I scooped the yogurt into my mouth. The tangy and sweet flavor filled my mouth, making me feel extra refreshed. "What should we do tomorrow if we can't find a suitable gift?"Colin sipped his soda and leaned against the back of the chair. He was sitting against the light. The dusk light cast an iridescent glow on him. The glare from the sun behind him made him squint when he looked at me. He had one hand above his brow. "We have to be there. And we have to bring a gift.""But we can't find any suitable gifts. I don't want to make you look bad.""It's fine. It's a gift anyway. If we can't get her something she needs, we'll get her something that'll look good on her."Something that looked good on her? I had an idea. I'd have more creative freedom as long as it was something that complemented Jasmine.After we had our drinks, we felt much reinvigorated. I dragged Colin with me into the supermarket and spent ten minutes picking and wrapping the gift I brought. Then, we left the super
"Try this first." Colin pointed at the blue dress that drew his attention in the display window.Blue was my favorite color. Regardless of its hue, I loved it. The salesperson guided me to the dressing room. I looked at my reflection in the waist-length mirror in the cubicle. Then, I tied my ponytail into an elegant bun. I tilted my head left and right. If I had matching earrings, it'd be even more perfect.Many people had told me that when I sat down, I looked like a sophisticated woman in a painting. As I admired myself, my plain makeup and classy bun did make me look like a Renaissance beauty. I walked out of the dressing room and stopped before Colin.Perhaps my dress was a bit tight, or perhaps I was feeling like royalty, my gait changed into that of a noble, dainty princess. They often said the first impression was decided by what one wore. And I couldn't agree more with that sentiment."How gorgeous! It's as if the dress is made for you. Miss, you're the only customer I've s
He walked toward me and kissed my cheek. "You're so pretty, babe. I have a present for you. Close your eyes.""But I want to see you take it out."Colin kissed between my eyes and coaxed, "Be a good girl and close your eyes."I couldn't say no to his cajoling. He smelled so good too. I snuggled in his embrace and closed my eyes obediently. I felt something touching my ears. When I opened my eyes, I found myself wearing a pair of brand-new earrings.Pearls dangled from them. Be it the color or the texture, they looked so good with my dress. I had just thought that matching earrings would look good on me after I put on the dress.And somehow, Colin could read my mind. He had already bought the matching earrings. I didn't even know when or how he got them for me. Urgh, I was so lucky. So many people pampered me, including Colin and my parents."Colin…" I croaked, a catch in my throat. My voice was as sweet as honey, and my eyes turned glossy. I was blushing.He gave me a peck on my
"Colin, your girlfriend is so pretty. She looks rather familiar. You have good taste. Lucky you!""Yes, she's pretty, so much so that I worry constantly if I'm good-looking enough for her." Colin put my hand on his shoulder and flaunted proudly."Come on, Colin. Stop showing off. No need to tell us how single we are." The ones approaching were all men, and they complimented us upon seeing me walking hand in hand with Colin. They looked at me respectfully and admirably without any sense of perversion.They gave genuine compliments, and Colin returned with genuine responses. I, too, felt genuinely happy. Men often needed their men's talk. I didn't want to disturb Colin and his friends, so I took a step back, creating enough space to hear the friendly chit-chat between them.They saw my polite gesture and complimented my sensibility. They also mentioned that Colin was so lucky to have found such a classy woman as his girlfriend. As the recipient of these commendations, he smiled ear t
Confusion appeared on the faces of Colin's friends. They looked at Colin and then back at Jasmine, wondering what their real relationship was.I had heard their conversation just now. All of them were envious of Colin's successes. They respected and almost idolized him. However, Jasmine came and trivialized his achievements by claiming that he was only successful because of her connections.Upon hearing her words, Colin's expression darkened. "Oh, congratulations then, Jasmine. Your dream has come true," an oblivious loudmouth suddenly cracked a joke.The air around Colin turned dangerous. Needless to say, nothing kind was going to come out of his mouth.Jasmine noticed the changes in his mood and realized her mistake. She panicked, knowing that she had fumbled her plan. To avoid embarrassment, she chuckled and grabbed everyone's attention just as Colin's lips parted.She wasn't going to let Colin make her look bad. She uttered, "Come on, Colin is like an art piece. He's to be a
Jasmine thought everyone in this world was like her—that they would go to extreme lengths for money, fame, and glory. But Colin wasn't like her. He held different values. What she was doing only made him detest her more.And he was visibly angered by what she had said. I studied Colin's reaction carefully, afraid that he would get carried away by wrath and make a scene. I couldn't care less if people gossiped about his outburst, but I'd hate to see it ruin Jasmine's party.Jasmine had spent a fortune to organize this party. Most importantly, I hadn't given her my gift yet. I couldn't wait to see her reaction once she received my gift. I could only hope she wouldn't turn crazy.And as I predicted, Colin was furious. He had always been a reserved person in front of everyone else—he barely showed his emotions. His rage, joy, jealousy, and worries only appeared when he was with me.I once asked him why he was so aloof toward everyone. He kissed the tip of my nose and said that his emot
Never had I met someone who wanted to expedite her own demise.Standing behind Colin, I could see Jasmine's every gesture clearly. Her eyes sparkled with hope when she mentioned the gift. They were transfixed on Colin. Love threatened to overflow from her orbs. She truly believed that the man she had saved would prepare a gift she'd love a lot.I was sure that she had feelings for Colin. Unfortunately, love couldn't be shared. Colin loved me, and he had no more love left for her. No matter how much she loved him, I'd never let her take him away from me.Something swelled within my chest. It was the fearlessness to protect my love and the man of my dreams. I was like the beast who had to protect its territory, even if it meant I'd bleed."Of course, we brought a present with us. It's your birthday, Jasmine. As your former schoolmates, we couldn't come empty-handed." I appeared from behind Colin and smiled politely. Ignoring the disbelief on Jasmine's face, I gave her the beautifully
Everyone then talked enviously about the material and the quality of the luggage tag. They were all fresh graduates who were trying to climb the social ladder. No one would have spent so much on a luggage tag unless they were born rich.For the men, the luggage tag was nothing but a practical item. They couldn't have known what a pick-me girl meant. Only girls would know.Jasmine's face turned ashen when she saw the pick-me luggage tag. Then, her face turned beet red when the guy mentioned "pick me." The feeling of not being able to vent her fury had to be awfully frustrating.She lifted her head and glared at me. For a moment, I saw hatred and even murderous malice in her eyes. None of the people present knew about the conflict between Jasmine, Colin, and me. The luggage tag was just an ordinary item to them. Only Jasmine knew what I was trying to imply.It must have been incredibly mortifying to be humiliated in public like this. But who could blame me? She had it coming for pull