Love for One Night

Ch 2: Over-the-Shoulder Throw (6)

It's a strange twist of fate to bump into someone you can't stop thinking about while walking down the street. But unfortunately, you catch him flirting with someone else. Why can't there ever be a win-win situation in this world?

As soon as Sandra entered the house, she flopped into her bedroom and buried her face in the pillow. A lot had happened today, leaving her brain a tangled mess of sticky thoughts, so thick she couldn't untangle them. She wasn't used to dealing with overly complicated matters. When the color is too thick, you just add water to thin it out.

Sandra climbed out of bed, dragging her feet to the kitchen to pour a glass of water, then shuffled back to her bedroom. At the door, she suddenly stopped, jerked her head up. Since moving into this place, she must have walked this route from the bedroom to the kitchen hundreds, maybe thousands, of times. But for some reason, it felt strangely unfamiliar this time.

Weird.

She turned to look back at the living room and kitchen. The furniture was in its usual spots, the floor was spotless, and there weren't even any sports clothes casually tossed onto the sofa. What was different?

Sandra scanned the space carefully again but couldn't pinpoint anything out of the ordinary. Sigh, maybe it's just her scrambled brain playing tricks on her, she thought.

Sandra shook her head and continued walking to her bedroom. Just as she took a step, she suddenly spun around to glance at the empty computer desk in the corner. She understood now.

"April, are you there? Open the door?" Sandra stood at April's bedroom door and gently knocked. "April, are you okay?"

The question was unnecessary. This hardcore homebody, who started her day by sleepwalking to the computer and could starve rather than leave her desk, who often stayed online until the early hours of the morning with a pale, ghostly face, wasn't sitting in her beloved ergonomic leather computer chair. Something must be wrong.

Besides, April had run off before dinner time, and Sandra had only chased her halfway before giving up due to her chaotic thoughts. It was all Yao's fault—blame him! If she'd chased April home, she wouldn't have had to deal with Yao's bizarre, nonsensical confession.

Sometimes, being liked by someone can be a kind of pressure—especially when the person isn't someone you like back.

Sandra wasn't one of those single-minded female protagonists in K-dramas who only knows how to violently treat a man with an IQ of 50. Her bursts of violence were purely to diffuse awkwardness, create a safe distance for herself, and discourage Yao. After all, most men probably preferred more ladylike women. Probably. That's the traditional notion, anyway. Though it doesn't rule out men who enjoy trouble or a challenge.

Uh oh, could Yao actually fit into another category? No way! He didn't look like the type—such a big guy! Even if he were gay, he definitely wouldn't be the submissive one...

Sandra's thoughts wandered a bit far. For now, the priority was to get this door open.

"April~ Open the door~ Open the door~" Her summoning-style knocking didn't work. There wasn't a peep from inside. Sandra started to lose heart—maybe April wasn't home? But she'd seen the shoes April wore today, one flung east and one west by the door, almost tripping her earlier.

She tried the doorknob. It was locked. This seemed serious. April wasn't the type to lock herself in her room for something so melodramatic. April wouldn't... do anything stupid, right? No, definitely not. She wouldn't leave behind all the anime movies and romance novels on her computer.

Could she have gone too far this time? Sandra couldn't help but feel a little guilty. All that guy did was joke with April—why did she have to overreact so much? But just thinking of that creep's disgusting smirk made her furious again, even angrier than she was at the time.

Sandra's anger didn't matter to herself, but the poor door was about to pay the price.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"April, are you coming out or not?" Sandra accidentally shouted, startling herself.
She tried to soften her tone. After all, it was her fault for embarrassing April in front of her boyfriend. She should not knock like an aggressive debt-collector.

"April, I'm sorry. It was my fault—I was too impulsive. But don't lock yourself in there. If you're upset, talk to me. Keeping it bottled up will only make things worse."

Was it her imagination, or did she hear the faint sound of a chair scraping the floor?
Encouraged, Sandra continued, "April, didn't you once say that sharing happiness doubles it, and sharing sadness halves it? Every time I tell you about my troubles, I feel better afterward. Why not tell me what's on your mind?"

Still silence.

"April, I'm really sorry. Please don't ignore me forever. Tell me how I can make it up to you. How about I chop off this hand of mine for you—"

Okay, maybe that's too much.

"Or... how about I make your favorite sour and spicy shredded potatoes tonight? Or I can buy you some strawberry ice cream?"

Food bribes failed.

"Okay then, how about we play Need for Speed together? No? How about Red Alert or Three Kingdoms..."

Even her gaming offers were met with silence.

Sandra, despite her arsenal of persuasive tactics, felt like she was hitting a cotton wall—no response whatsoever. Even heroes had their limits. She punched the door in frustration. "April, just tell me what you want me to do! I know I was wrong..."

The punch wasn't particularly strong, but the wooden door, already worn out, let out a cracking sound, splintering slightly.

"Ah..." Sandra gasped as a splinter jabbed into her hand, blood quickly seeping out.

She sat down against the wall, cradling her injured hand, hissing in pain while grumbling, "April, if you don't come out, I'll smash a hole in this door and drag you out myself..."

The door lock clicked. After a long pause, the door slowly creaked open a crack.

April appeared. Her usual sharp eyes swollen like peaches without her glasses.

"April~" Sandra immediately jumped up and reached out to grab her, only to wince in pain when she touched her injured hand.

April's swollen eyes glimmered when she saw Sandra's bleeding hand. She widened her eyes in shock. "Sandra, your hand..." April grabbed it, about to say something when her voice cracked, and she started crying again.

Sandra sighed, pulling April into her arms and letting her lean against her. She gently stroked April's shoulder and said softly, "It's okay. Cry if you want to. Once you let it out, it'll all be okay..."