In a low, husky voice, he murmured, “Don’t look at me like that, Viola.”
…
After that night, my relationship with Eason was in this vague, unspoken limbo.
One evening, we were snuggled on the couch, watching a movie. I picked something at random without much thought.
On the projector, the characters started getting more intimate, their soft moans filling the quiet room, making everything feel oddly charged.
I used the excuse of needing to use the bathroom but ended up bumping into Eason's chest as he stood up abruptly.
His eyes seemed deeper, more intense.
“You...”
“I’m just going to the bathroom,” I said, and quickly went in.
As I closed the door, I glanced back and saw Eason’s ears were red, his eyes cast down, focused on something.
Later, around ten, I was lying in bed, restless and unable to sleep.
With my mind racing, I was sweating despite the covers.
I decided to get up for another shower.
As I opened the bathroom door, I saw Eason coming out.
Before I could say anything, he said, “It’s a bit warm in here, so I took a shower.”
I just said, “Oh,” and went inside.
When I turned on the shower, the cold water hit me hard, making me gasp.
Is he really turning the water down to freezing?
…
The next day, I was inevitably late for work.
The whole day, I was distracted, my mind constantly circling back to thoughts of Eason. I felt like something was off with me, and there was a strange itch I couldn't quite scratch.
It seemed I must have gone a little crazy to be so drawn to my best friend Demi's younger brother. Otherwise, why would I be feeling this way?
Well, if it comes to it and I end up marrying Eason, I could always forgo asking Demi for a wedding gift.
As I was lost in thought, a colleague walked in and said, “Miss Green, your boyfriend is waiting for you at the school gate.”
I almost instinctively thought it was Eason.
With a mix of hope and urgency, I rushed outside.
But when I saw Luther, I realized just how mistaken I had been.
Eason and I hadn’t even defined our relationship. So how could Luther claim to be my boyfriend?
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
Ignoring my irritation, Luther grabbed my hand and tried to pull me towards his car.
I raised my hand to slap him, but he pushed me against the car, saying, “If you don’t want your colleagues to find out how messy your private life is, including your involvement with a U of T boy, get in the car now!”