wrapping it around his wound.

He looked a bit hesitant and asked, "Was that your boyfriend from overseas who called you? Look, foreign guys are only good for a short while. You'd be better off finding someone local."

I shot back without thinking, "Yeah, but at least they're hot."

"You can't think like that," he said, sounding a bit anxious. "What if you end up marrying someone so far away, and he doesn't treat you right? You need to think this through."

I finished wrapping the bandage and secured it. Then I asked, "Who are you to say all this to me?"

"I... We've known each other for so many years. I'm older than you, so I'm pretty much like a brother to you. Of course, I have the right to say this."

I watched him try to act like he didn't care and couldn't help but say, "If you don't want to smile, then don't. Your smile looks worse than if you were crying."

He forced himself to stand up, stormed into his room, and slammed the door shut.

I smiled, now more sure than ever that Ryan loved me. But I couldn't get the whole thing with him and Lily out of my head.

*****

A few days later, everyone in our high school group chat was talking about a reunion. The organizer must've heard I was back and tagged me, refusing to let me skip out.

At Grandview Residences, I stared at the message and pretended I hadn't seen it.

Ryan walked over with a plate of food and asked, "So, are you going to the high school reunion?"

"Aren't you going?" I asked.

Honestly, I wasn't feeling it at all. Then, the comments started popping up again.

[The female lead has to go. If she doesn't, how's she supposed to have that long-awaited reunion with the male lead?]

[Too bad for the second male lead. He barely gets any screen time.]

[No worries. The male lead and female lead are way more fun to ship anyway.]

I was confused. So the male lead, my supposed "Mr. Right," was one of my old high school classmates? I started guessing who it could be, but I didn't notice the uneasy look on Ryan's face.

He stopped serving food and said, "The reunion isn't really worth it. Why not skip it?

"It's all about a bunch of people sitting around, bragging about how amazing their lives are now. You always hate these kinds of gatherings, don't you?"

He stared at me with a pleading look in his eyes, clearly worried I'd say yes.

I'd never seen Ryan like this before, and it made me want to tease him. I leaned in with a smile and asked, "You really don't want me to go, huh?"

"I'm worried your dad will track you down and drag you back to get married. We've known each other for years. How could I stand watching you end up with some old creep?"

His excuse was lame. I was determined to get the real reason out of him today.

I shot back, "It's a reunion, nothing to worry about. Besides, I haven't seen my old classmates in forever. I kind of miss everyone."

"Don't go," he blurted, clearly agitated.

"Huh?"

Ryan caught himself, realizing he'd lost his cool. After a long, awkward silence, he finally muttered, "It's a bad luck day for going out. You shouldn't risk it."

I stared at him, totally confused. "What?"

He doubled down, sounding more serious. "Yeah, that's right. It's a bad luck day. If you go out, you'll run into trouble."

He was really stretching it now, so I cut to the chase. "Are you worried I'll run into someone?"

He looked like he was about to say something, but then a phone call stopped him.

It was Lily, her voice all sugary as she said, "Ryan, let's go to the reunion together, okay?"

Ryan's tone turned cold again. "I'm not going."

"Why not? It's been ages since we last saw each other. Don't you miss me at all?"

Ryan looked up at me. I'd already put down my fork and was watching him from the moment Lily started talking, and now our eyes locked, neither of us looking away.

He'd always had a thing for me, and back when we were younger, he used to get all insecure about it.

I couldn't help staring at those cold, tempting lips of his, and the only thought in my head was: I wanted to kiss him. If I'd known he was into me four years ago, I would've made him mine.

Lily was still chattering away on the phone, nagging him for an answer. I frowned, not wanting him to say a single word to her.

Feeling bold, I leaned in and gave his lips a quick peck. His eyes went wide in shock. I pulled back a little, but he couldn't stop himself. He leaned in after me.

I turned my head enough to dodge his kiss. "Ryan, you love me," I said firmly instead of asking him about it.

I kissed the little mole on his chin, giving him a tempting offer. "Tell me, and I'll let you kiss me."

His face was burning red, and his earlobes were a deep, blood-red. His eyes were wet and glistening, exactly the way he looked that night after touching himself.

I rubbed his earlobe roughly between my fingers. "If you don't say it, fine."

I was about to get up, but he suddenly grabbed me and pulled me into his arms.

"I love you, Emily. I've loved you for so long," he admitted.