Even though Ryan was far from her, he could still hear the caller on the other side of the phone.

“Rose! Where did you run off to! Please come back quickly!” A mature female voice called out worriedly.

Rose, which seems to be the name of the girl, tightened her fist and firmly declined, “No. I’m not going back. You two will only start with your matchmaking again. I’m tired of it.”

“Honey, we are doing it for your own good! Quickly tell me where you are. Dad is already searching for you,” her mother informed.

Rose looked around to see if her dad was anywhere and he was nowhere to be found, she called out, “I’m going to meet my boyfriend right now. I don’t want to see any of you.”

Her mother quickly asked back, “Rose, sweetie, what boyfriend are you talking about? Since when you have a boyfriend?”

Stomping with her foot, Rose shouted into the phone, “I told you guys many times that I have one but you never listen!” She looked both upset and angry.

“We will believe it once you bring him home,” her mom replied calmly. “Right now you must come back home. It’s cold outside yet you came out wearing summer clothes. You will catch a cold.”

Rose seemed to be fed up with the talk and yelled into the phone, “No! I’m not going back! Don’t call me anymore!” Immediately after, she ended the call and quickly turned off her phone. She breathed out deeply after she was done, keeping her phone away.

Ryan didn’t know how to react to such a situation, the scene looking like a drama show. Rose stood there with her head lowered, probably feeling the same way as he did, having an empty mind.

He noticed her arms were shivering and he didn’t hesitate to take off his hoodie. “You can wear this. It’s a bit chilly today,” Ryan proposed as he passed it to her.

She didn’t expect that and looked up at him, staring at the red hoodie with confusion. “But we don’t know each other,” Rose muttered, finding it weird he was so kind to her.

“And? Does it matter? I have a hoodie and you are cold. It’s okay to share,” Ryan explained with a shrug.

“But won’t you be cold then…?” Rose asked further, making Ryan roll his eyes.

‘Gosh, it’s so hard to be a gentleman in this world,’ he lamented in his mind and stood up, walking up to her. He caught her by surprise when he grabbed her by the wrist and extended it forward only to place the hoodie on her palm.

“Here, take and wear it. I won’t take no as an answer,” Ryan ordered and returned to his bench, wearing only his T-shirt. It was creased and sweaty but he didn’t care much, knowing it was the right thing to do.

Rose squeezed the material of the hoodie and hugged it into her chest. It was the first time Ryan saw her smile. It was gentle and innocent, like a lone field flower that broke through the layer of concrete to witness the world above.

“Thank you…” Rose muttered sweetly and bowed politely, dazzling Ryan with her smile.

He was out of words for a moment, thinking he could watch this smile for hours.

“You are welcome…” he replied softly, shamelessly staring back at her.

She found it embarrassing so she turned around, wearing the hoodie to hide. It smoothly slid onto her body as it was a few sizes bigger than her. It reached up to her thighs, almost covering her skirt.

Rose only turned around after a minute or so, showing herself to him. “How do I look?” She asked with a cheerful smile, completely different than her previous crying self. Her eyes were still slightly red but as long as she didn’t rub them anymore, she would regain her pretty face.

“It looks good on you. A bit big but that makes you even cuter,” Ryan replied honestly, not thinking much of it. She already had a boyfriend so he didn’t try to hit on her.

He didn’t expect though that she would blush from his simple compliment. “Mhmm… It’s warm…” she muttered quietly.

“If it’s smelly, I’m sorry. I was running earlier,” Ryan warned just in case but she shook her head. “No, no. It’s fine. I like this smell.”

Only afterward did she realize what she just said, blushing even harder. There was no rewind button in real life.

Ryan found her quite amusing but he didn’t tease her. He relaxed on the bench as if he didn’t hear her response. It allowed Rose to recover after a few breaths. She seemed to be battling in her mind, thinking of what to do and finally decided to sit next to him.

It would be awkward to just sit in silence so Ryan planned to start a conversation but she was first to open her mouth.

“My name is Rose,” she introduced herself, reaching out with her hand for a handshake. The sleeves were too long so her hand was inside his hoodie. She realized her mistake and wanted to fix it but he already grasped her hand.

“I know, I heard by accident,” Ryan admitted as he shook her hand. “I’m Ryan.”

He stared into her eyes as he introduced himself, catching her gaze for a second but she looked down to avoid it.

“Ryan… I will remember. I’m sorry you had to listen to the call,” Rose apologized. “It’s rarely like that… Only recently they started acting weird.”

“Marriage proposals?” Ryan asked curiously, leaning casually against the bench while staring at the sky.

She was quiet for a moment only to nod gently, “Mhmm…”

“Hahaha!” Ryan couldn’t help but laugh. Fate brought them together as both struggled with the same problem.

Rose pouted and hit him on the arm angrily, “What are you laughing at… It’s not funny! I’m suffering here!”

“Haha, I’m not laughing at you. I laugh cause I’m in a similar situation. Fate can really play pranks at us,” Ryan explained, rubbing his arm where he received a hit.

“Oooh! Your parents also want you to marry?” Rose exclaimed, finding it hard to believe. “Also, I’m sorry for hitting you.”

“It’s okay.” Ryan waved with his hand and vaguely explained, feeling comfortable around her, “I have three candidates to choose from and I learned about it today.”

“They gave me five…” Rose admitted, hugging her legs into her chest. “They think finding love is like grocery shopping. They say pick one as if I’m picking apples from the stand. I get sick when they mention it.”

“You will be fine. You have a boyfriend, right? Just explain it to your parents and they will understand,” Ryan advised, hoping at least she will be able to find her own true love.

“Boyfriend… hmm…” Rose replied, putting her cheeks against her knees. She got quiet after that, not saying anything further. She looked sad and Ryan didn’t know what to do to cheer her up.

Out of nowhere, a sudden urge appeared inside his mind. He reached out with his hand and patted her on top of her head, giving her hair a soft rub.

Rose’s body froze and she suddenly pulled away from him, making a safe distance between them. His hand hovered in the air and he slowly retracted it.

‘Damn… I gave in to my urge once again… Will I ever learn to resist it…?.’ Ryan cursed in his mind.

Just now, he just really wanted to cheer Rose up and couldn’t help but to pat her. It has happened to him many times in the past where he would randomly show his affection to either his girlfriend or a friend. Seeing his girlfriend acting cute, he would often give in to his desires and kiss or hug her, not caring about the people around them.

Because of that, he had some problems and ruined many relationships. In their culture, public display of affection was frown upon which made it hard for him.

“I’m sorry… I saw you are sad and wanted to cheer you up…” Ryan apologized as he stood up. “I guess it’s best if I go now.”

“Wait!” Rose quickly called out to stop him, knowing he thought she was offended. “I’m okay. I was just surprised… Don’t worry about it.”

Unfortunately, even after she assured him, he didn’t change his mind.

“I should still go. It’s not your fault, it’s my problem,” Ryan insisted. He didn’t want to do something else by accident. She was just too cute at times which triggered his affection urges.

“Okay…” She didn’t argue with him and also stood up. “Wait a moment, I will give your hoodie back…”

She began taking it off when Ryan stopped her. “No need, you can keep it. It’s still cold outside. You will catch a cold. I live in the dorms nearby so I will be fine.”

“Then if we meet again, I will return it to you. I live nearby too,” Rose agreed without fighting, seeing he wouldn’t budge on it even if she tried.

“Mhmm, if your boyfriend sees it, just say it’s from a friend,” Ryan proposed and finally got moving. “See you!”

He made a few steps, preparing to run when a hand caught his shirt from behind.

“Wait!” Rose shouted.

He turned around to look at her and saw she was looking down. “Is there something else?” He asked, seeing she wanted to tell him something.

Rose waited a moment before lifting her face, looking at him with guilt on her face and admitted, “I don’t have a boyfriend…”

Ryan didn’t expect that. “So you…” he asked, trying to establish some facts.

“I lied to my parents. I initially wanted to ask my friend to pretend to be my boyfriend but realized my parents know all my friends…” Rose confirmed his guess.

Vroom!

Just as she spoke, a sound of the incoming car reached them. When Rose glanced behind Ryan and saw the brand of the car, her eyes widened.

“My dad is coming!” She suddenly exclaimed in panic.

Ryan wanted to turn around on instinct to check but she stopped him by holding his arms still. “Please hug me!” Rose pleaded, looking closely into his blue orbs.

“You need to stay away… If you come closer, I won’t be able to hold back…” Ryan warned weakly, his heart beating like crazy. Her soft lips were at the arms length away from him, making his urges spike up.

He could still control himself, but Rose didn’t listen.

“Please don’t hold back!” Rose implored and seeing the car was pulling up to them, she reached forward, hugging his chest tightly.

Ba-dum!