I went out to dinner with my boyfriend and ran into a pretty girl. She stood timidly by our table: "Professor Thorne, can I sit with you guys?" My boyfriend frowned: "Can't you read the room?" Tears welled up in the girl's eyes as she silently went to sit at a table nearby. Halfway through the meal, I ran into her again outside the restroom. Dropping her timid act, she looked at me with absolute certainty and said, "I bet you I can steal your boyfriend in three months. Believe me?" 01 Just looking at her, the girl was cute and petite. But the words coming out of her mouth were obnoxious and bratty. She lifted her chin, her round eyes flashing with a cunning light. I silently finished washing my hands, and as I walked out of the restroom, I threw one sentence over my shoulder: "He doesn't like you." As I stepped into the hallway, I heard her excited declaration behind me. "Just because he doesn't like me now doesn't mean he never will! Just wait and see!" Back at the table, I looked up at Ethan Thorne sitting across from me. He was wearing a suit and rimless glasses, looking refined and handsome. True to his profession as a college professor, every gesture he made exuded a gentle, intellectual charm. Seeing me return, he gave me a warm smile and slid a plate in front of me. "I cut your steak for you." I hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help bringing it up. "Ethan, that girl from earlier—" "She's a psycho. Don't pay any attention to her," he cut me off directly. "Is she... a colleague of yours?" "How is that possible? She only has an associate's degree." "Then how do you know each other?" "She just suddenly started showing up at my lectures at the university, saying she wanted to 'improve herself'—" As he spoke, Ethan looked at me teasingly, "What, are you jealous?" "She likes you," I said with certainty. Ethan got up from his seat and sat down next to me. He put his arm around my shoulders and comforted me gently, "Don't worry about it. I have absolutely zero interest in that crazy girl." I gave a slight nod. 02 A week later. Coming home from work, I saw the girl again at the entrance to my apartment complex. She was wearing a pale yellow sundress, her hair in pigtails, batting her big, innocent eyes. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Chloe, Ethan Thorne's next girlfriend." I had never met anyone so brazen. Or, more accurately, so shameless. How could a girl so confidently declare her intention to steal someone else's boyfriend? "He doesn't like you." I repeated my stance once again. "Let's put it this way: there hasn't been a man I, Chloe, couldn't conquer in three months." She looked incredibly arrogant. "I've set my sights on Ethan Thorne. I will definitely pluck that 'unreachable flower' for myself." "Stealing someone else's boyfriend... have you no shame?!" For the first time in my life, I, known for my good temper, swore at someone. "Oh, is big sister mad?" Chloe blinked. "Didn't you say he doesn't like me? Why are you so nervous?" "I just don't like your behavior." I said sternly. "Ethan doesn't like your type; you can't steal him away." "I know. He likes gentle, sensible girls like you! Immature and rebellious girls like me aren't his type." She shrugged. "Don't worry, I'll transform into exactly the kind of girl he likes very soon." "Ethan Thorne isn't like you. He has morals and self-control. He won't fall for you," I enunciated every word. "How about this? Let's make a bet," she said with a beaming smile. "I heard you two have a great relationship, he spoils you, and you're already planning to get married. And, from what I know, you haven't even moved in together yet. You're a traditional girl, haven't crossed that final line with him yet, right? I bet you, within three months, I will definitely sleep with him. Do you dare to take the bet?" "Psycho." I walked past her and headed straight into the complex. "Why do you both love saying that word? Is that how 'refined' people curse?" She chuckled behind me. "I sent you a friend request on Snapchat. Accept it so I can update you on our progress anytime." 03 Not long after I got home, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find Ethan standing there with groceries. He headed straight for the kitchen, just like always. "You watch TV; I'll make dinner." Ethan is a great cook. As long as he doesn't have an evening class, he comes straight to my place after work to cook for me. After dinner, we'd cuddle on the couch, watch TV, and chat. Sometimes, I'd go to the study to catch up on work, and he'd stick right by my side, reading a book. Occasionally, when we felt like it, we'd hold hands and go for a walk by the river, or catch a movie. We are both introverted and dislike loud, crowded places. Our days together were simple, but very warm. We had been dating for over half a year, and Ethan was flawless in every way. He had a mild temper and had never once lost it in front of me. He was considerate and took great care of me. When I was on my period, he'd make me ginger tea with brown sugar. He didn't let me set an alarm; instead, he'd call me every morning exactly on time to wake me up. He cooked, cleaned, and did a lot of the housework. On top of that, he graduated from an Ivy League school, was knowledgeable and talented, and worked as a college professor. Sometimes, I felt like his wealth of knowledge was astounding. No matter what I asked him, he always had an answer. I like photography, and when I was buying a camera, he actually gave me professional advice. Once, we were watching a medical drama on TV. He chuckled and shook his head, critiquing it: "So unprofessional. Not even holding the scalpel right." "You know that too?" I turned to look at him in surprise. "I've seen it enough times to know," he said nonchalantly. I stared at him earnestly, my eyes full of admiration: "Ethan Thorne, is there anything you don't know?" He thought for a moment, then sighed playfully: "Life is hard; you gotta have many skills." Ethan Thorne was the perfect boyfriend many girls dreamed of. We had always gotten along perfectly. Last month, he proposed to me. "Isn't it a bit fast?" I was a little surprised. He held me tightly: "Maya, I can't wait to marry you." "We haven't even met each other's parents yet." "Then, for Thanksgiving, we'll go meet them. My family first, then yours, okay?" "How about Christmas?" I hesitated. "Thanksgiving is only two months away. It feels too rushed; I'm not mentally prepared yet." Ethan let out a soft sigh, his tone helpless but accommodating: "Alright, whatever you want." 04 For dinner, Ethan made a lavish spread of three dishes and a soup, all my favorite flavors. After we ate, he washed the dishes. Then we watched TV together on the couch. The male and female leads in the romance drama embraced and kissed sweetly; even the air seemed filled with pink bubbles. Caught up in the atmosphere, Ethan turned to look at me, his eyes flickering with intense desire. He pulled my head toward him and gently kissed my forehead first. Then, his mouth slowly moved down. When I felt his hand about to slip under my shirt, I pushed him away. I hugged myself, looking down, my tone full of self-blame: "I'm sorry, Ethan, I just can't accept this yet—" Ethan took a few heavy breaths. After a moment, he actually chuckled lightly: "It's okay, Maya. I got carried away. I promised I wouldn't touch you until we were married. I lost control." I sobbed softly: "I know, I'm just too traditional. In today's society, it's totally normal for couples to sleep together. But I just can't get past that mental hurdle. If we're not legally married, I really can't cross that line. Maybe there's something wrong with me!" "No, there is nothing wrong with you." Ethan gently pulled me into a hug. "It's good for a girl to respect herself; you're protecting yourself. I'm so happy and lucky to have met a girl as rare and precious as you. I will hold you in the palm of my hand and cherish you like a treasure." Ethan looked at me with deep affection, the burning intensity in his eyes so strong it felt like it could incinerate me. Just as I was about to crumble under his intense gaze, his phone rang. "Answer it," I reminded him. Ethan picked up the phone, glanced at it, and pressed 'ignore' with an annoyed look. "Why didn't you answer?" "Irrelevant call." But a moment later, the phone rang again. He ignored it again. The caller was persistent; the phone rang over and over. It seemed like a contest of patience. Ethan's patience ran out, and he finally answered the call. His tone was very impatient: "What is it?" I don't know if I was imagining things, but I thought I heard a girl crying through the receiver. Ethan took the phone out to the balcony. A few minutes later, he hung up. "Maya, something came up. I have to go." "Okay." He bent down, kissed me on the forehead, and left in a hurry. 05 That night, lying in bed, I tossed and turned. My routine is very regular; I'm usually in bed by 10:00 PM every night. By 10:30 PM, I'm asleep. So, every night before 10:30 PM, Ethan always sends me a "goodnight" text. But now it was 10:35 PM, and he hadn't texted me. I opened Snapchat and saw the red notification dot. It was the friend request from that girl, Chloe. I tapped it repeatedly but hesitated to accept. After a moment of indecision, I finally pressed 'Accept'. A notification popped up—You are now friends with Chloe. Almost immediately, a message from Chloe came through. "I sprained my ankle. I'm at the hospital right now. Guess who's with me?" I replied: "Not interested." Chloe: "Are you just afraid to face the truth? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. It's your boyfriend, Ethan Thorne. He brought me to the hospital, he's with me right now seeing the doctor, and he's going to take me home later." I didn't reply. But she was relentless, continuing her message bombardment. "I thought about it, and my previous clingy, desperate approach was a bit too aggressive; he probably doesn't like that. He likes girls who are gentle and sensible, like you. I can fake that too." "I'm a chameleon. To get a man, I can become any type of girl." "It's just acting weak; who doesn't know how to do that? When I sprained my ankle tonight, I just cried on the phone to him and said the pain was unbearable." "He totally fell for it. After just a few sobs, he rushed straight to my place. Seeing my swollen ankle, he insisted on bringing me to the hospital. What does this mean? It means he's starting to care about me." "Big sister, your boyfriend isn't that hard to get after all." 06 The next morning, I received Ethan's wake-up call right on time. "Sleepyhead, time to wake up." His voice was as gentle as ever. I sniffled: "Ethan, when you rushed off last night, was it for work?" There was a moment of silence on Ethan's end. "Maya, I can't lie to you. I'm sorry, yesterday I left because Chloe sprained her ankle and called me for help. I took her to the hospital." He continued explaining: "She was crying so hard on the phone. I thought, she's just a girl all alone here with no family or friends, so I—" "Ethan, I believe you." I cut him off. "You've always been a gentleman. Even though you seem aloof on the outside, you have a kind heart. How could you not help someone in need?" Ethan breathed a sigh of relief: "Maya, thank you for understanding. I knew you were the most understanding and thoughtful girlfriend." In the morning, I went to work and had a meeting that lasted over two hours. When I finally came out, I was starving. I grabbed my phone from my desk and rushed to the cafeteria. After getting my food and sitting down, I lit up my phone screen while I ate. Seeing over thirty missed calls, I jumped. While I was staring in shock, the phone rang again. I quickly answered it. "Ethan, why did you call me so many times?" An anxious voice came from the other end: "Maya, where did you go? Why didn't you answer my calls?" "I didn't go anywhere; I'm at the office." "Then why didn't you answer?" "I had a meeting this morning, you know that." "But don't your meetings usually only last an hour?" "The regional managers are coming for an inspection next week, so there was a lot of prep work to go over. The meeting ran long." "Oh, I see. You scared me. I thought something happened to you; I was about to rush over to your office." "Ethan, honestly, you don't need to be so nervous. You know we can't bring our phones into meetings. What could possibly happen to me at the office?" "I can't help it. I just worry about you. When I can't reach you, my mind starts racing, and I'm terrified something happened." I sighed, comforted him for a while, and finally hung up. Ethan was great in every way, a textbook perfect boyfriend. But there was one thing: he was overly anxious about me. He would call me many times a day. If I missed even one call, he would keep calling non-stop. Most of the time, I keep my phone on me, so I can answer his calls immediately. But situations like today have happened before. I had told him not to be so nervous. I'd call him back as soon as I saw a missed call; he didn't need to keep dialing. I told him that unless I didn't answer or call back for over half a day, nothing bad had happened. A missed call for an hour or two really wasn't a big deal. I told him: "I only talk to my parents every two or three days." "No, I have to be able to reach you anytime, anywhere. I need to know what you're doing," he insisted forcefully.
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