13 A New admirer

Gemma's POV.

Over the next few days, I stop going to the coffee shop to buy coffee. Instead, it's delivered to me by the shop's staff, the hot young guy with the eyebrow piercing.

From the moment he appears at the entrance of the hall to the short but very visible path leading to my workstation, Jacob holds the coffee cup and stares at me unblinkingly, his gaze as precise and intense as a heat-seeking missile.

He places the coffee down without saying anything and then turns to leave.

However, some colleagues half-jokingly ask, "Gemma, that guy seems to like you?"

I insert the straw into the cup, pretending not to care, and reply, "Really? I didn't notice."

My colleague's response is firm, "Why else would he always be the one delivering your coffee?"

"Actually, we don't really know each other well," I say, feigning modesty as I touch my hair. "Recently, he's been saying he wants to take me out for dinner and has even given me flowers. It's a bit embarrassing."

Others perk up their ears. "Dinner and flowers? He definitely wants to pursue you!"

I press my lips together theatrically, "Impossible. Look at our age difference!"

They try to persuade me, "These days, dating younger men are popular, and you're good-looking. You two actually make a great match."

I wave them off dramatically, "Ugh, he says the same thing, but I just can't accept the idea of dating a younger man... Forget it, I'll just focus on work."

By the end of the day, even the company janitor knows that Jacob is pursuing me.

I grab my bag to head home and see the rumored male lead in the alley. He's wearing a hoodie, his hands in his pockets, with a few unruly strands of hair peeking out from under the hood.

He was idly kicking a small stone on the ground, but when he sees me, he quickly walks over, extending one hand out of his pocket, palm up, right in front of me.

I grip my bag strap, look around, and whisper, "Did anyone see you?"

"No," Jacob replies impatiently, "Give me the money."

I open my bag and pull out some cash. "Continue next week, got it? But can you at least show some emotion when you come to see me? Would it kill you to smile?"

Jacob isn't listening at all. He takes the money with his index and middle fingers, folds it twice, and stuffs it into his pants pocket. "Shut up, old woman."

"Who are you calling old woman?" I swing my bag at him.

But he's faster at turning away, and I only manage to hit the air.

As expected, the rumor reaches Luke's ears as well.

Following Charlotte's advice, I've been trying to avoid seeing Luke these days, mainly to help the rumor spread while also avoiding the risk of my poor acting giving me away.

And we really haven't seen each other much—he's been on a business trip, too.

Even though I followed the plan, I'm still uneasy because if I don't reach out to Luke, he doesn't contact me either.

"Do you think this might backfire?" I worry, "What if he actually believes the rumors, thinks I'm cheating, and dumps me in a fit of anger? What should I do?"

"Gemma Dawson, Show some self-respect, okay? Are all the men in the world dead? If he leaves you, just find another one," Charlotte sighs.

"I like him!" I raise my eyebrows.

"What exactly do you like about him?" Charlotte asks, puzzled.

"I like him because... he's Luke," I give a simple yet meaningful answer.

Because he's Luke Shaw, that's all.

Even though I've been avoiding Luke, we finally meet again—after he returns from his business trip.

He asks me to come to his office to give him a work report.

Luke: "Long time no see."

Me: "I've been a bit busy lately."

Luke: "I heard it. you've been quite busy indeed."

Me: "Heard about what?"

Luke: "For example, something about you and a coffee shop employee."

I secretly feel delighted but still put on a pretense of defending myself: "Don't listen to those people's gossip. They're too nosy and are just making stuff up."

Luke: "Oh."

There is no emotion in this "oh."

I smile slightly and turn to walk into the lobby.

During lunch break, Jacob shows up again. This time, he follows my instructions and smiles. Though his smile is rather mechanical, with only his mouth moving while his eyes remain unaffected.

"He looks familiar," Luke says, suddenly appearing in the lobby, standing by the water cooler.

Despite his age, the treasurer still has a keen sense for gossip. "Boss, he's the employee from the café next door."

"They offer delivery services now?" Luke asks.

"I heard... well, just heard," the treasurer glances at me at my workstation before leaning closer to Luke's ear. "They say this guy has a thing for our salesperson Gemma. He's trying to pursue her, and now the whole staff knows about it..."

"Oh." Luke's second "oh" is even quieter.

I smile slightly because this time, Jacob doesn't just bring coffee; he also brings a teddy bear. This seems like an official confession.

Even though I don't turn my head, I can still see, in the empty lobby, a subtle flash of white light on Luke's glasses.

After work, when Luke rings my doorbell, I'm delighted. The plan worked.

What will he do? Will he lift my chin with one hand, narrow his eyes dangerously, and say, "Is that guy better-looking than me?"

Or will he hold my hand and sincerely plead, "Gemma, give me another chance."

Or perhaps, Luke will tear off my clothes and roar, "How dare you betray me? Today, I'll show you who really owns you!"

The more I think about it, the happier I get. I quickly run to open the door. But when I open it, the first thing he says is, "Let's break up."

"What?" I think I misheard him.

"Let's break up," Luke repeats.

"Why?" I'm stunned.

"Because from what's been happening recently, it seems your heart is no longer with me," Luke responds calmly.

"You're slandering me!" I'm furious.

"If that's not true, then why were you so happy about someone else's confession?" Luke asks.

"I wasn't happy," I grit my teeth.

"This afternoon, when that employee confessed to you in public, the way you looked at him was truly passionate," Luke adds to the accusation.

"I wasn't!" I feel wronged.

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to strangle Jacob. I had checked prices online beforehand, then gave him the money to buy the teddy bear. But he deliberately bought a small-sized bear instead of a medium one and pocketed the difference!

But Luke doesn't listen to my explanation, "Ever since Jacob showed interest in you, you've hardly contacted me. This suggests you no longer have feelings for me but feel guilty about breaking up, so you've been suffering in silence. Although I'm reluctant to let you go, it's better to set you free at this point... So, Gemma, I'll let you go to find your true love."

Luke turns to leave. I panic, not even thinking, and take two steps forward to hug him.

"Everything was Charlotte's idea! That guy has no feelings for me at all. I did this on purpose to make you think he's your rival, so you'd care about me more!"

As soon as I finish speaking, I fall silent because I notice Luke's body is shaking—shaking with silent laughter.

"You tricked me!" I push him away, but because of our difference in weight, I end up stumbling back a half step.

"You tricked me first," Luke says, turning to look at me.

I open my mouth, but words get stuck in my throat. In the end, I turn away in defeat and throw myself onto the couch, facing the back of it.

"Are you angry?" Luke asks, standing beside the couch, his voice above me.

I grab a cushion and cover my head with it. A few seconds later, I sit up abruptly, gasping for breath, and look at him with a resentful gaze. "You really don't care about me at all."

I'm busy too, you know? Working every day, paying off loans—it's already tough. On top of that, I have to play mind games and act for a man.

"Forget it, just leave," I wave my hand dismissively.

Luke does walk to the door as I told him to, but then he stops, closes the door, and walks back.

He sits down next to me. "Before you started dating me, you should have known what kind of person I am."

I glance sideways at him. "You mean, I willingly fell into your trap?"

"I mean, maybe you kind of like this heartless side of me," Luke says as he reaches out to fix my hair.

I pull away from his hand, leaning back with one hand propped on the couch for support. "But I can't feel that you care about me."

To be honest, I don't like Luke's eyes because they rarely show me what I'm looking for.

Luke's hand keeps reaching out, continuing to smooth my hair. I lean back further until my back is pressed against the armrest of the couch. There's no more room to retreat.

In the next second, Luke wraps one arm around my waist, pulling me back, while his other hand holds the back of my neck. His lips come closer.

His lips are warm and soft, like a gentle breeze. Suddenly, a bud blooms in my heart, slowly awakening.

Luke's lips leave mine and trail down to my neck, kissing every inch of skin. The bud opens a little more.

I let myself fall back onto the couch, with Luke on top of me, continuing to kiss down my body, following its contours.

Even though many places are covered by fabric, I can still feel the heat of Luke's lips.

The flower is about to bloom.

One of Luke's hands supports his body, while the other pins my wrists to my chest. I keep my eyes open, watching as Luke's head moves downward, out of my line of sight.

When his lips reach just below my belly, I can't hold back any longer. My body trembles slightly, caught between pain and pleasure.

It's like a flower swaying in the breeze.

And then, just the next moment, Luke stops.

"Do you like me, Gemma?" he asks.

I nod.

"Why?" Luke asks, "Why do you like me?"

"Because you're Luke," I answer for the second time.

"But what if I weren't Luke?" Luke asks. "Maybe I'm not the Luke you imagine. Would you still like me then?"

"Everyone is different from what others imagine," I raise my eyebrows. "Believe me, no one understands that better than I do."

Luke looks at me, and his eyes seem to shimmer as if with unspoken emotion.

"Now it's my turn to ask you something." I sit up.

The room falls silent for a couple of seconds.

I take a deep breath and grab a cushion, holding it to my chest. "Be honest with me. Since we've been together, am I the only woman in your life?"

"Yes," Luke answers without hesitation.

I throw the cushion aside and start kissing his face all over, in a messy, uncoordinated way, like an animal marking its territory.

He wraps his arm around my back, keeping me from falling off the couch.

After a while, I hang onto his neck, our noses touching.

At some point, I feel a warm sensation spreading from my lower abdomen.

Am I... aroused? No, that warm sensation seems to be too much for that.

Suddenly, I break away from Luke, jump off him, and run into the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" Luke asks from outside.

I sit on the toilet for a moment, then stand up and look at the long streak of blood inside. I suddenly realize with despair that my plan to seduce Luke will have to wait.

"I'm fine," I say when I come out of the bathroom.

"You look a bit pale," he says, watching me closely.

I clutch my stomach. "My period just started."