Chapter 220 The Only Answer I Want
Eliza’s eyes curved like crescent moons when she smiled, and Nolan, watching her closely, said, “I only smile in front of someone I like.”
The sudden confession made Eliza duck her head instantly.
What… what just happened?
Was that… a confession?
She didn’t dare lift her gaze. Her hand fumbled across the table, reaching for something–anything–to defuse the tension.
Probably a sip of water to cool herself down.
Noticing her fluster, Nolan calmly slid the water glass toward her.
“Thanks…”
Eliza kept her head down, sipping the water and avoiding Nolan’s gaze at all costs.
“Wh–what did you say just now? I didn’t catch it.”
She tried blaming the noise around them, but that excuse held no water with Nolan.
“Should I say it again?” he asked, perfectly calm.
“No need!” she interrupted, far too quickly.
Because she’d heard it–loud and clear.
Nolan’s eyes had an intensity she’d never really noticed before. Not until today.
As Eliza continued to stay silent, Nolan suddenly reached out and gently wiped a drop of water from the corner of her lips.
“When you’re ready to answer, I’ll listen.”
“I”
“Boss, the check.”
Nolan stood and walked off to settle the bill.
True to his word, he had the food packed up just as Eliza had mentioned earlier.
The ride back was quiet.
Eliza kept turning something over in her mind. Nolan finally broke the silence,
“Don’t bother thinking about how to reject me. I won’t listen.”
She looked at his profile. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I only listen to the answer I want. If it’s not that, don’t say anything.”
“And what if I insist?”
“Then I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”
Eliza blinked.
It was the first time she’d seen Nolan act so… shameless.
How had she never realized before–Nolan could be this unreasonable?
“But I never said I wanted to reject you,” she said.
That single sentence made Nolan’s hand on the steering wheel stiffen.
“Eyes on the road!”
Eliza startled and immediately reached out to steady his hand on the wheel.
Normally, Nolan was the picture of calm–nothing could shake him.
But one sentence from her, and he lost focus?
“Repeat that?” he asked, voice low.
“I said… I never said I was rejecting you. You wouldn’t even let me talk.”
She’d been struggling with how to say it. But now that it was out there–well, what’s done is done.
She wasn’t the kind of person who kissed someone and walked away like nothing happened.
She took responsibility.
Besides, if you really stacked things up–looks, body, family, status-
-Nolan was the one getting the short end of the stick.
He stared at her, his deep gaze flickering. “You’re saying… you’re agreeing?”
“Yeah.” Eliza nodded firmly.
Wasn’t it obvious?
Still, she scratched her head sheepishly. “Just so you know, I’ve never had some dramatic, passionate romance or anything. I might not be a great girlfriend.”
In her last life, she’d married Zayden. But he never actually loved her.
Finished
They’d skipped dating altogether and gone straight to marriage. Even after the wedding, their dynamic hadn’t changed.
Zayden had been cold to her from the very beginning.
Even now, she still didn’t know what being in love was supposed to feel like.
“Is it because you like me?” Nolan asked suddenly. “Or because you feel responsible?”
The question stopped her cold.
Because I like him? Or because I feel responsible?
Wasn’t this the kind of line the heroine always asked the hero in dramas?
“You… you expect a girl to say that kind of thing out loud?” she stammered, face turning bright red.
Nolan blinked, stunned by her reaction.
“Anyway,” she mumbled, “I said yes already. If you’re gonna regret it, just forget I said anything.”
With that, she turned her head toward the window.
A moment passed before Nolan realized how blunt his question had been.
He’d never dated anyone before.
He didn’t know how to properly start a relationship.
“…That was my fault,” he admitted softly. “But you don’t get to take it back.”
Nolan gently turned her face toward him.
The lighting inside the car was dim. It was hard to see each other clearly.
But they were close. So close their breaths mingled.
Eliza’s heart raced.
This feeling… it was just like the night before.
God. Am I really falling for him?
“Eliza,” Nolan said, his voice low and steady, “I gave you my word. I’ll never forget it.”
