Falling for the Goddess

Can You Hand Me My Pajamas?

Life returned to its usual pace for the two. Adrian Blake commuted between his company and their mansion, with the only chance for him and Sara Hart to interact in the evenings. Even so, they exchanged a few words each day, creating a warm, comfortable atmosphere.

At a café, Ella Duvall eagerly pressed Sara Hart for details about her recent interactions with Adrian Blake. Sara Hart recounted everything truthfully.

"Everything's going in the right direction, Sara. You're doing great!" Ella Duvall encouraged. "If he's already taken you to meet his friends, it means he's beginning to see you as one of his own."

Seeing Ella Duvall's excitement, Sara Hart smiled. But she still seemed somewhat troubled. "We are closer than before, yes, but I still don't know how to take it to the next level..."

"Are you planning to tell him that you like him?" Ella Duvall asked.

Sara Hart shook her head. "It's not the right time."

Given how things were between them, Adrian Blake would probably only feel burdened if he knew about her feelings.

Ella Duvall racked her brain for ideas. "Adrian's not rejecting your presence anymore, which is good. Now, you need to step up and flirt with him!"

Sara Hart frowned slightly. Flirting wasn't her forte.

With an exasperated sigh, Ella pulled out her phone and swiftly sent two articles to Sara. "Just follow the tips here, step by step. You have the advantage of living together, so use it well!"

"Alright," Sara Hart agreed obediently.

"Oh, by the way," Ella Duvall added, "there's a banquet in a few days. Will you come with me?"

"What kind of banquet?"

"It's hosted by the Song family, celebrating the patriarch's 80th birthday. My parents would normally attend, but they insist I go with them this time."

Ella leaned closer and lowered her voice. "I heard they're trying to set up the Song family's son with someone at the party."

"Really?" Sara asked, surprised.

Ella nodded, sharing more gossip. "From what I've heard, the Lewis family's son is obsessed with medicine and has no interest in romance, so the old man is getting desperate..."

Ever since Ella broke up with her last boyfriend, her parents had been subtly nudging her towards marriage, fearing that she might end up alone.

"You know, I'm not exactly unattractive," Ella Duvall said with a dramatic sigh. "Do my parents need to be so worried?"

Sara chuckled. "Back in college, you had a whole line of admirers. You just didn't like them, so your parents are concerned."

Ella shrugged. "I don't want to go to this banquet alone, though. My mom threatened me, but I needed moral support. Can you please come with me?"

"We can just make an appearance and then leave, I promise!" Ella pleaded, tugging at Sara's sleeve. Sara, worn down by her persistence, finally agreed.

"Ah, I knew you'd be the best, darling! Let's go get hot pot tonight to celebrate!" Ella cheered.

---

When Sara returned to the mansion, it was nearly 9 p.m., almost the same time Adrian returned.

She headed to the kitchen to pour herself some water and was about to leave when she ran into Adrian coming in.

"You're back," she said, surprised.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Did you have dinner?"

"I ate at the office."

Sara Hart nodded, sipping her water, adding, "I had dinner with Ella. Even though she can't handle spicy food, she loves hot pot and always suffers happily afterward."

"Hot pot?" Adrian asked, noticing how her lips were slightly red, still glistening with moisture. His gaze darkened momentarily.

"Yeah," Sara nodded, taking another sip of water. "It was a bit spicy."

Adrian quickly averted his gaze, feeling a bit awkward. "I'll head upstairs."

Sara nodded and downed another glass of water before heading to her room.

Shortly after, she received a message from Ella:

- "Are you home yet? Don't forget to read those links I sent you."

Sara replied, then slowly opened the two links Ella had sent her. As she read through the tips, her face grew hotter and redder with each line.

"How are all of these tips so bold?"

As if knowing her reaction, Ella followed up with two more messages:

- "Don't be shy, darling. Be brave and give it a try."

- "You don't want your relationship to stay stuck forever, do you?"

Sara lowered her gaze, realizing that she didn't have much time and couldn't afford to be passive any longer.

"I need to approach this like I do with experiments," she told herself, "one step at a time."

Steeling her resolve, Sara threw the short-sleeved pajamas she'd brought from her apartment into the washing machine. Then, she opened the wardrobe filled with pajamas Grandma Blake had prepared and picked one out.

---

Adrian was showering in the guest bathroom. By the time he finished and returned to his room, nearly 30 minutes had passed.

He noticed that Sara was still in the bathroom. There was no sound of running water either.

Frowning, he checked the time and then looked toward the bathroom again, his brows furrowing slightly.

Ten minutes later, there was still no movement from inside.

Adrian got up, slipped on his shoes, and walked to the bathroom door. He knocked gently. "Sara?"

Inside, Sara flinched. She was standing in front of the mirror, wrapped in a towel, and wrestling with her thoughts for almost 20 minutes.

When she didn't respond, Adrian Blake knocked again, his voice concerned. "Are you okay?"

Sara swallowed hard before speaking. "I-I'm fine..."

Just as Adrian was about to turn away, he heard Sara's soft, tremulous voice from inside. "Umm... Can you... Can you hand me the pajamas on the bed?"

Her voice was so quiet and shaky that it sounded like she might burst into tears any second.

Adrian froze, his gaze instinctively landing on the thin fabric draped over the bed's edge.