Violet squeezed her eyes shut. She pressed the send button and quickly threw herself on the bed. Flustered, she couldn't help but squeal like a teenage fangirl at her idol's concert. She hushed herself, pressing her hands against her mouth when she felt Kiko stirring in her sleep beside her.
Kiko had rushed straight to the Lee family's residence as soon as she finished her shift at the hospital. After making sure that Violet was really okay, she took a quick shower and slipped into Violet's bed. It had only taken her a few seconds to doze off into a deep sleep.
Violet saw her best friend's furrowed brows, obviously perturbed by her sudden movement and squeal. She could see how exhausted Kiko was. Not wanting to wake her best friend up, she lay carefully on her stomach, burying her face in the pillow to muffle the sounds of her squeals and giggles.
She had gotten Kai's phone number from Lauren, and it had taken her a few hours before she decided to send him a 'Thank you' message. She'd taken her time composing the text—erasing and retyping it—wanting it to be perfect. And as soon as she sent it, a physical whoosh of energy mixed with nervous anticipation spread through her body, starting from her chest down to her fingertips.
Is this the feeling of liking someone? she pondered.
How silly! Giddiness whirled uncontrollably inside her as she kicked her legs and feet into the air, making Kiko stir in her sleep. Violet looked at her best friend apologetically, but she just couldn't help it. It was as though her body were on a caffeine buzz.
She was still holding her phone when it suddenly vibrated and lit up. It was an incoming call. Violet's half-face emerged from behind the pillow to peek at it. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.
Caller ID: Kai Wu
She immediately sprang up, almost throwing her phone in the air.
Why is he calling!?
Having expected that he would just reply to her text message instead of calling, Violet panicked inwardly. A mixed sensation of glee and hysteria surged through her.
The sudden rustling of the mattress roused Kiko's sleep once more. "Prick! Go sit on a cactus!" she yelled, throwing her pumped fist in the air.
Startled, Violet held her breath. Clutching the buzzing phone tightly onto her chest, she remained still as she watched Kiko turn around, facing away from her, mumbling more expletives addressed to a certain Dr. Gao. Violet raised an eyebrow, but it didn't take long before she heard Kiko's steady breathing again. She drew out a sigh of relief.
Between her best friend's sleep-cursing and the unexpected incoming phone call from Mr. Wu, she wasn't sure which one would cause her heart to stop first.
The phone was still vibrating in her hand. She picked up the phone and dashed toward her en-suite bathroom. "Hello?" she whispered as she opened the bathroom door. She bolted inside and closed the door behind her, but in a moment of slight panic, she almost slipped on the bath rug positioned at the door. Luckily, she managed to keep hold of the doorknob to keep herself from falling—but not before she let out a little shriek.
"Miss Lee?" A concerned but pleasant-sounding voice came from the phone.
"Yes!" Violet quickly answered. She steadied herself, took a deep breath, and leaned against the door. "Hello, Mr. Wu." Violet tried to sound as normal as possible, but her voice couldn't conceal a hint of excitement and bashfulness. Both her hands were gripping tightly onto the phone on her ear. She listened attentively with reddened cheeks.
"Are you alright? Have I caught you at a bad time?"
"What?" Violet spluttered. "No, not at all. I was just...exercising."
His light chuckle graced her ear. "Exercising?" The gentleness of his voice whirred further into it. "I take it you're still feeling alright, then? No dizziness or nausea?"
"No, I'm feeling great."
"Sure?"
"Positive."Just my heart skipping a beat, but there's no need for you to know that.
"That's good," Kai said. He allowed a few seconds of silence before adding, "I got your message."
"Oh... I see. Well, that's good... You were already gone when I came downstairs, so I sent you the message..." Violet spoke haltingly, feeling so stupidly self-conscious. Heat crept into her milky cheeks. She bit her lower lip and twirled a lock of her lush dark chocolate hair, scolding herself silently for being so silly.
"My apologies, there were some pressing things at work," Kai explained.
"Oh, please don't apologize, Mr. Wu. You have nothing to apologize for," she hurriedly said. "It's just that... I couldn't thank you properly."
"Then have dinner with me next week," Kai said, straight to the point, in an almost commanding tone. Astonished by his request, Violet stood fixed to the spot; unable to move, unable to say anything. Her brain immediately formed an image of his unassailable, poised look that accompanied that deep voice. Perhaps it was his confident, self-assured attitude, but even on the phone, he exuded masculine charm.
Hearing no response from her, Kai went on, "I'd like to have dinner with you. And you said you wanted to thank me properly. So, why not fill two needs with one deed? You can thank me and return my clothes over dinner."
Violet's heart skipped another beat. She was still taken aback, but she needed to make sure of one thing. "Will it just be the two of us?" she asked, wanting to confirm that he was indeed making a move on her.
She might not have much experience in the romance department, but she wasn't so oblivious that she couldn't pick up a hint when a man was making advances on her. Even before her relationship with Adam, Violet always understood one thing—when a straight guy asked her out for dinner, they didn't ask purely because they wanted to be friends with her. They asked her out because they were interested in her romantically. Having no interest in them, she'd managed to turn them down every time.
This was the first time a man's invitation had made her insides flutter.
"Yes, just you and me," Kai confirmed. "Unless... you want someone else to join us?"
"Huh? No! I'd love to. Just with you!" Violet burst.
Kai laughed and said, "Good. I'd like to get to know you better, and I don't wish for anyone to interrupt us." That low voice, along with his throaty chuckle, carried a certain charm that would make a lady's heart skitter. Violet was no exception. She was smitten.
"When next week...?" she asked.
"When are you available?"
'Anytime!' she almost blurted but stopped herself when she was reminded of Aunt Yue's plan to visit on Wednesday evening.
"I'm available anytime next week except for Wednesday."
"What about Friday?"
"Mhm!" Violet nodded. "Friday's fine!" She smiled brightly, unable to contain her excitement anymore.
Kai let out another light chuckle. "Alright, it's a date."
Violet's heart thumped.
It's a date. She knew it was just a casual expression agreeing on the day they would meet, but she couldn't help feeling giddy about it.
Before Violet could reply, he said, "I'm sorry, I have to go."
"Oh..." Violet muttered.
She tried to hide her disappointment, but Kai seemed to have sensed it. "There are a few things I need to take care of at work today," he explained in a coaxing tone.
"Of course!" Violet quickly replied. "I'll wait for your call about Friday. Please take care."
"I will," Kai said. "Please rest well today," he added and hung up the phone.
Violet let out a disappointed sigh as she looked at her phone. She wanted to talk to him more. Why did he have to work even on Sunday?
But it only took a few seconds before her heart started to twirl around her chest again.
Just the thought of seeing him again had the power to tickle her pink. She jumped up and down like an excited little girl that had just gotten a new kitten or puppy but soon stopped after realizing how silly she was behaving. She placed her hand over her heart, trying to steady its rapid beats.
But amidst her euphoria, she suddenly recalled something that made her mood slightly dip. She frowned.
The feminine blouse she had seen in his closet. Whose was it?
Earlier today, she had decided not to think much of it. After all, she wasn't the nosy type. But after having identified the strange feeling that she had for him as something of a romantic nature—combined with the fact that he had just invited her for dinner that sounded a lot like a date—the thought of the piece of female clothing hanging inside his closet bothered her.
Does he have a sister? It's probably his sister's... or perhaps a female relative's... she pondered.
Don't get ahead of yourself, Violet! Let's not jump to conclusions! You should just ask him when you meet him again!
She patted her cheeks to regain her senses and made up her mind. There was no point in wasting energy with useless conjecture when there was virtually nothing on which she could base her assumptions. Misunderstandings rarely led to anything good, and she definitely wouldn't want to get the wrong end of that stick.
♡──── ❝ Author's Note ❞ ────♡
Seems like our girl is gonna go on a date with a certain handsome superintendent 😉
It would mean a lot to me if you could share your thoughts about this chapter in the comment section. And please consider voting if you liked it.
Thank you so much for reading!
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