"Zoe, do you like me?"

All of a sudden, he grabbed my neck. I was overwhelmed.

Henry actually asked me if I liked him?

Before I could respond, he grabbed me by the waist.

I was like a salted fish on a chopping block.

He was in control of me.

But the remaining rationality in my mind told me that he was my...

I cannot let him know that I like him!

Woo woo woo...

Damn it...

His pleasant voice entered my ears again.

"I guess not. Or you won't be thinking for so long."

He tucked my messy hair behind my ears.

"Zoe, what kind of man do you like?"

I was speechless.

I like men like him.

I was drunk. And I didn't know if I said that.

My brain and body were both out of control.

But what was he doing to me?

The moon was hanging high up in the sky, and the sound of raindrops hitting the green plants came from outside the window.

I thought I heard my mother's voice.

…

When I woke up, it was already noon the next day.

I went downstairs and saw my mother drinking coffee in the living room. Henry wasn't around.

I walked to her and sat down, calling in a soft voice, "Mom."

She put down the cup and looked at me. "Oh, let me look at you."

"You look good. Henry has taken good care of you recently."

When I heard my mother mention Henry's name, I felt a little guilty and did not dare to look her in the eye.

I couldn't help but touch my neck. I applied some concealer. Mom shouldn't have noticed anything.

Fortunately, my mother's attention was not on me. Instead, she showed me the gifts.

It was two blue neckties.

"This one is for you. And this one is for Henry. Bring it to him."

I couldn't help but think that Henry and I were walking on the street in couple's clothes...

No way!

What was I thinking?

Later, I saw Henry in the garden.

He was in a white shirt and leather overalls, watering the lawn with a water pipe.

The autumn sun was not as dazzling as it was in summer. But it was warm.

Under the sunlight, the water droplets all over the sky formed brilliant rainbows.

I could hear my heart thumping.

I turned around and ran away and asked the maid to hand the gift to him.

I drove my Beetle away from home without bringing any luggage.

...

After hiding for a few days, Henry came to my apartment.

Looking at him standing at the door, I put the chicken wing behind my back.

I was not sure if I wanted to share my chicken with him.

Mom would never allow me to eat fast food at home.

I stumbled and asked him, "What are you ding here?"

He walked straight in and carried me to the porch with one hand.

Then he locked the door and asked, "Why aren't you wearing shoes?"

I looked down at my bare feet.

I immediately went to the door just now, so I forgot.

I sat on the cabinet and shook my feet.

He helped me get my slippers, squatted down, and pulled my feet over to put them on.

His palm was warm, and my cold feet suddenly warmed up.

"What...what...what do you want to do?"

I wanted to go down. The entrance is too high. I didn't feel safe.

He carried me directly to the sofa.

"Your mother asked me to take care of you. If you don't want to go home, I can only come here."

I turned my head guiltily. It wasn't that I didn't want to go home, but I didn't know how to face him.

I was hesitating, but suddenly, I saw that his cheeks were also red.

The red mark looked like a palm print, as if it had been slapped.

I quickly put down the chicken wing in my hand, took off my gloves, and held his face up.

"What's wrong with your face? Someone slapped you? What happened?"

He grabbed my hand and held it in his palm.

"You don't want to see me anyway. Why would you care?"

My heart felt like it was being blocked, and my eyes gradually turned red.

He...

Was it my mom?

Was it because he failed to take care of me? Or did she know something?

I sobbed and said, "I'll go back with you. I'll be a good girl."

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore.

Henry had to coax me for a long time before I stopped crying.

It started to rain. So we didn't leave.

There was only one bedroom in the apartment.

Because I'd changed the secondary bedroom to the study...

I hugged the spare quilt and stammered, "Well... I'm sorry, but you have to sleep on the sofa..."

I couldn't share my bed with him.

Last time we were drunk. But now, we were perfectly sober.

He raised his chin and motioned for me to give him the quilt. Then, he casually threw it on the sofa.

Suddenly, he reached out to cover his handsome face.

"Zoe, do you have any medicine? I feel like my face is swollen. It hurts."

His lazy voice was fascinating.

He raised his hand and knocked on my forehead. "Zoe, what are you thinking?"

I covered my forehead and rummaged through the cupboards for the first aid kit.

He said that his hand was also in pain and asked me to help him apply the medicine.

Huh?

Why didn't his hand hurt when he picked me up with one hand just now?

Seeing that I didn't want to help him, he looked at me with puppy eyes.

"Zoe, you little heartless one. Whom did I suffer this for?"

"Okay, okay, I'll do it..."

I couldn't bear him looking at me that way. I pulled my upper body away from him and applied the ointment on his wound.

His wound would have healed if I was a bit slower.

…

The next day, I received an invitation for a date.

It was a boy that my classmate introduced to me last time.

I was too embarrassed to refuse, so I decided to meet him. It was just a formality.

After dressing up, I remembered that Henry was still there, and he had made a rich lunch for me.

His gaze drifted to my bag. The glasses reflected the light, so I couldn't see the emotions in his eyes clearly.

He raised his eyebrows at me and said, "You're going out."

His tone was indifferent, but somehow I felt a little scared.

I replied awkwardly, "Well, I'm going to see a friend. I won't have breakfast... Enjoy by yourself... And you can go back. I guess I will go back at night."

As soon as I put on one of my high heels, I felt a warm breath behind me.

"Zoe, who are you dressing up for? And you are going back only at night?"

I turned around. Henry was so close that I could see his eyelashes.