Monday evening, and the apartment felt unusually quiet. I was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through my phone, when Ethan appeared in the doorway, holding a mug of coffee.
"Lara," he said casually, but the smirk on his lips gave him away. "You've been awfully quiet today."
"Just tired," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. Pero syempre, my heart was already beating faster.
He walked closer, leaning against the back of the sofa. "Hmm… tired, huh? Or just missing me?"
I choked on my sip of water. "M-Missing you?" I stammered, trying to laugh it off.
"Yes, you," he teased, leaning even closer. His arm brushed mine, just enough to make me shiver. "Admit it. You've been thinking about me… last night, cooking chaos, almost-kisses… all of it."
I narrowed my eyes, though I could feel my cheeks heating up. "I… I don't know what you're talking about," I said, pretending to focus on my phone. Pero ang tigas ng katawan ko, and I could feel my heart racing.
He chuckled, reaching over to tap my shoulder lightly. "Oh come on, Lara. Don't play innocent with me. You love teasing me as much as I love teasing you."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't hide the smile tugging at my lips. "Maybe… maybe I do," I admitted reluctantly.
His eyes lit up with mischief. "Aha! See? I knew it. So you're going to have to deal with me now."
"Deal with you?" I repeated, pretending to glare, but the heat in my chest betrayed me.
"Yes. And I plan to make it… fun," he said, lowering his voice. "Starting with this." He leaned closer, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. My heart skipped a beat.
"E-Ethan!" I whispered, flustered, trying to step back. Pero syempre, I barely moved—didn't want to admit how close I wanted him to stay.
"Relax," he said softly, though the smirk never left his lips. "I'm not crossing the line… yet. Just testing boundaries a little."
I gulped, heart pounding. "Testing… boundaries?"
He nodded slowly, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Yeah. Like… how long it takes before you admit you like this… us… whatever this is."
My breath caught. I swallowed nervously, caught between laughter and panic. "You… you're impossible!" I exclaimed, though my lips quivered, betraying my nerves.
"And yet," he said, leaning back slightly but keeping his gaze on me, "you still can't stop thinking about me."
I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "Shut up! You're making it impossible to concentrate!"
He laughed, clearly pleased. "Good. That's the point. Flirty games, Lara. And I'm winning."
I peeked through my fingers, my heart racing. Contract marriage, rules, boundaries… all of it seemed meaningless when he was this close, teasing me like this.
And I had to admit… I didn't want the games to stop.