Drunk, I ran over and banged on the door of my boss—the man I had been secretly in love with. I cried and cursed him out for being a heartless jerk. After I yelled for a good while, a cold voice came from behind me: "Nina, come here! You're yelling at the wrong door!" 01. My head was spinning, but why did the crisp, cool voice behind me sound exactly like Sebastian's? I turned around to see a breathtakingly handsome man standing at the door across the hall. He had a stoic, flawless face, wearing casual loungewear and radiating an icy, untouchable aura. So handsome. I shook my dizzy head. Wait, isn't this Sebastian Cole? I pointed at the door I had been furiously knocking on for the past ten minutes and earnestly mocked him: "Sebastian, you're so dumb. This is your apartment." He sighed, furrowed his brows, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nina, come here." I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes, and said stubbornly, "I'm not coming over. I'm here to break up with you." "Allow me to remind you," Sebastian let out a breath of amused disbelief, resting his hand on the doorframe, "Miss Nina, we have never dated." My eyes immediately turned red, and I looked like I was about to burst into tears. "You really have changed. You heartbreaker." Sebastian: "......" "Alright, enough fooling around. You're going to wake the neighbors." He looked at me helplessly and reached out to pull me over. "Come inside and sober up first." My vision was completely blurry. It looked like there were two of him trying to grab me. Annoyed, I tried to shove him away, but my hands hit empty air. I lost my balance and pitched forward hard. My violently spinning world was suddenly steadied by an arm wrapping tightly around my waist. Sebastian's handsome face magnified in my vision. He picked me up effortlessly. Nestled in his arms, the faint, cool scent of cedarwood filled my nose, wrapping me in an overwhelming sense of security. I nuzzled into his neck, took a deep, satisfied breath, and broke into a triumphant smile. I tilted my chin up proudly. "Since you're basically begging for forgiveness, I'll let it slide. You're still my favorite person." The man let out a cold scoff. "How generous of you, Miss Nina." I leaned against him, eyes closed. A moment later, feeling his grip loosen, my eyes snapped open. I poked him hard in the cheek, complaining loudly, "Are you trying to abandon me?!" Sebastian's face stiffened. He tilted his head to the right, but my finger followed him. He couldn't dodge it. "Nina," he took a deep breath, "I am just trying to put you on the couch." I wrapped both my arms tightly around his neck, refusing absolutely. "No. I like it exactly how it is right now." Sebastian's voice sounded like it was squeezed through gritted teeth. "I can't hold you like this forever. You're going to fall." I silently slid down, standing on the couch cushion so I was exactly eye-level with him. He let out a cold huff. "At least you listen." I looked at him with deep pity and sighed dramatically. "What else can I do? Since you're so weak, I have to save your energy for when it really counts." Sebastian's face went completely dark. He asked, word by word, "And when exactly does it really count?" I tilted my head, smiled, threw my arms back around his neck, and pulled myself into his chest, pressing a soft peck to his lips. "For... for times like this." 02. The above is everything I can remember. Some people are alive, but they might as well be dead. And what the hell happened after I kissed him?! If I'm going to die of embarrassment, at least let me know how it ended! I hate alcohol! Eventually, after an intense internal pep talk, I crept toward the front door, making sure the coast was clear. I carefully twisted the knob, right on the verge of my great escape, when a gorgeously sculpted, muscular arm suddenly slammed across the door in front of me. Above my head came a man's lazy, morning-gravel voice: "Sobered up?" My scalp went numb. I didn't dare look him in the eye. "Y-Yeah. Yep. I won't bother you anymore. No need to walk me out, no need at all..." But the arm blocking the door didn't budge. Instead, he leaned in, completely blocking my exit. He seemed to have just woken up. His usually sharp, icy eyes carried a hint of morning fatigue. He looked down at me through half-lidded eyes, the morning sun hitting his face, tracing his flawless profile with gold. He looked like an absolute god. I stared, completely mesmerized. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of his lips. He leaned down and whispered, "Miss Nina, you seem to have forgotten something." Alarm bells rang in my head, snapping me out of my trance. "I... I don't remember anything from last night," I stammered, blushing furiously, deciding to play dumb to the bitter end. "So, you kissed me, and you plan to just walk away?" Sebastian stared at me with deep, unreadable eyes. I looked at him, completely bewildered. "So... do you want me to take responsibility?" The more I thought about it, the more excited I got. I took a tiny step forward, looking up at him with eyes full of hope. "Can I? Really?" He let out a soft "Heh" and smirked. "In your dreams." 03. "HAHAHAHA!" Stella let out a loud, unhinged laugh that rattled the coffee shop windows. "He really said that?" I glared at her, thoroughly heartbroken, silently condemning her. This was all her fault, and here she was, laughing at me. Last night, she went through a bad breakup and dragged me out drinking. After a few too many, she turned her sights on me, nagging about how I had been single since birth and how, now that I finally had a crush, I needed to "boldly pursue love." I was completely wasted. With her hyping me up, I was filled with liquid courage and decided to make my move right then and there. And we all know how that ended. "Well, you've already kissed him, and you hugged him. Your ulterior motives are completely exposed, so just go for it!" Stella's eyes sparkled with gossip. "Besides, you two have known each other forever. You have a massive home-court advantage over anyone else." I slid down the booth seating, groaning in depression. I first met Sebastian Cole during the college debate team tryouts. He was the team captain, two years ahead of me. The moment I walked into the crowded lecture hall, my eyes locked onto him at the judges' table. Even surrounded by people, he had this distant, solitary aura. His skin was pale, and his dark eyes held a cold, snowy glint. My soul left my body. It was love at first sight. Thank God I had a sharp tongue. I made the team and competed alongside him in countless tournaments. I was the aggressive first speaker; he was our closer. In the arena, I was the sniper, and he was my impenetrable shield. We were the perfect partners. Naturally, when he founded his firm after graduation, he asked me to join. But I only fully realized my feelings for him a month ago. I had heard through the grapevine that because Sebastian had been perpetually single, his family issued an ultimatum: he had to bring a girl home for Christmas this year. I laughed in his face, teasing him that it wasn't his family's fault for pushing—he literally never had a woman around him. He had been signing documents. He suddenly looked up at me, arguing with absolute seriousness: "I have you by my side. Are you not a woman?" I froze, blinking, my heart slowly accelerating. He didn't seem to notice my panic. He looked down, thought for a second, then looked back up with a self-deprecating smile. "But I guess... I really only have you." We locked eyes for a brief, loaded second. He turned his head to look out the window. My mind was a mess, and I subconsciously followed his gaze. It was a clear, warm afternoon. A few golden leaves were drifting down from the trees. He smiled faintly, entirely dropping the cold facade he wore for the rest of the world. His voice was relaxed and soft. "Nina, it's our ninth autumn." Our ninth autumn since we met. Looking at his profile, his face seemed to overlap with the stoic college boy from years ago. My chest swelled, something taking root and violently blooming. I couldn't sleep that night. Tossing and turning, it finally hit me. I had been in love with him for a very long time. 04. Because we had known each other for so long, I overthought everything. I wanted to get closer to him, but I was terrified. I wanted him, but I was afraid of ruining our friendship. Yet, while I was agonizing over this, my brain couldn't help but replay the memory of him princess-carrying me last night. He picked me up so effortlessly. His body was so warm. I could swear I felt the rigid outline of his pecs through his shirt... "What are you giggling at?" "Huh? Was I smiling?" Stella handed me her compact mirror. Great. My grin was stretching from ear to ear. "Look at you, you absolute fool." Stella gave me a meaningful look. "If you don't fight for him now, you'll die of regret when he belongs to someone else." My heart squeezed tightly at those words. Looking at my flushed, lovesick face in the mirror, I clenched my fists! "Decided! I'm going to pursue him!" 05. Can we get dinner tonight? Too direct. Delete. That new restaurant downstairs from your place is pretty good. Too roundabout. Delete. I cordially invite you to dine with me. Too formal and weird. Delete. While I was agonizing over the wording, the chat window suddenly showed: Sebastian is typing... He was messaging me too! In my panicked excitement, my hand slipped, and I hit send on my half-typed message! I stared at the screen: [I want to eat you.] NO! I meant to type: 'I want to eat at that new restaurant downstairs with you!' Frantically, I jammed my finger onto the screen to unsend it. I hit Delete for Me instead. My hand froze. My brain short-circuited. Sebastian replied instantly: [?] A second later, another message popped up: [You've got quite the appetite.] I wanted to punch a hole through the wall! I quickly typed out my original intended message, desperately explaining that it was a typo. He didn't reply. I buried my face in a throw pillow, groaning. I ruined it again. Ding! It was Sebastian! I scrambled to open the message. Sebastian: [Sounds reasonable enough.] My shoulders slumped. He absolutely didn't believe me. Last night I forced him to hug me and kissed him, and today I send him unhinged, thirsty texts. In his head, I must look like an absolute predator. While I was wallowing in misery, another Ding! Sebastian: [Come over to my place tonight.] !!! I immediately replied with an [Okay!], spent three hours getting ready, and left looking absolutely flawless. This time, I knocked on the correct door. The door swung open. Sebastian was on the phone, nodding at me to come in. To my delight, he was wearing a crisp white tailored suit. He looked incredibly formal. He... he dressed up for our date?! While I was secretly thrilled, he handed me a designer handbag. Wait, isn't this my bag?! I left it here last night! So, he just called me over to give me my purse back? Thinking of the three hours I spent doing my hair and makeup, I took the bag, my excitement completely crushed. "Thanks. I'll let you get back to work. Bye." The door clicked shut behind me. I stiffened for a second, didn't look back, and stomped toward the elevator, mentally cursing him out. He didn't even invite me inside! Didn't even offer me a glass of water! How rude! As I was fuming, a hand grabbed my arm. I whipped around to see a bewildered Sebastian. "Didn't you say you wanted to get dinner?" "I already made the reservation." His handsome face was full of confusion. "Are you not eating?" 06. Mystery solved, folks. He was dressed formally because he had just finished a video conference with a client. We were getting dinner to discuss work. A massive audit project in a neighboring city had just dropped in our laps, requiring a full report within two weeks. Because the timeline was brutal, the payout was astronomical. My commission on this alone would be huge. It just goes to show: single women make bank. Halfway through the meal, the waitress brought over a wine menu, asking if we wanted to open a bottle. Before I could even speak, Sebastian shot me a sideways glance and smoothly declined, "No thank you, she can't drink." The waitress smiled sweetly. "You treat your date so well, sir." I awkwardly cleared my throat. "Ah, well, he's not doing it to be nice." The waitress gave a knowing, shy smile. "Oh... why else would it be?" My eyes lit up! She gets it! She totally gets the vibe! Unfortunately, Sebastian was immune to this kind of playful banter. He slowly cut his steak and asked me in a strictly professional tone, "The timeline is extremely tight. We need to drive down there tonight. Are you okay with that?" "Of course." I agreed instantly. When it came to work, I was always all-in. "I'll drive you back to your place after we eat. Pack your bags and we'll leave immediately," Sebastian said elegantly dabbing his mouth with a napkin. "Drive tonight? We won't get there until midnight. It's a Saturday, finding a hotel is going to be impossible." Under the restaurant's crystal chandelier, Sebastian looked pristine and cold, but the words that left his mouth made my blood boil in the best way possible. "You'll sleep at my place." 07. Since audit work involves constant travel and we had many long-term clients in the neighboring city, Sebastian had simply bought a condo down there. From the moment we walked into his apartment, I couldn't stop grinning. The client's financials were highly sensitive this time, which is why they only trusted their two lead consultants—me and Sebastian—to handle it. Sebastian's logic was purely pragmatic: it's unsafe for a woman to stay in hotels alone, the timeline was tight, and living together meant we could work insane overtime hours efficiently. At the time, I had nodded calmly, pretending this made perfect professional sense. Internally, I was screaming with joy! I get to live alone with him for two weeks?! Who wouldn't be thrilled?! "Nina, why are you following me? What are you trying to do?" The man in front of me turned around abruptly. I crashed face-first into his chest. A second later, he gently pushed me back. I looked around. Oh, we were at the bathroom door. Sebastian looked down at me, a half-smile playing on his lips, asking with deadly seriousness. "Didn't I feed you enough tonight?" Feed me... He still remembered that "I want to eat you" text! So that's the other reason he brought up dinner! "I'm full, I'm full." I laughed awkwardly. "I thought we were still doing the apartment tour." Sebastian raised an eyebrow. His long, elegant fingers gripped my shoulders, and he effortlessly spun me around 180 degrees. "The tour ended ten minutes ago." His chin brushed the top of my head, his warm breath tickling my ear, though his voice remained cool as ice. "Miss Nina, I need to take a shower now. Could you please step out?" What was I supposed to say? No?! I mumbled some incomprehensible agreement and bolted out of his master suite, my heart pounding against my ribs, my face burning. The condo was huge; my guest bedroom had its own en-suite bathroom. After showering in a daze, I went to the kitchen for water while texting Stella. "I'm supposed to be the one seducing him! Why does it feel like I'm the one getting played?!" She replied like a seasoned veteran: "The unintentional rizz is always the deadliest." It made sense. I asked her what to do. She spammed me with a dozen photos of guys with eight-pack abs. Added text: [Look at more hot guys. Desensitize yourself.] My eyes locked onto one specific photo. The guy's face was cropped out, but he was biting the hem of a soaking wet white t-shirt. Water dripped down his perfectly sculpted abs. It was an absolute testosterone overload! My eyes went wide. Oh my... Why has she been hiding the good stuff from me?! I looked closer. The guy had pale skin and a cool, aloof vibe—kind of like Sebastian. Imagining Sebastian—my pristine, untouchable boss—doing that exact pose... I was completely on fire! Just as I was giggling like a maniac at my phone, everything went pitch black. At the exact same moment, something cold grabbed my arm. In the dead silence of the dark, my heart violently contracted, and a blood-curdling scream ripped from my throat. 08. My mind went completely blank. As I screamed, I threw a blind, panicked punch. My fist collided with something rock hard. The man let out a muffled grunt and caught my wrist before I could swing again. "It's me. The power went out." I trembled, finally finding my voice. "Sebastian?" "Yeah. I'm here. Don't be afraid." Sebastian smoothly pulled me closer, wrapping me in a loose embrace. His large, warm hand patted my back with a steady, comforting rhythm. "The building management just texted. Emergency pipe repairs. Power will be out for an hour." "So... you were coming to tell me, and the lights went out right when you grabbed me?" "Yes." Sebastian kept his hand moving, gently patting my back. He remembered. He remembered that I was terrified of the dark, and he remembered what I told him years ago—that patting my back was the only thing that calmed me down. My heart settled instantly, replaced by a giddy flutter of happiness. I patted my chest, catching my breath, completely relaxing. Only then did I realize how compromising our position was. I was practically glued to his body. Feeling his abs mere inches from me, a dangerous spark lit up in my brain. "I'm so sorry! Did I hit you hard? Let me rub it for you." My "kind and caring" hand reached out toward his stomach. Just before making contact, my wrist was caught in a vice grip. The world spun. Suddenly, my back was pinned against the wall, both of my wrists pinned high above my head. He leaned in dangerously close. I could feel his breath. "Nina, are you trying to rub it for me, or are you trying to take advantage of me?" In the pitch black, with only a blurred silhouette visible, all my other senses were dialed up to eleven. I shivered nervously, my heart racing at a million miles an hour. I tried to twist my wrists, but he only pressed them harder against the wall. "Don't move." Sebastian leaned in closer. His cool voice carried a dangerous rasp. "Explain yourself." I felt like I was going to spontaneously combust. This position was way too scandalous... Biting the bullet, I stammered out a terrible lie: "D-don't overthink it. I really just wanted to... rub it better." By the last two words, my voice had squeaked into a guilty whisper. "Is that so?" He sounded deeply amused. He pulled out an object glowing with a harsh white light. "Then what is this?" I subconsciously looked over. On his glowing phone screen was the picture Stella had sent me of the wet t-shirt ab guy. Followed by the messages I had just sent her. A row of heart-eyes, drooling emojis, and the text: [AHHHH Stella, he looks just like my Sebastian! I want to touch him so bad and do [censored] things to him!!] Kill me... Bury me... right here, right now... I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut and play dead. But out of the corner of my eye, the glow of the screen illuminated Sebastian's stoic, ascetic face. He raised an eyebrow, tilted his chin, and looked down at me with an air of absolute superiority. Then, he abruptly reached up with his free hand and yanked his tie loose. 09. "S-S-Sebastian, w-what are you doing?" I watched him loosen his tie and unbutton the top two buttons of his dress shirt. I gulped audibly, my words stumbling over each other. "Scared?" Sebastian's tone was playful. He casually turned on his phone's flashlight and set it on the hallway table. The small space lit up. He stepped closer. The man who was usually so cold and composed was smiling wickedly. "Didn't you say you wanted this?" Wanted? Wanted what? What I texted about?! My heart shot up into my throat like it was on a rollercoaster. I chickened out! I totally chickened out! I plastered myself flat against the wall, putting my hands up defensively, giving him the most pathetic, sycophantic smile. "I-I'm not ready yet! Can we take a raincheck?!" Sebastian finally stopped. I was entirely caged in his space. He let out a low chuckle. "Nina, you really are..." He didn't finish the sentence. He took a few steps back, admiring my tomato-red face, his smile teasing and slightly cruel. In that moment, Sebastian's sharp features were painted with a heavy dose of tension. His tie was loose, his shirt slightly unkempt, giving a faint glimpse of his chest. I floated out of there like a ghost, my heartbeat drumming wildly in my ears. I don't even remember how I ended up lying in the bed in his guest room. Listening to the sound of running water from his bathroom, my face was still burning. His words tumbled around in my head. “The management said the power outage is delayed. You'll be scared alone, so sleep in my room. I'll stay with you." “I was going to shower earlier, got the call, and came straight to find you." "Go to sleep, don't wait up. I'll sleep on the couch after I finish working." I was being completely taken care of, scheduled down to the minute. Thinking back over the years, he had always taken care of me like this. I was so used to relying on him that I only just realized—drop by drop, all those little moments had formed an ocean of love. I couldn't help but wonder... his behavior tonight... does he like me too? And what did he mean by “Nina, you really are..."?! Tossing and turning, smiling one minute and agonizing the next, I eventually drifted off. I dreamt about our college days. Once, after losing a debate tournament, we stayed in a small conference room analyzing the match until 11 PM. By the time we left, the dining halls were closed. Starving, I walked toward the sketchy food stalls off-campus to grab a bite. The street was dark and practically deserted. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man dart out of an alleyway to my right, staring at me intently. My instincts screamed danger. I walked as fast as I could to the nearest lit food cart, pretending to casually order dumplings, while speed-dialing Sebastian. He picked up immediately. Suppressing my tremors, I put on my best acting voice. "Hey babe, I'm at the West Gate food street. Didn't you say you were picking me up? You're two minutes away, right?" Sebastian arrived in thirty seconds. He had sprinted the whole way. Panting, he grabbed my wrist, letting out a visible sigh of relief. I was paralyzed with fear. I instinctively gripped his arm with both hands, trying to keep my voice steady. "Let's... let's go." Just as I said that, I noticed the creepy guy hadn't left! My heart spiked, and I pressed myself tightly against Sebastian's side.
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