- 9 hours ago
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🎈
FunTranscript
00:00The first thing I do after gaining the ability to see how much people desire me?
00:04Check my ice-cold boyfriend, obviously.
00:06Under my expectant gaze, a number slowly appeared above his head.
00:10Desire level 9.
00:12I was secretly thrilled, thinking the max must be 10.
00:15Then my childhood rival, the guy I could never stand, came over to my house.
00:19We stared at each other.
00:20And right before my eyes, another line slowly appeared above his head.
00:24Desire level 98.
00:27But it starts at work.
00:28When I'm slacking off and tap into a bizarre app.
00:31If you could have one ability, what would you choose?
00:34I try to close it. Nothing. Even the power button stops working.
00:38Fine, I mutter. Let's play.
00:40I want everything I touch to turn into cash. The words vanish.
00:44A reply crawls onto the screen.
00:47Denied. That would devalue the currency.
00:49Please exercise your rights within the law and refrain from disrupting the national economy. Thank you.
00:54I stare.
00:54Wow. A law-abiding, painfully polite malware app.
00:59Next wish.
01:00I want my family to live to 100.
01:02Life and death are determined by fate.
01:04Next.
01:05After several more rejections, I lose patience.
01:07I want to know whether someone actually likes me.
01:10This time, the app goes silent for so long I think it crashed.
01:13Then one tiny answer appears.
01:15Okay.
01:16The app finally releases my phone.
01:18I almost cry when my home screen returns.
01:20I cannot afford a new one.
01:21My co-worker comes back from the restroom and I rush over to tell her everything.
01:25Then a white box flickers above her forehead.
01:28Desire level 3.
01:29I rub my eyes.
01:30Still there.
01:31I reach for it.
01:32My fingers pass straight through.
01:34My co-worker shakes my shoulder.
01:36Zora?
01:37What were you about to say?
01:38I look at her, hollow-eyed.
01:39Never slack off at work.
01:41She knocks me on the head.
01:42You use your phone 16 hours a day.
01:45Get under 10 before lecturing me.
01:47The number trembles, nearly dropping to 2, then steadies at 3.
01:51It's dynamic.
01:52My brain threatens to overheat.
01:54The wish was supposed to tell me whether people liked me.
01:57Instead, it has installed a floating scoreboard above every head I see.
02:00Does 3 mean my co-worker barely tolerates me?
02:03Does the number measure affection, attraction, or something much less innocent?
02:07The app offered no instructions, no scale, just one smug little okay before vanishing.
02:13And if 3 is low, what does someone who truly wants me score?
02:17I grab my phone and text my boyfriend.
02:19Liam, will you pick me up after work?
02:22Tonight, I'm finding out exactly how he feels, no matter the answer.
02:26Liam and I have dated for almost a year.
02:28I chased the campus heartthrob through most of college, never believing he'd say yes.
02:33But he did.
02:34We've held hands, kissed once, when he was drunk.
02:37On my birthday, I tried to kiss his cheek.
02:39He gently stopped me.
02:40We're still building our relationship, he said.
02:43That's your first kiss.
02:44I shouldn't take it casually.
02:45Even his rejection sounded tender.
02:47Liam replies quickly.
02:48Sure, I send two happy stickers.
02:51What are you doing?
02:52Before he answers, my childhood enemy starts spamming me.
02:56Zora, answer me.
02:57Answer me, answer me.
02:59Ignoring me again?
03:00You won't even invent a decent excuse?
03:02My mom made chicken soup.
03:04Your period's coming.
03:04She says drink it before the cramps flatten you again.
03:07Caleb and I have fought since diapered.
03:08I only reply because his mother sent the suit.
03:11Fine, bring it over.
03:12He keeps bickering.
03:14Liam never answers my second message.
03:16By five, I can barely sit still.
03:18If Liam's number is high, every doubt I've ever had disappears.
03:22But what if it isn't?
03:24I bolt out of the office and find Liam waiting downstairs, hands in his pockets.
03:28I throw myself into his arms, breathe deep, and look up.
03:32A pale status bar appears.
03:34Nine.
03:35The scale must end at ten.
03:37My reserved boyfriend is secretly crazy about me.
03:40Liam pats my hand, asking me to let go.
03:43Then opens the car door.
03:46Why are you so happy today?
03:48He asks while driving.
03:49Because you're apparently a closet romantic.
03:51I don't say it.
03:52Instead, I thank the cursed app, its developers, God, and the sacred art of slacking off at work.
03:58At my building, I ask Liam upstairs.
04:01He smiles.
04:01Warm, beautiful, somehow distant.
04:04That could be fine.
04:05Normally, I'd stop there.
04:06Today, armed with that nine, I coax him inside.
04:10The second I open my door, rich chicken broth rolls out of the kitchen.
04:15A pair of men's sneakers sits in the entryway.
04:19I know that size.
04:20That obnoxious style.
04:22Caleb is already in my apartment.
04:23And he could not have picked a worse night.
04:27Caleb walks out wearing a pale pink apron and holding a soup ladle.
04:31Zora, you're only getting off work now?
04:33The soup's...
04:34He sees Liam and stops.
04:36Great.
04:37He mutters, just loud enough for me.
04:39That guy's here.
04:40Should have stayed home.
04:41My stomach growls at the smell of soup, but I barely hear it.
04:45A status box is forming above Caleb's head.
04:47Unlike my co-worker's plain black text, these numbers glow deep crimson.
04:51Huge.
04:52Bold.
04:53Almost bleeding.
04:54The meter finishes loading.
04:55I blink once.
04:56Twice.
04:57Liam scored nine.
04:58Caleb, the boy who put worms in my backpack, stole my snacks, and has spent 20 years insulting me.
05:04Scores 98?
05:06Maybe different people use different scales.
05:08Maybe the app is broken.
05:09Maybe I've developed a brain tumor in the last three hours.
05:12Caleb arches a brow.
05:14Why are you staring at me like that?
05:16The crimson numbers pulse.
05:1798.
05:18If that isn't out of 10, what exactly does Caleb want from me?
05:22I rub my eyes hard.
05:23The 98 is still there.
05:26Worse, it shifts through every color of the rainbow.
05:28Shameless and flashy.
05:30Exactly like Caleb.
05:31My stomach drops.
05:32I turn to Liam, clinging to one last possibility.
05:34He watches Caleb with narrowed eyes, a hint of hostility breaking through his usual calm.
05:39Above him, the same frigid number floats.
05:42Not 9 out of 10, 9 out of 100.
05:44Every rejected kiss suddenly makes sense.
05:47Every time I closed my eyes during a date and waited for warmth that never came, he must have
05:51watched me coldly.
05:52I spent nearly three years chasing him, and another year learning every preference he had.
05:57Was I only a foolish little dog, grateful for each crumb of affection?
06:01Sorry, why is another man here?
06:03Hmm?
06:04Normally, I'd throw Caleb out and save her time alone with my boyfriend.
06:07Now my thoughts are static.
06:09I mumble something and push Liam toward the door.
06:11He frowns.
06:12What's wrong with you?
06:14Nothing.
06:14You said you were busy, right?
06:16Go.
06:17Sorry I took up your time.
06:18Impatience flashes beneath his perfect expression.
06:21Sorry, what is this?
06:25She said she's tired.
06:27Caleb cuts in.
06:27Doors to your right.
06:28Use it.
06:28Their eyes lock.
06:29Sparks flying.
06:31Liam's number drops to eight.
06:32Two sentences.
06:33That's all it takes for wanting me to become even more unpleasant.
06:37I smile sweetly at Caleb.
06:39You leave too?
06:40Nope.
06:41He shuts Liam outside, walks toward the kitchen, and messes up my hair.
06:46Die mad about it.
06:47Usually, I attack him for that.
06:49He reaches the kitchen before noticing I haven't moved.
06:51Caleb turns.
06:52I'm standing in the entryway, crying without a sound.
06:55His spatula hits the floor.
06:56And the number above his head rockets from ninety-eight to one-hundredths.
07:04Oh, hell.
07:05Your prynus.
07:06What royal hairstyle did I ruin?
07:08I'm blind, stupid, criminally disrespectful.
07:10Just stop crying.
07:12His touch is absurdly gentle.
07:16Hit me.
07:17Mess up my hair.
07:18I'll never touch yours again.
07:19I finally stop sobbing.
07:21Caleb, think.
07:22Then I see it.
07:24A perfect score.
07:25While I was crying, I slap him.
07:29Pervert!
07:30Later, Caleb sits across from me with an ice pack on his cheek.
07:34Why were you crying?
07:35My boss caught me slacking and fined me twenty bucks.
07:37His eye twitches.
07:39I sip the soup he made.
07:43Caleb, do you think Liam doesn't love me?
07:45I've asked him versions of this for a year.
07:47He answers automatically.
07:49Dump him.
07:50Maybe from the beginning.
07:52Dump him.
07:52But why did he agree to date me?
07:54Dump him.
07:55I exhale.
07:57You're right.
07:58I should have seen it sooner.
08:00I'll end it.
08:01Exactly.
08:02Dump what?
08:03Caleb slides right off the couch.
08:05After dinner, I wash dishes while Caleb circles me like a broken voice recorder.
08:09Possessed?
08:10Reincarnated?
08:11Bound to a mission system?
08:13No.
08:14Say it again.
08:14You're really dumping him?
08:16When?
08:17After the tenth question, I snap.
08:19Fine.
08:19It was a lie.
08:21Caleb goes quiet and turns away.
08:24I knew it.
08:25Zora, don't lie to me like that again.
08:27Something in his voice hurts.
08:29I turn his face toward me, but he stares stubbornly at the ceiling.
08:32I've told you I'm serious.
08:33You're the one refusing to believe me.
08:35His eyes light up.
08:37So it's real?
08:39Yes.
08:39I'll do it in the next few days.
08:41You can't hold on to someone who never reaches back.
08:43The next week, I stop chasing Liam.
08:45Strangely, his replies become faster.
08:47The attention I once begged for arrives only when I no longer want it.
08:50Then, office gossip brings another surprise.
08:52A gorgeous, foreign-educated PhD is joining us as our new boss.
08:56She went to our university.
08:57And somehow, she already seems connected to me.
09:00Liam offers to pick me up, giving me the perfect chance to end things.
09:03This time, I don't hug him.
09:05I quietly get into the car.
09:07He looks displeased.
09:08The drive is painfully silent.
09:10Without me filling every gap, we're practically strangers.
09:13You've been acting weird.
09:15I'm weird because I stopped worshipping you?
09:17My hand brushes his.
09:19He recoils instinctively.
09:21I laugh.
09:23Let's break up.
09:24The car jerks to a stop.
09:27What did you say?
09:28Do all men have hearing problems?
09:31We're done, Liam.
09:32Impossible.
09:33Stop joking.
09:34He starts driving again.
09:35What did I do?
09:36I don't love you anymore.
09:38And you never loved me.
09:41Don't be ridiculous.
09:43Your period ended last week, didn't it?
09:45I obviously love you.
09:46At my building, I jump out.
09:48Liam follows, grabs me, and pins me against the car.
09:50You're serious?
09:51Let go!
09:52His desire level begins to climb.
09:54Nine.
09:55Twelve.
09:55Eighteen.
09:56Why does rejecting him make him want me more?
09:58You'll dump me and date Caleb?
10:00That childhood friend who's always glued to you?
10:04What are you talking about?
10:05You like him?
10:07Caleb and I have too much blackmail material on each other to imagine romance.
10:10You say you love me, but you won't even kiss me.
10:13Kiss me now, will you?
10:15His number surges.
10:17Liam stares down at me.
10:18His eyes darken.
10:19Slowly, impossibly, he leans closer.
10:22His hot breath touches my lips.
10:23Panic shoots through me.
10:25I shove him away.
10:28So you're dumping me because I didn't kiss you?
10:30This isn't how it was supposed to go.
10:32I run upstairs without looking back, and collide with a broad chest outside my door.
10:37Caleb.
10:38Standing around in the darks like a ghost?
10:40Very tasteful.
10:41He says nothing.
10:42The second we enter, he pins my wrists against the door.
10:45Did he kiss you?
10:45His usual teasing is gone.
10:47You said you were ending it, didn't you?
10:49I switch on the light.
10:52Above him burns a blood red 100, and I've never been afraid of Caleb, until now.
10:57He didn't kiss me.
10:59I stopped him.
11:00Caleb releases me, relief brightening his voice.
11:03You rejected him?
11:05Yes.
11:06You broke it.
11:07Pain tears through my abdomen.
11:09I fold over, sweating.
11:11Caleb, my stomach.
11:13Your period?
11:14First day?
11:15I'm sorry.
11:15How bad is it?
11:17He rushes to boil water, brings a heating pad, then lets me curl against him.
11:21We argue 365 days a year, minus the 84 days when my cramps are at their worst.
11:26Before I fell for Liam, Caleb always rubbed my stomach until I slept.
11:29Afterward, we silently kept our distance.
11:32Now, his hot palm moves gently over the pain.
11:34The breakup hurts, too.
11:36I start crying again.
11:38Don't cry, Zora.
11:40He brushes damp hair from my forehead.
11:42Sleep drags me under while my head rests on his thigh.
11:46Sleep.
11:46For once, I don't check the number above him.
11:49But the next morning, the woman who will make my life hell walks into my office.
11:54Olivia is beautiful, accomplished, and sweet to everyone.
11:57Everyone except me.
11:58My workload doubles.
12:00I fetch coffee.
12:01Someone else presents my work.
12:03Then, afternoon tea arrives for the entire department, minus mine.
12:07Hannah leans over.
12:08Is Olivia targeting you?
12:10I glance at Olivia's deeply negative desire level and nod.
12:14Also, you two kind of look alike.
12:16I nearly choke.
12:17Olivia is wealthy, polished, untouchable.
12:21I'm an office aunt who spends 20 minutes on makeup and will never earn a fraction of her savings.
12:26Maybe you're both just gorgeous.
12:27Her number jumps 10 point.
12:29I scoot away.
12:30Are you finally making a move on me?
12:32You?
12:33Pass.
12:34We nearly wrestle over the insult.
12:36I forget the resemblance until Liam appears at the office.
12:39He is dressed carefully, but exhaustion cracks his perfect smile.
12:43We need to talk.
12:44We don't.
12:45He pulls me aside anyway.
12:48And Olivia walks around the corner.
12:50Olivia freezes.
12:52Liam?
12:53Why haven't you answered my calls?
12:55Her voice breaks.
12:56She grabs his shirt like she owns it.
12:58Liam looks at me, visibly rattled.
13:01You know my employee?
13:02After a long silence, he-
13:04Zora is my current girl.
13:06Female friend.
13:07I'll leave you two alone.
13:08His hand lifts, perhaps to stop me.
13:11Instead, it settles on Olivia's back.
13:13He half embraces her as they leave.
13:15Over his shoulder, Olivia gives me a victorious smile.
13:19I order takeout and open Caleb's message.
13:22Still cramping?
13:22I'm cooking tonight.
13:24You just want my new air fryer?
13:25He sends a voice message, his husky laugh filling my ear.
13:28Yeah, I want you.
13:30He pauses for two long seconds.
13:31Your new air fryer.
13:32My face heats to spite myself.
13:34That evening, while shopping with Caleb, we pass a famous restaurant.
13:37Inside, Liam is wiping tears from Olivia's face.
13:40And this time, he doesn't pull away from her touch.
13:43Olivia clings to Liam's arm.
13:46Leaving you for that man was wrong.
13:49But dating him was my only chance to study abroad.
13:51I never loved him.
13:53Liam strokes her hair, the way he touched mine once, drunk, while murmuring someone else's name.
13:59You still love me, don't you?
14:00Olivia presses.
14:02Everyone says you found a stand-in.
14:03That girl, Zora?
14:05Liam says nothing.
14:06Ethan told me everything.
14:08You only dated her because she looks like me.
14:10Everyone knew you were just playing around.
14:11Ethan, Liam's closest friend.
14:14The man who always called me sister-in-law while Liam glared at him.
14:18Not embarrassment.
14:19A warning not to reveal the joke.
14:21Our dates, sunrise hikes, Valentine's irises.
14:24Every memory collapses.
14:26Someone like her can't help you.
14:27Break up with her.
14:28Come back to me.
14:29My eyes burn.
14:30Caleb covers them with one warm hand.
14:33Zora, if we don't buy groceries now, we're not eating.
14:35He turns me into his chest.
14:37His heartbeat is steady while mine splinters.
14:39I glimpse his meter, below 80.
14:41He holds me without lust, simply because I need him.
14:45My heart hurts.
14:47Mine too.
14:48But the last words disappear into the noise.
14:50The next day, Olivia's hostility becomes open warfare.
14:53My workload doubles again.
14:55Office gossip spreads faster.
14:57Hannah approaches carefully.
14:59People say you stole Olivia's boyfriend, then threatened his family when he tried to leave.
15:03Do I look legally illiterate?
15:05She laughs and squeezes my shoulder.
15:07I knew it wasn't true.
15:08She's probably trying to force you out.
15:10Meanwhile, Caleb starts appearing every day to comfort me, dressed more dramatically each time.
15:15One evening, he arrives in Liam's clean-cut style.
15:18I look twice because it's so unlike him.
15:20He talks non-stop, then suddenly sulks.
15:23I pinch his cheeks.
15:24What is wrong with you?
15:26He catches my hand and looks straight into my eyes.
15:29I wore a suit.
15:30You kept staring.
15:31And?
15:32It's Liam's style.
15:34So that's still your type.
15:36I burst out laughing.
15:38We're over.
15:38I stared because you never dressed like this.
15:40I prefer your usual clothes.
15:42His whole face brightens.
15:44At least you have taste.
15:45Then his eyes turn cold.
15:47Under the streetlight behind me stands Liam.
15:49Liam strides toward us.
15:50Caleb immediately blocks me.
15:52Zero, we need to talk.
15:53Mr. Hale?
15:54We broke up.
15:55He flinches.
15:56What did you call me?
15:58What else should I call you?
16:00I never agreed to the breakup.
16:01Caleb scoffs.
16:02To avoid a fight, I send Caleb upstairs to fix my projector.
16:05He refuses to move until I tug his hand and coax.
16:09Go.
16:09It'll be quick.
16:10Alone, Liam rubs the bridge of his nose.
16:13If this is some hard-to-get game, congratulations.
16:15It worked.
16:15I never knew you were this narcissistic.
16:17I turn away.
16:18He grabs my arm.
16:19Or did you get with Caleb first, then dump me to enjoy your new life?
16:22My slap cracks through the street.
16:24Liam's head snaps sideways.
16:25He apologizes instantly, but grief floods me.
16:28My hand shakes.
16:29Anyone can think the worst of me.
16:31But after everything I gave him, how dare he?
16:33What are you angry about?
16:35Losing your stand-in?
16:36Your first love is back.
16:38Why can't we part peacefully?
16:39Who told you, Olivia?
16:40Panic flashes across Liam's face.
16:42I pry his fingers from my arm.
16:44It doesn't matter.
16:44We have no future.
16:46I don't love her and just to embrace me.
16:47Zora, you're the one I love now.
16:48His meter rises toward Forty, so Forty creates the urge to hug me.
16:52You don't love me.
16:53You love being loved.
16:54Stop lying to yourself.
16:55I give him the same radiant smile I once wore whenever I saw him, but the devotion is gone.
17:00Leave.
17:01At work, Olivia makes her final move.
17:03She inserts someone into my nearly finished project to steal the credit, then orders me transferred.
17:08Why don't you go?
17:10You've lost two partners in two weeks.
17:12Clearly you're very capable.
17:13She slams the desk.
17:15The sweet mask finally falls.
17:17Then quit.
17:17And smiles like she has been waiting to say it.
17:20Liam and I are over.
17:21Whether he takes you back has nothing to do with me.
17:24I just don't like you.
17:26Her red smile is vicious.
17:28Who enjoys looking at her own replacement?
17:31I march out and pack my desk.
17:33Olivia follows, speaking loudly enough for everyone.
17:37I never truly wanted you gone, despite what you did.
17:39But we should respect your decision.
17:41Let's thank Zora for her years of service.
17:42She begins clapping alone.
17:44Then her own voice rings from my phone.
17:46Then quit.
17:47I just don't like you.
17:48The whole office goes silent.
17:50Are you insane?
17:51Olivia lunges for my phone.
17:53Hannah stands, dragging her chair loudly across the floor.
17:55Damn, I woke up and the dog learned to talk.
17:57If Zora leaves, I leave.
17:58This company is doomed anyway.
18:00She starts packing too.
18:01Olivia's face twists.
18:02Hannah, what do you mean?
18:03Hannah shrugs.
18:04Whoever wants to serve you can.
18:06I quit.
18:06Then another employee reaches for a box.
18:09Two veterans and a junior I've mentored join us.
18:11We're leaving too.
18:12They don't even have new jobs lined up.
18:15Still, they stand beside me.
18:16Olivia points at us, shaking with rage.
18:18I'll blacklist every one of you from the entire group.
18:22My phone rings.
18:23Caleb.
18:24You'd better have a reason.
18:25My boss is forcing me out.
18:27What?
18:28I drove across town for those rose red bean pastries you wanted.
18:31I'm downstairs.
18:32The trip takes nearly three hours.
18:34I mention the pastries once.
18:36Warmth fills my chest.
18:38Caleb thinks-
18:39Wait.
18:39She made you quit?
18:41Great news.
18:42I've told you to leave that dump forever.
18:44Come work with me.
18:44I press my fingers to my forehead.
18:46Yes, Mr. Caleb.
18:47He arrives minutes later, pastries in hand, ready to pack my belongings at record speed.
18:52Hannah spots him and whistles.
18:54Well, hello, handsome.
18:55For some reason, the compliment makes me ridiculously pleased.
18:59Then everyone asks the question Olivia is desperate to hear.
19:02Zora, where are you going next?
19:04I glance at Caleb.
19:05He gives me a shameless wink.
19:08I'm going to Eric's group.
19:10Everyone erupts.
19:13Eric's?
19:14That's almost impossible to get into.
19:17Olivia laughs.
19:19If you could work there, why were you here?
19:21This little company could never contain someone so important.
19:24Then Caleb speaks.
19:27Miss Olivia certainly talks big.
19:29It's for someone who dated a man to study abroad, then returned crying for her ex.
19:34And somehow Zora is the villain?
19:37Impressive nerve.
19:39Olivia turns white and calls security.
19:42Relax.
19:44I'm taking my people.
19:45As for Zora, my mother has wanted her at Averex for years.
19:49We just acquired a new building and need staff.
19:51Her friends can join too.
19:53Half the office forgets how to breathe.
19:55Hannah elbows me.
19:56Which company is he from?
19:57I whisper.
19:58Averex.
19:59Her desire level shoots up.
20:01You hid this?
20:03Rich girl!
20:05Can I date you?
20:07Hard pass.
20:09I retreat, and Caleb casually wraps an arm around my waist.
20:17Olivia stares at his hand.
20:19Who are you?
20:21My father is Averex's executive chairman.
20:24Zora and I grew up together.
20:26Our parents helped build the company, and hers were among its earliest shareholders.
20:30Olivia's face empties.
20:32Zora has the education and experience.
20:35Why wouldn't we hire her?
20:37The co-workers who resign cheer.
20:39Others suddenly ask whether they can quit too.
20:41Caleb rejects the opportunists with a pleasant smile.
20:44I eat my pastry and watch Olivia lose control of the room.
20:49When it's over, Caleb leans close.
20:52Good.
20:52Without thinking, I hold a pastry to his lips.
20:55He pauses, then opens his mouth.
20:57The warm tip of his tongue brushes my fingertip.
21:00Yeah.
21:01Delicious.
21:02Ripples spread through my chest.
21:04Days later, Liam calls.
21:07Mmm.
21:08Mmm.
21:10He and Olivia had a terrible fight.
21:14Come back to me.
21:16You can return to your old job.
21:18Olivia won't bother you.
21:20I miss you, Zora.
21:22I really do.
21:24This time, his voice breaks.
21:27I think I finally understand what you meant.
21:31But understanding has come too late.
21:34Liam has always known how to turn three parts affection into ten.
21:38He makes you feel cherished, even when his hands are empty.
21:41Once, I believed every word.
21:44Now I hear the gap between what he says and what he gives.
21:47It doesn't matter anymore.
21:49Zora.
21:51What good is devotion after it's too late?
21:55We missed our chance.
21:57That's all.
21:59Silence stretches across the call.
22:02I won't turn back.
22:04I hope you don't either.
22:08Hang up.
22:12For the first time, losing Liam doesn't feel like losing my future.
22:17It feels like setting down something heavy.
22:20Then Caleb betrays me in an entirely different way.
22:23He tells his mother everything Olivia did.
22:28Mrs. Carter has treated me like a daughter all my life.
22:31She is furious enough to terminate Oryx's cooperation with my former company.
22:37I rush over to stop her from declaring corporate war.
22:41But Caleb is already encouraging the queen.
22:48That company will collapse with Olivia running it.
22:50Better to cut ties now.
22:53I consider this and bow dramatically to his mother.
22:58Your Majesty is wise and mighty.
23:01Mrs. Carter laughs and makes me stay for dinner.
23:05Halfway through the meal, she drops the same question our parents have asked for over a decade.
23:11So, Zira, when are you finally becoming my daughter-in-law?
23:15Normally, I ignore it.
23:17This time, heat rushes up my neck.
23:20I look at Caleb without meaning to.
23:23Mrs. Carter catches it immediately.
23:26And you?
23:28Why are you still dragging your feet?
23:31Didn't you say back in college that-
23:33Mom!
23:35Caleb cuts her off too sharply.
23:37Then he softens, places food in my bowl, and smiles as if nothing happened.
23:43Stop teasing her.
23:45You know she gets embarrassed.
23:46It's the same protective smile he has given me a thousand times.
23:49Only now, I can see the number above him.
23:52Caleb's desire level stays impossibly high.
23:55Higher than the number that made him pin me against the door.
23:58Higher than when he almost thought Liam had kissed me.
24:01Yet his gaze at dinner is calm, patient, almost helplessly tender.
24:07This isn't a sudden crush.
24:11It has survived childhood fights, scraped knees, college, Liam, and every cruel joke I've thrown at him.
24:19Years of feeling hide beneath that familiar look.
24:23And the moment I recognize them, every defense inside me begins to fall.
24:30After dinner, I escape to Caleb's room and reach for his game console like I always do.
24:37Water runs in the kitchen, then it stops.
24:41Caleb enters and shuts the door behind him.
24:44He moves quietly, slowly, like a leopard approaching something skittish.
24:49For the first time in my life, his room feels like his territory.
24:53I have something for you.
24:54He says.
24:57He opens a drawer.
24:58Inside lies a yellowed letter I recognize instantly.
25:02I saw that letter years ago.
25:04Back then, I had burst into Caleb's room and announced that I might like Liam.
25:09Caleb hid the letter behind his back.
25:13Later, curiosity consumed me.
25:16I begged, threatened, bribed, and tried to steal it.
25:19He refused every time.
25:22Caleb almost never refuses me anything.
25:26That letter was the single exception.
25:29Now he places it between us.
25:31The paper is old enough to prove this began long before the app.
25:35Before Liam.
25:36Maybe before I knew what romantic love was.
25:39Why show me now?
25:41I ask.
25:42Caleb leans against the desk, studying my fate.
25:44Because I think you know.
25:45His voice is low and rich.
25:47Every trace of joking gone.
25:48I grip the game controller harder.
25:50Know what?
25:51He steps closer.
25:53Don't make me say it if you're going to run.
25:55But there is only one truth he could have hidden inside that letter.
25:59Caleb asks.
26:00You know, don't you?
26:02That I like you.
26:04The words land softly.
26:06But their weight still knocks the air from my lungs.
26:09For days, the meter has shown me his desire.
26:12Desire is simple.
26:13Physical.
26:14Easy to blame on impulse.
26:15This is different.
26:16The faded letter says it has lasted for years.
26:20Long years.
26:21The soup says he notices my cycle.
26:24The pastries say he remembers everything I want.
26:27The night at the restaurant says he hurts when I hurt.
26:30And his voice now says there is nowhere left for either of us to hide.
26:34Caleb.
26:35Zora.
26:36I know you.
26:37He looks almost painfully calm.
26:39The moment you realize someone likes you, you create distance.
26:42You define the relationship and shut the door.
26:44He's right.
26:45That is exactly what I do.
26:47He comes another step closer.
26:49So now that I've told you, what are you going to do with me?