Into their love, I entered their lives.

“Ugh, have you been listening to me? Do I have to explain myself further?” The white cat said irritably.

“Basically, the locket itself will be used as the measurement for ‘intimacy’ the two fated people has. Now look, you see that man there? He has a perfect score of 30 points. That’s the highest intimacy point. But look at the man at the counter, he has 0. Now, what you need to do is add intimacy points to the man on the counter to balance the amount of intimacy both parties have. When level 30 is achieved on both sides, the confession and happy ever after will take place.”

Strangely, I’ve been hearing this nonsense from a talking cat for a while now. I should be running. Yet, right now, I’m strangely calm. I understood what the cat is trying to say. I swallowed the lump in my throat and begin to make plans on how I can match the two.

“How will I increase points for the man on the counter?”

The cat hummed in response. “It’s easy. If only you have the notebook, it will show you the basic information about the two parties. Their hobbies, likes, places to frequent, everything. You can let ‘chance meeeting’ take place and then these two will fall for each other naturally. Sadly, we don’t have the notebook now.”

I closed my eyes and started to think. I observe the man at the counter for a while. His movements are graceful and careful. Every cup of tea and coffee he stir is done in a caring manner. As if he’s growing the plants he love the most and felt his heart melt as he watch them grow.

The smile on his face is beautiful. I was captivated. So does the man at the table who’s been staring at him for a full one hour. I ignore the nervousness in my gut and approach the man at the counter.

The moment I went in the old man and the middle aged woman cconcluded their drinking tea session and went out of the café, leaving the three of us inside the café.

“Welcome!” The man at the counter greeted. His name reads Luke on his nameplate.

He beamed at me when he saw the look of my clothes. He frowned.

“Little girl, are you alright?” I was breathing hard. I willed myself to look pale and deathly.

At first, I doubted if I look pitiful in his eyes. But by the looks of it, it seems I succeed. I smiled inwardly. I pretended to clutch my chest and breath heavily.

“Please….. Help me…” I stammered. The white cat is at my side. Staring at me with a smug look. As if saying, ‘You’re acting is convincing. It seems you can get their pity with this. How crafty.’

Just as Luke is about to approach me, I collapsed in a heap of mess on the floor. Both of the men in the room suddenly jump to their feet and tried to check my condition. The man at the table reached out for his pocket and fetch his phone. He dialed the emergency number.

In my pretend faint, I stirred, reach out and stop him from contacting the ambulance. How ridiculous would it be if they know I just escape from the hospital only to be sent back again?

“Please…. No.” Then I closed my eyes. My breathing was small, my pulse was slow. As if I was dead. Really pale dead.

That seems to convince them enough. Luke stood up and hurried to get a glass of water. The man at the table went to the counter’s shelves and search for the first aid kit.

“It’s on the cabinet behind the storage room,” Luke instructed. The man nodded and he raced there. A few seconds later he came back with the first aid kit. Luke takes out some pads.

“Please, fetch me warm water and a hot towel.” The man went to the counter and fiddled with the heater. He came back with the warm water first and then pick up the fresh unused towel above the shelves and submerged it in warm water.

He came back with the basin of warm water and the towel.

“You will be okay. Stay with me.” Luke rubbed his hands together as if trying to send some warmth into my ice cold face.

I remember it was snowing outside. The snow is raining harder. I was wearing thin clothes when I get out of the hospital. Ah, no wonder why I can choose to look weak and pale. I was standing and walking in the snow for hours.

Luke placed the warm towel to my forehead. Then the man fetch another towel to wipe my skin with it. Luke carried me in his arms and placed me on the sofa inside the employees’ room.

“Please flip the close signage at the door,” Luke asked the man. The man nodded again and walk to the entrance of the café.

Meanwhile, Luke busied himself in wiping my skin.

“God, child. You’re so cold.” Luke murmured. He hesitantly open my hospital shirt buttons.

“What are you doing?” A low voice sounded out behind him. Luke turned around to see the man watching him with veiled eyes. His gaze darted from the fingers that Luke used to undo my buttons shirt then to my face. When the fact that I’m actually a girl and Luke is a man and is currently stripping me finally sink into Luke’s mind he suddenly stop what he’s doing and step back from the sofa.

“I’m not doing anything. I swear! I – I just umm, trying to wipe her body with the hot towel. I mean, she’s as cold as ice. That must be why she collapsed. We must warm up her body first and let her drink warm water.”

The man frown deeper. Luke put on a complicated expression on his face. As if lost, or nervous that the man doesn’t believe him. He felt wronged.

“How is her temperature?” The man suddenly asked. He placed a scalding warm hand to my neck. Noticing the thermometer, he glanced at the low number of my body’s temperature.

“Not good. Her body’s heat is abnormally low.” The man murmured. Hearing this, Luke approach and tried to finish unbuttoning my shirt.

“Wait,” The man stop him. His palm wrap around Luke’s fingers.

“Let me do this. Fetch her another towel submerged in hot water. I think we’re gonna need more towels and possibly extra warm clothes for her.”

Luke nodded. “Okay,”

The man watch Luke leave and turn to look at me. At last he sighed and murmured.

“God, I’m so nervous.” The man’s face suddenly turned pink and he covered his face with his palm.

“Up close, he still look so cute. And his voice…. Oh man, it’s so warm and gentle. I think I’m in heaven.”  

And I think if you don’t start treating me now, I’ll die.

The man still has his face cupped in his face when he heard Luke’s footsteps on the stairs.

“Not good, he’s coming back. Gotta act cool.”

The man closed his eyes as he rubbed my chest in one quick swipe with the hot towel. His touch is a bit rough and the hotness of the towel almost scald my chest.

But he doesn’t notice it because his whole attention is on the man who’s coming toward us. I sighed.

It’s a bad idea pretending to be dead.