Ryan did not say anything else. He held my hand tightly on the way back, his warmth radiating through his palm.
When we reached my door, he did not come inside the house. Before leaving, however, he said, “I feel like I really like you. I want to keep you close.
“Get some rest. As for the lies, don’t tell your mom yet. I’ll figure something out with you, so she doesn’t get too upset.
“Oh, and… take care. I’m looking forward to seeing you next time.”
Ryan’s face flushed red, and my heart inexplicably raced faster.
That expression, that feeling of being cared for and looked after in every way–it was something I never found with Ethan.
I recognized it, however–Ryan’s feelings for me were exactly like mine for Ethan back then.
The heaviness from my emotional wounds lifted slightly as I turned and walked inside.
Then, a familiar voice sounded from behind my mother.
Ethan stood there, one hand in the pocket of his tailored slacks, his usual confident figure turning toward me.
“Back from your blind date, Claire?”
My heart leaped to my throat.
I tensed up, staring at Ethan, who had followed me here. My mother turned first and said, her tone unreadable,
. Claire, your senior classmate says he’s here to help you finish your thesis revisions.
“Is your school that strict? Didn’t you tell your ‘senior‘ about your upcoming wedding?”
I glanced coldly at Ethan, unsure what he was playing at.
He ignored my mother, stepped past her, and grabbed my shoulder, his slender fingers pressing down as he grinned.
