Daniel checked the watch on his left wrist. Caitlin was certain it was expensive—probably worth more than everything in her wardrobe combined. A moment later, he started walking toward her, slowly, step by step. Instinctively, Caitlin backed away until her spine met the cold wall behind her.
He placed both his palms against the wall, right beside her head, caging her in—trapping her like he had no intention of letting her escape. Caitlin swallowed hard, once, then again. Nervous. Especially now that Daniel was staring at her so intensely, like his gaze could pierce straight through her soul and drive any sane woman mad. She knew she was in the wrong; she shouldn’t have followed him, no matter how curious she had been.
“So, are you following me or not?” His voice was low, intimidating.
“Why would I follow you?”
Caitlin panicked. She didn’t dare meet his eyes directly. Lying was never her strength, and Daniel could easily detect the truth. He smirked, raising one brow. At times, he could look irresistibly sweet, even adorable—and at others, completely terrifying.
“Because you’re dying to know where I live,” he said, chuckling under his breath with mockery.
Then he moved closer, inch by inch, his face drawing near to hers. Caitlin’s heart skipped erratically, caught somewhere between fear and flustered excitement.
At this distance, she could see his face more clearly. It felt different from watching him sleep. Without realizing it, she closed her eyes—as if somewhere deep inside, she hoped he might do something more. She felt his breath ghost across her face, but just as quickly, he pulled away. Then he burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
Caitlin opened her eyes, utterly mortified by her overreaction. “Ahem.”
“You’re so cute! I couldn’t help it. I’m sorry,” he said through his laughter.
“Let’s just… continue this normal date. I don’t feel like going home,” Caitlin grumbled, trying to shift the attention away from herself. She was too embarrassed to end the evening like this. She decided to stay and spend more time with him.
“But I already changed clothes. You see this?” He pointed at what he was wearing.
“You have to take responsibility!”
“What about your reunion? Are you still going or not?” Daniel asked curiously.
Caitlin rolled her eyes. She felt like she was being toyed with. Honestly, she didn’t care much about such childish events, but sometimes she longed to show off something no one else had. And in this case, Dan was that rare gem she could flaunt to her arrogant friends.
“I’ll still pay you in full, but if you don’t want to come, that’s fine,” Caitlin said, pretending she didn’t care.
“No promises,” Daniel replied, then unzipped his jacket and slipped it off quickly.
He wrapped the black jacket around her waist, tying the sleeves at the front. Before she could respond, he crouched down in front of her. Glancing up briefly, he silently asked for permission to take off her heels. When he held her foot, Caitlin didn’t protest.
“You’re bleeding. Next time we go on a date, just wear sneakers.”
Then he turned around and motioned for her to climb onto his back. “Cat, hop on. You don’t want to be walking around barefoot, do you? And I hate seeing you limping.”
Was she dreaming? Caitlin stood frozen, unsure how to react. In the past, she’d sometimes watched his back as he walked away, vanishing from sight—but now, he was offering it to her without hesitation. Yet just as the flutter of romance began to stir in her chest, it was quickly crushed by a single thought: Does he do this for every girl?
“Where are we going?” she asked, still confused.
“It’s only eight. We’re continuing our normal date.”
“But… you’re not mad, are you?”
“Caitlin…”
She couldn’t decide so quickly. Honestly, her feet were hurting from the blisters on the back of her heels—all because she’d run and rushed after him. If she didn’t go with him now, she might never get another chance. She stared down at his jacket wrapped around her waist. If he carried her on his back, it would cover her from behind.
Caitlin slowly untied the sleeves in front, took a few steps forward, and crouched down in front of him. Daniel smiled in response. She picked up one of her shoes from his hand and offered him the other hand to hold.
“I think I’d rather walk.”
“You sure?” Daniel blinked in surprise.
She nodded quickly. They both stood from their squatting position—probably an odd sight to anyone passing by. Caitlin handed the jacket back to him, and Daniel put it on in one swift motion. She pulled out a plastic bag from her handbag—one she’d had for a long time—and placed her shoes inside.
“I was trying to be romantic, and you ruined it,” Daniel grumbled.
“So… where are we going?” Caitlin asked, a little too enthusiastically.
Daniel touched his chin, pretending to think hard. “Hmm, how about we go to my place?”
She squinted at him. “Uhh, no way. Don’t tease me like that!” Caitlin flailed her hands in disbelief, nervously smiling.
Daniel loved teasing her, so Caitlin told herself not to overthink it—though for a brief moment, his words had made her heart flutter. But it was all just wordplay. He was good at that. He knew how to charm women. Unfair!
“Ahh, you caught me lying, huh?” Daniel scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.
Caitlin shrugged nonchalantly, unimpressed by his shameless performance. Then, without warning, Daniel hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack of something. Caitlin shrieked, pounding his back and chest in protest, but he didn’t budge.
“Daniel! What are you doing?!”
“You’re so stubborn I had to do this. I knew you were following me from the car showroom,” he said, walking out of the subway station.