Oops, My Boyfriend

第22章

Caleb spotted us from twenty steps away at restaurants and began approaching. I quickly whispered to James, "The god of my house has come to bring order. Looks like I can't keep you company today; let's do this another time!"When I turned around again, Caleb was right in front of me.I put on a placating smile, "Caleb..."He didn't look at me, nor did he respond. Instead, he firmly grasped my wrist. Unlike at the Szechuan restaurant, his grip was tighter this time, painfully so."Come with me," he said, pulling me forward.I was a bit stunned and called out softly, "Caleb."He continued, unresponsive, his grip tightening.James stepped forward to intervene, "What are you doing? You should explain yourself."Caleb smiled, "I'm her boyfriend. Isn't it strange for you to ask that?"James frowned, "Are you drunk?"That's when I noticed the slight redness on Caleb's fair face.Caleb assured, "Believe me, if I were drunk, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you. I appreciate that you care about Audrey as her classmate. But from here on, she and I need to deal with our issues alone. Please step aside."James looked at me, and I nodded and blinked, signaling him to go ahead.As Caleb and I passed James, Caleb advised, "As a classmate, you should act accordingly."It was around eight, a bustling time with bright lights all around.Caleb led me forward in silence.I tried to clear the air, "Caleb, you've really misunderstood. James and I just share a comradely friendship."He didn't react.Desperate, I blurted, "Look, Caleb! There's a hundred-dollar bill rolling on the ground."Still no reaction from him.I thought, "This is bad. He's really angry this time."When we reached the basketball court nearby, Caleb stopped and pulled me in front of him, then sat down on a nearby stone bench.He just sat there, hands folded, watching me, saying nothing.I was higher up but felt none of the advantage, his stare making me uncomfortably shrink back.Caleb finally spoke, unexpectedly gentle compared to his earlier tone with James."Tell me, where did you really go with James today?"I started, "We went to the Book City to buy books, and then..."He interrupted, "Look at me when you're speaking."I sighed, resigned, "Today, we went to the cinema in the afternoon to watch a movie, and then we were planning to have dinner when you caught—ran into us."Caleb stood up from the bench, towering over me, enveloping me in his intimidating shadow.We were close, the breeze carrying the faint scent of alcohol.A jealous man who had been drinking—troublesome indeed.Caleb looked down at me and said slowly, "You've grown quite capable, haven't you? I used to think you were just silly, but apparently, you're quite clever. You know how to play one game in the open and another in secret."His calm tone felt chillingly sharp.Spoiled as I was, I couldn't stand any injustice and immediately argued back."I admit I lied about being at the Book City, and that was wrong. But don't you think forbidding me from seeing James alone is too much? He's a high school classmate who came all this way. He doesn't know anyone else here but me. What's wrong with looking out for him?"Caleb countered, "What's wrong? You think it's reasonable to hang out alone with a so-called 'classmate' who harbors ulterior motives towards you?""Ulterior motives?" I snapped, realizing what he was implying. In a moment of frustration, words slipped out unfiltered."If he had ulterior motives, wouldn't he have acted back when I had a crush on him in high school?"After a pause, Caleb's tone turned icy, "Ah, I see. So it's not just 'ulterior motives' but 'mutual desire' then."I was furious, pushed him forcefully, and yelled, "You pig!!!"