Chapter 1

BEN smiled without realizing it. Just watching and listening to that girl was enough to make him feel at ease—happy, even. Maybe this was what they called love. The first time he locked eyes with her up close, his heart pounded like crazy. It was a feeling so intense, a longing so deep that words couldn’t do it justice.

Jenna’s laughter. That voice of hers—it was like the melody of a flute, haunting his nights. Ah, he was completely smitten. He wanted to walk up to her, to say something, anything. But every time, he hesitated. He knew the moment he stood before her, words would fail him. He’d freeze, just staring like an idiot. Love was a mystery, and longing? A beautiful kind of pain.

“Ugh, come on! It’s getting late. We’re gonna be late!”

From a distance, Ben watched as she walked away. His eyes followed her every movement, unwilling to blink.

"If only I had the courage to tell her."

Ben smiled to himself.

JENNA reached for a piece of fried chicken in the bowl in front of them, but Latifa smacked her hand away. She pouted. Undeterred, she tried again—this time, Sue swatted her hand.

“Ms. Martin, you have allergies. Can you please be more mindful of what you eat? If you get sick, we’re the ones who have to deal with it.”

Jenna shot them a quick glare. “Just a little bite. I just wanna taste it.”

“Oh no, don’t even try. We’re not spending another night in the hospital because of you.”

Latifa and Sue laughed as Jenna sulked, lips pursed and arms crossed.

“Why do I have to be stuck with such a weird allergy? Everyone else can eat chicken. Why can’t I?” she complained, clearly frustrated.

The smell of fried chicken filled the air, teasing her senses. She knew exactly how good it tasted—she’d had it before, back when Latifa and Sue didn’t yet know about her allergy. Ever since then, they’d been on full-time food patrol, making sure she didn’t slip up. Otherwise, they’d end up taking turns spending nights at the hospital with her.

Jenna’s allergy wasn’t something to take lightly. She’d once stopped breathing, her heart had stopped for almost two minutes. The doctors had to resuscitate her to get her breathing again.

“Not even a tiny bite?” Jenna pleaded.

“It’s not that we don’t want to let you. Let me ask you something—have you lived long enough? Have you had enough air in this world? If you have, go ahead. I won’t stop you. If not, then don’t. I swear, I’ll smack you,” Sue warned.

Jenna shot her a glare. The aroma of spicy, crispy fried chicken was pure torture. The mix of fragrant spices was calling her name.

In the end, she sighed in defeat. “Fine. I’m going to bed. I’m mad at both of you. Hmph!”

Latifa and Sue’s laughter echoed behind her, making her even more annoyed. Having a chicken allergy meant she had to practice extreme self-control. She was used to it, but still…

Sigh…

Jenna flopped onto her bed, flipping through a sketchbook. On one of the pages was a drawing of a girl with long hair flowing past her shoulders. Below the sketch, a single line was written:

I love you, Jenna.

—Ben

She smiled for the hundredth time. Every time she thought about this mysterious guy named Ben, she felt both excited and uneasy. What if he was some creepy perv? Or just some random guy messing with her?

She’d been holding onto this sketch for almost a week now. It had probably been dropped by this Ben guy near the park outside her apartment building.

“Who are you, Ben?”

HE searched high and low, but it was nowhere to be found. He knew every single detail of the sketches he had drawn. Out of the 43 sheets of paper, one had gone missing.

Ben sank into his chair, frustrated. And of all the sketches to lose, it had to be that one—the one he liked the most. The one where he had poured his feelings for Jenna into every stroke. He tried to recall where he had been in the past week. He had even checked the park near Jenna’s place. Still, nothing.

"Could it really be gone for good?"

“Ben…”

“Yeah…” Ben shot up, quickly gathering his sketchbook and stuffing it into his bag. Just as the door swung open, he shoved the bag out of sight.

Beatrice poked her head in. “You’re still up?”

Ben grinned and shook his head.

Beatrice stepped in, crossing her arms. “Where’d you go this evening?”

Ben hesitated.

“The park again?”

He just grinned.

Beatrice let out a small sigh. “How long are you gonna keep your feelings a secret? If you like her, just tell her already. What’s her name again? Jen… Jen…”

“Jenna.”

“Right. Jenna.”

Ben flopped onto his bed. Sounds easy enough. The hard part? He had no idea where to even begin. If he confessed out of nowhere, Jenna would definitely freak out. She might even think he was crazy. Worse—she could come at him with a broom. He couldn’t handle that. He’d rather keep his image of her as sweet and gentle.

A sudden push to his head snapped him out of his thoughts.

“All you do is daydream.” Beatrice plopped down beside him. “Come on, be a little braver. Even your own employees push you around.”

Ben scratched his head. True enough, he was a softie. Whenever his staff gave him their sad, pleading eyes, he caved instantly.

“I can’t wait to have a sister-in-law. If you’re this head over heels for Jenna, don’t waste time. If you wait too long, someone else might snatch her up.”

“What if she rejects me?”

“No girl would reject a good guy like you. If you’re sincere, Jenna will know.”

Ben still wasn’t sure.

HEAVY rain.

Ben let out a small sigh—he had forgotten to bring an umbrella. He preferred taking a taxi, but now he was stuck here since the driver he booked had canceled on him for some unknown reason. His eyes flicked toward the pedestrian bridge about 500 meters away. No way he’d make it there without getting drenched.

Leaning against the café’s front wall, he debated calling his sister’s driver but quickly dismissed the idea. The area was jam-packed with cars, and stopping at the roadside was nearly impossible. Only taxis were allowed here. Besides, he didn’t want to trouble Charlie, who was already busy driving Beatrice to an important meeting that afternoon.

"Guess I’ll just wait for the rain to stop."

As he glanced to the side, his eyes landed on a familiar figure. He stared for a moment—yes, it was Jenna. She stood under a shop corridor, waiting just like him.

Unconsciously, Ben smiled. Beatrice’s words from last night echoed in his head. Should he finally follow his sister’s advice? Should he confess to Jenna?

There had to be a reason for this downpour. A reason why he was stranded here. A reason why Jenna was here too.

Maybe… this was it. His chance. Today, he could finally tell Jenna how he felt.

But doubt gnawed at him. He had spent three years just watching her from afar, loving her in silence, yearning for her without her even knowing. The fear of rejection made his chest tighten.

Ben inhaled deeply. He lifted his backpack, placed it over his head as a shield, and stepped into the rain, walking toward Jenna. He didn’t know what he was going to say. He just wanted to be near her.

The closer he got, the harder his heart pounded. Blood rushed in his ears, his hands went ice-cold. The chilly weather wasn’t helping. He was shaking—whether from the cold or nervousness, he wasn’t sure.

A few steps away from Jenna, he stopped. His throat felt dry. She still hadn’t noticed him. Swallowing hard, he forced himself to move again.

Then—his faint smile disappeared.

A sharp cracking sound cut through the rain. Ben’s gaze darted around before he looked up. His eyes widened in horror. A large signboard above the shopfront was swaying dangerously, one of its metal supports had snapped.

Without thinking, Ben lunged forward, grabbing Jenna and pulling her into his arms. They crashed onto the wet pavement.

"Ah..."

Pain exploded through his body as something hard slammed against the back of his head and his spine. The world around him filled with panicked screams.

He forced his eyes open—Jenna’s face was inches from his, her expression frozen in shock and fear.

His vision swam. He felt something warm trickling down his forehead, running along his cheek, dripping onto the ground beside Jenna’s head.

His limbs felt heavy. Breathing became harder.

Then everything went dark.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***