Oops, My Boyfriend

第5章

After that, I became a regular at the activity center's movie theater.I stopped bringing a hundred-dollar bill to buy tickets, after all, carrying around a bunch of change isn't exactly convenient.But every time I bought a ticket from Caleb properly, he'd playfully shake a tin box.That tin box, originally for cookies, now full of hundreds of coins...I thought to myself, thank goodness I'm kind-hearted. If I kept using a hundred-dollar bill, what would I do with 98 quarters?Every time Caleb took my money, he'd smile so kindly yet so pityingly, "How come it's not a hundred this time?"I couldn't even get upset.I told my sister, "At our school, there's this activities center, and in that center, there's a ticket office, and in that office, there's a guy named Caleb. He's just wicked, loves to shake that tin box and say: 'Oh, why isn't it a hundred this time?'"My sister thought for a second and said, "Sis, you must be the author of the story 'There was a mountain, there was a temple on the mountain,' right?"I flipped a pillow over.Then she added, "Sis, your first love has finally arrived. You know, your story falls into the 'enemies to lovers' category in romance novels."I pulled the blanket over my head.She teased, "The old virgin is shy."I kicked her off the bed, murmuring from under the blanket, "If you don't start collecting some good karma, you'll end up on my path."I've had enough beef to know that thinking about Caleb is why my mind is a mess.Yep, I've got inappropriate thoughts about him!I don't know how things got to this point, nor when it started. It just did.I was considering how to make him my devoted admirer.Should I write a poignant love letter? Make a passionate confession?Without a target, I blunder forward, but with one, I hesitate.What if he rejects me? What if he's scared off?That's the drawback of never having been in love: nervous and clueless.Oh, my shaky teenage heart!My friends say, "Treat the man you like as a wolf does its prey—be firm, accurate, and ruthless."Their words made my blood boil, making me want to charge into Caleb's dorm right then.The next day, I intercepted him at the activity center, suggesting we grab a drink at the bubble tea shop.He still asked with a smile, "Am I paying, or are you?"I just looked at him, thinking, 'It'll all be the same soon.'At the bubble tea shop, we sat down and ordered two drinks.He sat across from me, smiling, and I could only stare at my cup, repeatedly muttering to myself, "Firm, accurate, ruthless."Whether it was guilt, I couldn't look up at him.The "true confession" I had written twice the night before was stuck in my throat.I pitied myself for not fighting more, how could I falter at such a crucial moment?I was still tangled up in this when he spoke."You like me, don't you?"I was so startled that the plain bubble tea almost came out my nose.I thought of that classmate with the corn kernels and admired the irony.Silent, I tipped my head back, desperately sucking the tea back in.After I managed to calm down, still with my head back, I was astounded by how things had turned out. I'm not quick-witted, I needed a moment to think.Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, he was casually leaning on his hand, still smiling.He thinks he's the Buddha of the future, smiling like that?I straightened up, going for broke: "So what if I do?""I accept you," he said, his hand covering mine.Oh my god, a shock of a thousand volts!Later I asked him how he dared to ask if I liked him.He said, "You didn't see your face. Just by looking, I knew what you were up to. You struggled to say it, so I helped you out. I'm good, right?"His cunning smile persisted. I wasn't convinced and asked, "So, do you like me?"He replied, "Would I hang out with you this long if I didn't?"I was satisfied, triumphant, my smile stretching ear to ear.Heh, this clean-cut man is mine now!