[Music Recommendation: "Scenery" by Kim Taehyung (BTS - V) available in Youtube or Spotify] ~ Please listen to it in a loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this chapter ~

'I felt so happy with something simple like that. If this was a drama or a comic, there would be roses and sparkles in Kaiden's background right now. OMG. I'm fangirling over him! Have I become a simp?'

"Ugh… I'm gonna leave you two alone for yourselves," Callan murmured, and sneakily went away. He was probably escaping from Kaiden. Not that I mind though.

'Yes, go on and give us some space. Great job, Callan. Didn't know you can read the room.'

Still basked in happiness, I ended up staring at Kaiden while smiling stupidly. Then, another weird idea crossed my mind.

"Kaiden…," I shyly called his name, still smiling like a simp.

"Hm?" he continued eating the ice cream, and sat beside me.

"Can I take a picture of you?"

Kaiden's eyes widened in disbelief. For sure, he didn't expect me to ask that. But I wanted to immortalize the moment so bad! He looked both so cute and so hot eating that ice cream! And he was still on his sleeping robes!

'That collarbone… and a bit of glimpse to his chest… Skin so smooth and white… Ahhh… I could stare at him all day. He's like a perfect mannequin. Is there even anyone more handsome than him? This is my chance! It's the first time for me to see him in such a state. I definitely need to get a picture!'

"Please? I'll use it as reference and I'm not gonna distribute it anywhere at all," I begged him in the cutest way I possibly could. Please agree. Please agree, I beg you.

"You can just search pictures online," he replied in a confused tone.

"They're not as handsome as you, though," I blurted out in a murmur.

Oops! My mouth needs to relearn how to shut up at the right moments.

Kaiden sighed. "Alright. Just make sure it won't spread anywhere."

"Yes! I'll protect it with my life!"

"Ahh… not with your life."

Good thing I brought my phone with me, hoping to get some pictures of the ice cream. But now, I got something better to take a picture of.

I aimed my camera at Kaiden while he continued eating the ice cream. I made sure to capture lots, and in all positions! My eyes glimmered in excitement.

'Baby Elliot, you're one lucky character having this hot stud as your reference.'

My inner author instinct started to kick in. I kept looking at Kaiden's neck and chest and imagined how nice it would be to see him half awake with his sleeping robes slightly off. I should put that idea in my book—for some fan service.

Once satisfied, with the hundred pictures that I probably took, I grinned to myself. I must have looked so evil seeing Kaiden's surprised expression.

"You're not planning on selling that, are you?"

"What? No! I would never." I immediately corrected him. "But I'll print it out and hang it on my corkboard." Realizing how "stalker-like" that sounded, I added, "—for Elliot's reference. The male lead in my next book."

"… Right," he agreed but sounded skeptical.

"Pft! Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Kaiden laughed. It seemed to me that I succeeded in washing away his grumpiness. Great job, me!

"Is this his apology to you?"

"Yes. I made him do it."

"Your punishment is too lenient. You could have made him do worse. He deserves it for making you cry."

'Oh. So he saw me crying that day, huh?'

"To be honest, I wanted to do something worse. But he's still your friend. And we ended up working out our differences so it's all good. He still needs to work on his arrogance and rudeness, though."

"Ha-ha! Yes. He's always been like that. Too blunt to a fault. But he's nice deep inside. It doesn't show on the outside though. That's why I named him Scarecrow. He liked it despite the reason I called him that. And he's been using it as his username in all the games we play."

"So you're the one who named him. Ha-ha-ha! It suits him really well with that scary personality of his."

"Yeah."

"Like how you named me Lady Pumpkin."

"Pft! Yes."

"And I'm guessing Casper, too?"

He nodded. "Verrill is… as his name suggests, like a ghost. You will only know he's there if he makes his presence known. He's the complete opposite of Callan."

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Poor Verrill! At least he's kind and has great manners. A real gentleman, too. And how about your own? Why did you call yourself Grim Reaper?"

"I didn't name myself that. Callan and Verrill said since I named them Scarecrow and Casper, I should have something related. I've always been a top player and no one wins to me when it comes to PVP battles, so they decided with Grim Reaper—since I sent everyone to their deaths."

"Woah! You're so great. Why are you so good at everything? Give me some of your talents, please!"

"Ha-ha! If I can, I will. But for now, you have to eat some real food. Why are you having your desserts first?"

"Tell me that when you're not eating it, too."

We laughed ourselves off after that. Then, lunch came and we ate all together. I took a bath and continued my story after while the printer happily printed Kaiden's face. Once my hundred pictures were all printed, I put some inside an album, and chose 3 of the best to put in my corkboard of simping—I mean, ideas. Yes, pure ideas for my next book.

Looking at his picture at my wall, I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. It hadn't even been a month after seeing him but we've grown so close already—or at least, I thought we did. And I already fell for him in just that small amount of time.

'Am I moving too fast in this romance stuff? Haaah… I hope someone can guide me on this. I don't want to lose Kaiden. He's already grown so important to me. I'm good with us being friends for now but I hope someday… he comes to love me, too. But what do I need to do? I don't know a single thing! And to think I'm trying to write fantasy romance! Woe is me. Somebody help me, please.'