***
[I got your number from Samuel. Did you get home okay that day?
— Jimmy Myers —]
Jimmy Myers contacted me from an unsaved number and even left his name behind.
Completely different from the kid who used to secretly stick notes onto my locker and run away.
“That day,” which he mentioned, became a small turning point in my everyday life. Peace had started creeping back in ever since the evening I’d returned home feeling light enough to fly.
Before night fell, I’d searched things like ways to heal split lips quickly, people who relieve stress through car chases, self-defense techniques, and signs of jealousy, while also sending Eden a message.
[Did you get home? Did you treat the wound? If you want, should I bring you some medicine?]
The reply was brief.
Stalker
[I’m fine.]
Lying facedown on my bed, I’d held my phone beside my head and kicked my feet in the air. The blanket had fluttered up and settled back over me again and again.
Ever since that day, I’d been sleeping well, so my fatigue disappeared like it had been washed away, and the tension in my relationship with Eden had loosened considerably. The plan to bait him by bringing up messages from other men wasn’t even worth considering anymore.
[Yeah.]
After sending Jimmy Myers a half-hearted reply, I shoved my hands into my pockets and stood there.
Like a doorman waiting for a stalker, I stayed rooted in place for quite a while, glancing around repeatedly. Strangely enough, neither a black sedan nor Eden was anywhere in sight. I wondered if he was waiting in the apartment parking garage, so I went to check, but he wasn’t there either.
“Eden.”
The name I called just in case dissolved into empty air as a monologue.
“Eden Reed.”
Did he oversleep? Maybe neglecting his actual job because he’d been too busy stalking had finally caused problems.
Though… did he even have an actual job?
The chain of questions twisting through my head abruptly changed direction, and my peace was suddenly threatened.
Don’t tell me he disappeared again.
Without saying anything.
Just vanished.
Anxiety washed over me, and I wandered around holding my jacket in my hand. Before long, I found Eden.
He was beyond the glass window of a donut shop.
“It doesn’t matter whether he disappears or not. I don’t care.”
The moment I tried to whip myself for feeling relieved, something inside me rebelled.
Of course you’d be startled if someone suddenly vanished. Especially when they’ve done it before. You don’t get used to bad experiences. You become cautious because of them.
The two extremes of myself pulled from opposite ends, and I couldn’t easily sort out my thoughts.
Scratching my head, I entered the donut shop.
Instead of his usual suit jacket, Eden wore a casual leather jacket and was holding a business card in his hand. Thinking it might be his, I quickly walked over to check, only to see someone else’s name written on it.
“Looks like someone gave it to you. Pretty diligent for this early in the morning.”
“I don’t know them.”
“Then why are you keeping a stranger’s business card instead of throwing it away? It’s not like you’ll use it. Here’s some advice for the owner of that card: a man who hides his identity isn’t mysterious, he’s suspicious.”
Medling in a lecturing tone, I tossed my jacket onto one side of the table.
On the small round table sat coffee and a chocolate donut with a bite taken out of it. Eden slid the plate aside and said,
“As far as I know, you didn’t have plans to go out today.”
Today’s schedule had been strength training in the apartment fitness center followed by lazing around at home. Before enjoying my rare break, I’d gotten restless at the thought of staying cooped up all day, so I’d come out for some air.
Just for a walk.
That really was the reason I’d stepped out briefly.
Not because I wanted to see Eden Reed’s face.
“The weather’s nice, staying home all day makes people lazy, and besides… I’m a busy man. Today and tomorrow. Especially tomorrow—I’m meeting a man.”
I’d been about to tell the truth, then changed course. I’d intended to naturally shift from a silly joke into apologizing for what happened before, but—
“I doubt it.”
Eden let out a small scoff, as if amused.
Then the person I was meeting tomorrow came up from his lips.
“Did Ms. Quinn secretly transition genders without me noticing? I don’t remember seeing news about that.”
Nothing had changed about my mother.
“If you ever see news like that, let me know first.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
Of course, nothing like that would ever happen.
I considered bringing up various topics—like why I was meeting my mother, what kind of day tomorrow was, how a stalker like him probably already knew anyway but should pretend not to care—
But instead, I changed the subject.
“If you knew I had no schedule today, why are you here? I came out because I knew you’d do this. To tell you to go home today. Ah, that was only a secondary reason. I really did come out for some fresh air.”
“I see.”
“Yeah.”
Nodding, Eden lowered his gaze slightly and stopped at an ambiguous angle. It was a tiny movement, but he had a talent for drawing attention.
Within my line of sight, while giving off the impression that he was completely unaware of being watched, he murmured,
“Maybe I’m not following you.”
“Yeah right.”
I snorted.
“No matter how you look at it, you’re following me. This is near the apartment where I live.”
“You’re not the only person living in that apartment.”
“But I’m the only resident you stalk.”
He looked at me only with his eyes. His black-rimmed glasses had slipped down slightly, obscuring half his gaze in a way that irritated me.
For no reason, I fiddled with the plate and paper cup on the table.
Then I touched Eden Reed the same way—as though he weren’t any different from those objects, as though the glasses resting on his nose were merely an accessory.
Eden looked oddly at my hand as I adjusted his glasses back into place, but he didn’t brush me away. When my long index finger moved back, his eyes followed it, and then he saw it off with a faint smile.
My gaze was drawn into the slight hollow formed at the corners of his mouth like a small cave.
To have lips that pink and pretty, shouldn’t someone need official permission? Like proving to the government that you won’t use them to seduce people.
That ridiculous thought crossed my mind just as those lips faithfully fulfilled their purpose and spoke.
“I thought you were here for something else.”
“Hm?”
“Aren’t you going to inspect it anymore?”
The timing lined up perfectly.
By “inspection,” Eden meant the process where I personally checked whether his lips had healed. I’d been wondering why my eyes kept fixating on his mouth, but apparently it was simply my professional dedication. I wasn’t a doctor, but in terms of my role alone, it was pretty similar.
Ever since that day, I’d approached him daily to closely examine his lips. I’d give diagnoses like don’t open your mouth too wide or avoid hot coffee for a while, and Eden would simply nod.
Judging by how quickly he recovered, my guidance must’ve been useful. I couldn’t say I deserved no credit for him being well enough to drink hot coffee this morning.
Sneaking a glance at the paper cup in his hand, I leaned forward.
“I am going to inspect it.”
And yes, I was doing that too, but let me emphasize again: I’d come out for a walk.
Repeating it in my head like brainwashing, I carefully examined Eden’s lips. There were no scratches, bruises, or scabs left. The wound had healed so well you’d never know it had ever existed.
Still, appearances could be deceiving.
“I think I’d need to look closer to know if it’s completely healed. Maybe touch it a little.”
Pulling myself back from leaning over the table, I continued,
“And by touch, I just mean part of the examination procedure, so don’t misunderstand.”
“Seems you secretly have a medical license I didn’t know about.”
“I don’t, but considering that whole thing you mentioned about the American healthcare system being slavery or whatever, Americans are pretty good at self-treatment. And I’m one of those Americans.”
“I can afford not to fear medical bills, so not really…”
“Anyway, the plain donuts here taste the best.”
I admit it.
That subject change had been unnatural.
But it was too late to take it back now.
“Adding chocolate to donuts just makes them too sweet.”
“Right.”
“If you understand, repeat after me. Plain donuts are number one.”
Eden didn’t repeat my words, but he did absorb the information.
“I’ll keep that in mind if I come here again.”
“Good choice. By the way, what time is it? If you take a walk too late, it stops feeling like a holiday.”
This time, by using an appropriate adverb, the topic shift came off slightly more natural.
Leaving my own watch alone, I glanced at Eden’s wristwatch instead and leaned forward again. Bringing my nose close to the paper cup in front of him, I sniffed.
As expected, it smelled like brutally strong black coffee.
“How petty. I’m not trying to steal it.”
I stuck my tongue out at Eden when he subtly pulled the cup away, then straightened up.
Or at least, I tried to.
Eden took another bite of the donut, and I froze.
A little chocolate got smeared onto his full lips.
If he’d eaten a plain donut without anything on it, that wouldn’t have happened.
Idiot.
See? You should’ve chosen better.
His red tongue swept across his lips but narrowly missed the chocolate. The brown smudge disrupted his neat image. The thought of him walking around looking like that made me want to laugh.
As I snickered, already anticipating what would happen next, Eden spoke.
“Somerset. My mouth isn’t a donut.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Who would confuse the two?”
His emerald eyes pointed directly at me.
“You’ve been staring at my mouth so intently that it seems you’re thoroughly confused. There’s appetite in that passionate gaze.”
Passionate? Who exactly was being passionate here?
I scoffed automatically.
“You’re the one misunderstanding. I wasn’t looking because I wanted to look at your mouth. There’s nothing wrong with my self-control. Your mouth just looks like something people end up staring at, so this is your fault.”
If there’d been appetite in my gaze, it was because Eden Reed’s lips looked delicious.
When people see something appetizing, salivating is only natural human behavior.
“And as your honorary physician, I still need to check whether the wound’s fully—”
“You look like someone worth following around.”
Eden cut me off.
“What?”
“That’s the answer to your question about why I follow you. Your face looks like that.”
Using my own logic against me, he casually wiped the chocolate from his upper lip with his thumb.
So he’d known it was there the whole time and just left it like that?
And then he had the nerve to ask why I was staring?
What a sly bastard.
As a small act of revenge, I stole the rest of his donut and ate it. But even after being robbed of his donut, Eden didn’t lose his composure. If anything, he calmly encouraged me to finish it while sipping his coffee.
His relaxed attitude irritated me.
“You think a weak answer like that’s enough to satisfy me? Not a chance.”
To my cold response, Eden blew warm air back at me.
The breeze made of words was soft.
“You’re worth following around. You’re handsome. Your eyes are deep, your nose looks sculpted. And when you smile, you’re attractive. Your expressive face makes people curious.”
The hymn of praise he recited in a plain tone tickled me.
The stimulation traveled from my ears to the soles of my feet in an instant. I rose onto my heels and lowered them again.
I should’ve snapped at Eden for trying to justify stalking with my good looks and told him to quit spewing bullshit.
But my mouth wouldn’t move.
Maybe the chocolate from the donut still lingered on my tongue, because everything tasted unbearably sweet.
Swallowing the syrupy saliva gathering in my mouth, I slowly stepped backward.
Was I running away?
From what?
Why?
Rather than seeking answers, I let the questions sink with an attitude of resignation and continued backing away. Like someone hesitating in front of an armed criminal, I faltered before finally turning around and leaving the café.
