I have a weakness for men who cry, especially if they cry while hugging me!!
I don't know how long it's been, but Charles is still crying in my arms.
My legs started to ache from standing too long, and wow, he must've been holding so much inside. Poor thing!
Finally, I decided to speak.
"Charles, do you feel better now?"
He slowly pulled away while answering, "Yes, thank you, Heather."
His nose and eyes were all red and…damn! He still looked handsome even while crying!
Anyway!!!
"You're welcome." I said with a smile.
I think things are starting to get better between us, and honestly that makes me really happy.
His already flushed face turned even redder and for some reason, he quickly turned his head away.
"Then…I guess we should go back now!" he said without looking in my direction.
~
Charles's POV
Why is my heart beating so strangely just from seeing her smile?
Heather looked…really beautiful to me for the first time.
NO, it must be because I'm feeling emotional right now! I need to pull myself together!!
"Then…I guess we should go back now!"
"Okay." she said. "But which way should we go?"
I replied. "Don't worry, I remember where we came from."
We had just started walking when a monster's roar echoed through the forest, and Heather immediately grabbed onto my arm.
"Hey, w-what was that sound?!"
The moment she held onto me, my heart started pounding again, but I tried my best not to show it.
"It's probably a monster. Why are you so scared?"
"Why am I scared? That thing could eat us alive!"
I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction.
"I told you I'm strong, didn't I? Don't worry so much."
"O-okay then…I'll trust you." she said, clinging to my arm all the way until we reached the car.
~
Heather's POV
Ugh, so annoying!
If only I had my magic powers, I would've crushed those monsters to bits.
I wouldn't even be afraid!
Luckily, none of them showed up. If one had, I probably would've died from a heart attack before it even attacked us!
Now we were finally inside the car, heading back to school. It was getting dark, and I was feeling really sleepy.
Charles, on the other hand, seemed to be avoiding eye contact with me for some strange reason.
So I asked directly. "Charles, is something wrong? Why won't you look at me?"
He finally looked at me, but his face was still red. Was he sick or something? Did he have a fever?
"There's something I need to tell you, Heather."
Oh my god. Is he about to confess his love?!
No, no, don't be ridiculous. Calm down!
"I'm listening."
"Forget what happened in the forest."
"…What do you mean?"
"You know, that thing I did."
"You mean…crying?"
"No! That wasn't crying! Anyway, just forget it!"
Ah, men and their pride…
But there's no way I can forget that moment. It was way too adorable.
"R-right, it wasn't crying at all. Just some dust in your eyes, right?"
"Are you making fun of me?" His tone wasn't angry, it was more like he was sulking.
So weird.
"Of course not. You didn't cry, so don't worry about it."
"Good."
And with that, our strange and awkward car ride continued.
~
When we arrived, I said, "You didn't have to walk me all the way to the dorm, you know."
"This is what a gentleman should do." he replied with a smile.
I smiled back. "You're right. That's why you returned my notebook to me too. You're really a good person."
He avoided my gaze again, face turning red all over. My god, this boy keeps blushing!
"Righ-" Before he could finish, I placed my hand on his forehead.
"You're really flushed. Do you have a fever or something?"
His face grew even redder, and he immediately jumped back.
"Don't just touch me like that!" he shouted from ten meters away.
Before I could say anything, he rushed off toward the boys' dorm.
Did I…do something wrong? Maybe touching him like that was uncomfortable for him. I'll be more careful next time.
~
Later, after parting ways with Charles, I went to my room and collapsed onto my bed.
After sleeping for 2–3 hours, Sara woke me up for dinner. I ate quickly, but I wasn't in the mood to write, so I went right back to bed and slept straight through the night.
When I woke up, it was around 9 a.m. Thankfully it was Sunday, so I had the whole day free.
After breakfast, I decided to head straight to Hector's room. I needed to get my wish necklace!
It felt a little weird walking into the boys' dorm, but whatever. The important thing was getting that necklace.
I remembered where his room was thanks to Heather's memories, so I went straight to his door.
Since he hadn't bothered knocking when he came into my room, I didn't bother either, I just walked in.
And froze.
Selena was sitting on Hector's lap, and the two of them were kissing.
The moment they saw me, Selena quickly jumped away from him.
If Charles saw this, what would he do? His beloved sister with my brother?
He'd probably punch Hector right away. And of course, Hector wouldn't just sit back, he'd fight Charles too.
It'd be a disaster.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt!" I stammered, slamming the door shut and running off.
After running blindly for a while, I bumped straight into someone's chest.
Looking up, I froze again.
Of course. Charles.
Why does this boy always show up at the worst possible times?!
He looked just as surprised to see me.
"Heather, what are you doing here? This is the boys' dorm."
He was speaking so calmly, but I had bigger problems.
Charles must not find out about Selena being in Hector's room!!
"Uh…I came to see you. Yes! I was looking for you, but since I didn't know your room number, I got lost."
"Why were you looking for me?" he asked with a slightly tense expression.
"I had something I wanted to talk to you about!"
"I see. Then shall we go outside?"
"Yes! Outside is perfect! Let's go outside right now!!"
~
Once we were out, he asked. "So, what did you want to talk about? I need to find my sister soon. She suddenly disappeared."
Crap.
"Oh, Lady Exeter went missing?"
"Yes. I was going to ask Hector if he knew where she was. That bastard might have an idea."
Well, thank you for calling my brother a bastard. Great detail.
"I'm sure nothing bad happened to her," I said, trying to sound calm.
"I hope so," he replied worriedly. "She can be so careless sometimes. When she was a child, she almost got kidnapped because of that. Of course, the guards failed too!!"
So that's why he's so protective of her…
"But you still haven't told me what you wanted to talk about."
Think, Heather, think!
"Oh, right. I just wanted to talk about yesterday."
"You're right," he said, lowering his head. "I'm sorry."
"…Sorry? For what?"
"For the way I treated you before we parted. I didn't mean it like that, I don't actually mind if you touch me. I was just surprised when you suddenly put your hand on my forehead."
"Oh, don't worry about it! I was just checking if you were sick. But I guess I was in the wrong too, sorry about that!"
"No! You don't have anything to apologize for." he said quickly, looking flustered.
Is this polite boy really Charles Exeter?
When I spotted Selena leaving the boys' dorm, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Saved your ass, sister-in-law. You're welcome.
"Well, I have things to do now. See you later, Charles!"
"See you!" he said, waving as I left.
~
Back in my room, Hector came in without knocking...again.
"Ever heard of knocking?" I snapped.
"What can I say? Must be in my genes. You don't knock either!"
"Why are you here? To scold me?"
"Nope. I'm here to give you a punishment, little bunny!"
…Little bunny? Ugh.
When I didn't respond, he continued, "You'll have to distract Charles for three more dates. Then I'll give you the necklace."
I jumped to my feet angrily.
"Are you insane? Charles was on his way to your room just now. If I hadn't stopped him, he would've seen you kissing Selena. He would've smashed your face into a wall!"
He blinked at me, caught off guard.
"Don't be ridiculous. Charles wouldn't do that. And what kind of weird insults are you even using?"
"Keep pissing me off and you'll hear plenty more creative ones, brother! Now, are you giving me my necklace or not?"
He looked away. "Alright then… if you distracted Charles one more time, I'll count it less. You still have to distract him for two more dates! Otherwise, I'll give the necklace to Selena!"
"You really are a bastard, you know that?"
"You shouldn't talk to your brother like that!"
"How am I supposed to trust you again? What if you don't give it to me this time either?"
He hesitated, looking a little nervous.
"Then I'll prepare a contract. A magical, unbreakable contract. If we sign it, there won't be a problem."
"Unbreakable? You mean you can't break it?"
"You can…but if you do, you'll die."
"Got it. I accept. Let's sign it."
"I'll prepare it soon." he said, opening the door. "See you later, little bunny!"
"Ugh, get out already!"
~
The rest of Sunday passed quietly, and before I knew it, monday had arrived.
God, I hate school. Even though it's only been one day, I already hate it. Then again, I hated school in my past life too.
The only good thing about school was probably meeting my best friend there.
Though, after I died, I don't even know what happened to her.
Dragging my feet, I left the dorm. The school wasn't far, but I didn't even feel like walking.
And I definitely didn't feel like going to class with all those annoying people.
In front of the dorm, I saw Charles sitting on a bench. He stood up as soon as he noticed me.
I walked over. "Good morning, Charles!"
"Good morning! D-did you sleep well?"
"Yes, very well. Were you waiting for Lady Exeter here?"
With a completely serious face, he said, "No. I was waiting for you. I thought we could walk to school together."
...
What?
Charles Exeter, the boy who was too afraid to even be seen Heather, wants to walk to school with me?