Chapter 1
In the noisy cafeteria, Sherry sat across from Andre and me, her face pale and wan.[]
“So, when did you two start dating?”
Andre picked up my bowl to help me get some soup, as if he didn’t hear his sister at all. []
I rested my chin on my hand, feeling my cheeks flush.
“Uh… just a couple of days ago.“]
“Your brother is hard to win over, I’d chased him for three months!”
As soon as I finished my words, Andre returned with the bowl and set it in front of me.
Sherry looked down with a smile, voice soft.
“Really? I can tell you that I like my brother a lot. Well, good luck to you two!”
She glanced up at Andre, smiling sweetly. “Andre, I’m so happy you have such a pretty girlfriend with good grades and a rich family.”
The mention of “rich family” made me a bit sensitive.
For the past three months when I was chasing Andre, I never brought up anything related to that, especially his status as a poor student, for fear he’d reject me even more.
Andre completely ignored Sherry’s comment, turning to me, and quietly asked, “Want me to feed you?“]
The hit from that bully had made my right shoulder unmovable; I couldn’t even lift my hand to use a fork.
I
Even so, I felt shy about being too intimate so soon.]
I shook my head. “I can just use my left hand with a spoon.”
Andre pressed his lips together, seeming to want to say more. []
I gently poked his cheek with my finger.]
“Hey, don’t feel guilty. My left hand is pretty coordinated.”
After a moment, Andre finally gave in. He rolled my sleeves up a bit, and once he saw I could manage eating with a spoon, he relaxed and started eating
Sherry quietly sipped her soup, barely touching her food like she had no appetite.[]
Throughout the meal, Sherry tried to speak a few times, but Andre didn’t respond at all.
To ease the awkwardness, I kept filling the silence even though I was chewing my food.]
I sighed inwardly, “Turns out Andre is short–tempered with his sister, too!”
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice someone nearby slip and almost spill their soup all over me.
Andre reacted instantly, standing up and yanking Sherry out of the way.]]
Hot, sticky soup splashed onto my arm, making me gasp in pain.
I pushed my chair back and ran to the sink.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Andre examining Sherry’s shoulders closely, his voice noticeably heavier.
“Are you hurt?”
“Andre, I’m fine. What about you? You tried to protect me. Did you get burned?
After that, I didn’t catch much of what they said.
Cool water pouring over my arm felt like a relief from the burning sensation.
I exhaled in relief.]]
A few minutes later. Andre rushed over.
0
When he saw the redness on my skin, his eyes darkened.]]
He hesitated, his throat bobbing before he spoke.
“I’m sorry; I should’ve pulled you away.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“It’s natural to save your sister first. No need to apologize.”
I added, “But honestly, after seeing you ignore Sherry for so long, I thought maybe you two weren’t that close.”
Andre didn’t respond.
He held my arm gently and put our arms under the cool water together.
His hands were quickly turning white from the cold.
t
Even though I didn’t think the burn would blister, Andre insisted on getting some burn cream. [
He got me to a pavilion at the school to apply it.]
With his fingers softly brushing against my skin, it felt as if he was handling something fragile, his brow furrowed with
concern.
I didn’t want to see him so upset, so I tried to lighten the mood. []
Hey Andre, don’t be like that. Look, Sherry wore a long–sleeve shirt. If she’d been the one burned, not only would she be hurt.
but her clothes would be ruined, and she couldn’t go to class in the afternoon.“[]
I’m in short sleeves, so at least I didn’t mess up my clothes. So saving Sherry was totally fine! And it was also my fault for not paying enough attention. If I hadn’t…”
Andre raised a hand and flicked my forehead gently, stopping me from talking.]
He looked at me in disbelief and let out a soft laugh. “Why are you so naive?”
I held up a finger. “I have a 121 IQ, thank you very much.“]
The mood lightened, and Andre relaxed a little, his fingers still caressing my arm. After a moment, he smirked and teased, “You’re so blinded by love.“]
I couldn’t argue with that remark, so I pretended I didn’t hear him.
Suddenly, he pulled me into a hug. [
I blinked in surprise, too startled to move. []
A soft kiss landed in my hair, and with a promise in his voice, he said, “This won’t happen again. From now on, you’ll always be my first priority. I swear.“]
