I pushed him away, "Sorry, I'm not interested anymore."

Caleb froze and then sat up after I did.

Ignoring him, I got out of bed and rushed out the door.

But with his long legs, he had the advantage and chased me to the door, stopping me.

I stared at him warily, "What, are you trying to use force on me?"

He was at a loss for words.

He looked a little annoyed, glanced around, and then said, "The ingredients are here, let's eat before you leave."

"No."

"Then let's go out and eat."

After he finished speaking, he went back inside to get dressed, leaving me alone with a messy mind.

In truth, I just wanted him to experience the feeling of being hot and cold as well. After all, he was the one who enjoyed playing tricks on others.

When he came out dressed, I said, "I'm tired of eating out. I don't want to go."

Without even a moment's hesitation, he turned his head and made his way into the kitchen.

I followed, leaning against the kitchen doorframe to watch him wash and cook.

No matter what, a handsome man was always a sight to behold, no matter the task at hand.

By the time the three dishes and the soup were ready, I had completely forgotten the times he had been a pain in my neck.

Halfway through the meal, I even asked him, "Can I still come over for dinner?"

"I rarely cook," Caleb replied.

The light in my eyes dimmed.

He added meaningfully, "I suppose I could reluctantly cook a few more times if that's what you want."

Reluctantly, really?

Why did I get the sense of a boyfriend pampering his girlfriend?

I didn't overthink it, did I?

After we finished our meal, Caleb mentioned he was going to take out the trash and asked if I'd like to join him for an after-dinner stroll.

My head was a mess of X-rated daydreams that really that really needed some clearing out.

But as soon as we started our walk—before we could even think about holding hands—his parents, Daniel and Jean, showed up out of the blue.

"Sarah, what are you doing with Kale?"

Kale...what a fun nickname.

Confronted with Daniel and Jean's confused expressions, I suppressed a laugh and quickly racked my brain for an excuse.

After pondering for some time without coming up with a suitable explanation, I simply turned to Caleb and passed the buck to him.

"Your lovely daughter was worried I'd spend the rest of my life alone, so she tried setting me up with her charming friend, Zoe," Caleb said calmly.

Daniel and Jean were taken aback.

They hadn't seen their son in a while and had come to visit.

To their surprise, their son got a girlfriend, and she was someone they knew!

They exchanged glances and quickly disappeared from the scene.

I was left speechless.

-

Caleb offered me a lift home, but I turned him down.

I questioned him, "What was that all about, what you told your parents?"

"Didn't you say something about making this desert bloom with roses?" he asked.

"..."

I really shouldn't trust Zoe!

She showed me the chat logs between her and Caleb and then leaked my words to Caleb, playing the nice guy on both sides!

I threw caution to the wind and admitted, "I did, what's the problem?"

"Nothing," Caleb said, sounding indifferent.

I was getting irritated.

He seemed to know what was going on in my head, but I was in the dark about his thoughts.

I felt defeated in this round as well.

Damn it! I should just say goodbye to him. Maybe the next one would behave better!

But Caleb pulled me back, and to my great surprise, he picked a wildflower and put it in his hair.

He asked me, "Does this count as blossoming?"

I was stunned.

Before I came to my senses, we were under the same blanket, entwined with each other.

He did look after me well, and I was pleased.

Just a bit exhausted, the kind of tired where you're pleasantly sore and basking in it.

"Caleb."

"Hmm?"

"Do you know that I started with just physical attraction?"

The guy had a body that made me want to get close to him the first time I saw him—in a very intimate way.

Caleb took a moment before he whispered back to me, "I know."

I was so tired and sleepy that my words were slurred, "I fished with a bare hook and you still bite?"

He seemed to respond, but I didn't catch it all.

Anyway, the desert bloomed with roses for me, and that was enough.

-

When I showed up in front of Zoe holding Caleb's hand, Zoe just called me Mrs. Wright.

I was in such a blissful state that I didn't even tease her about doing a handstand and washing her hair.

His parents had always adored me and wanted me to join their family.

But my parents didn't like Caleb.

I was shocked!

I was shocked that they didn't like such a wealthy and handsome man!

On top of the fact that I was the one chasing after Caleb from the start, which led them to think he wasn't as into me as I was him, my mom also said, "He's too handsome and too wealthy. We're afraid you won't be able to hold on to him, and the odds of a future change in marital status are high."

I felt speechless.

I told Caleb what my parents had said, and he shared his predicament.

"The business is booming, no bankruptcy on the horizon. As for my face, I can't very well rearrange it to look uglier, can I?"

I nearly died laughing, then threw my arms around him and planted a kiss.

"What do you propose, then?"

"Let me meet with your parents first. Even if I'm facing a death sentence, I deserve a chance to plead my case, don't you think?"

"How about today?"

"You've already talked to your parents?" Caleb asked.

"Nope, I'm going for a surprise attack. We're going in blind."

Caleb was at a loss.

He let out a sigh at his future wife's knack for creating challenges for him.