Chapter 3

The next morning was the first day of the new semester.

My mom had taken a month off to visit family, and Ethan’s parents were away on a business trip.

Only Ethan and I were left in the house.

I had been tossing and turning all night, so I overslept.

The moment I rushed out of my room, I bumped straight into Ethan’s chest. A faint scent of sweet citrus washed over me.

I sniffed, asking subconsciously:

"Did you change your body wash? It smells different."

He had always insisted on using the exact same body wash as me.

He hadn't changed it in years. Even when we went out yesterday, he still smelled like my lavender body wash.

Ethan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He gave a quiet, dismissive grunt.

He clearly didn't want to explain.

"I made breakfast. Let's get to school first."

I took the breakfast bag from him, biting my lip. "My mom told me to take care of you..."

Ethan grabbed my wrist, letting out a soft laugh. "You? Taking care of me? You literally threw me onto the bed last night and ran away."

I seized the opportunity. "I was going to order food, but my phone died. And you changed your passcode."

Ethan paused for a split second, then explained smoothly, "Some guys at school guessed my passcode was your birthday. It wasn't safe."

"You know my phone is packed with your photos. I'd go crazy if anyone saw them."

"Oh," I murmured.

He continued, "I changed it to the date I first confessed to you."

I nodded, but a nagging thought lingered.

Even so, did he really have to delete my fingerprints?

Before I could ask, Ethan tossed his phone into my lap and leaned his head against the car window, closing his eyes.

"See for yourself. It’s rare for you to actually check up on me."

"At least it means you finally care a little."

I never used to do things like this, but today, I was consumed by anxiety.

I unlocked his phone and opened Snapchat.

Chloe’s contact name was gone.

I tossed the phone back onto his lap. "I saw Chloe send you a photo yesterday. Now she's not even on your friend list."

Ethan replied casually, "Oh, yeah. She sent some nude photo. I blocked and deleted her immediately."

...A nude?

My throat felt tight.

I wanted to ask him why he had even added her in the first place.

Didn't he despise her?

But I felt like I had no right to ask. Who was I to him?

Everyone else thought I was being dramatic, playing hard to get when Ethan was practically worshiping the ground I walked on.

But Ethan’s mother had taken my mom and me in when we had nothing. We owed her everything.

Since she asked me to wait until graduation, I was going to keep my promise.

Besides, it was only a few more months.

We would be together soon anyway.

"Daisy, when I accepted her request, I didn't know it was her account," Ethan said, showing me his lock screen. His eyes were warm and sincere.

"It just disgusted me. She doesn't have a fraction of my Daisy's cuteness."

Once we reached the classroom, Ethan sat next to me as usual.

He smoothly unpacked my favorite snacks, new stationery, and various little things I might need from his backpack.

He had always taken care of me with this level of meticulous detail.

Chloe was the last to enter the classroom.

Despite the freezing winter weather, she wore a tight, cropped top, a thin jacket, and a tiny miniskirt.

Chewing gum loudly, she tossed her backpack onto the desk right across the aisle from Ethan.

Ethan’s pen paused. He glanced at me.

"Daisy, let's swap seats."

Chloe raised her chin and scoffed, sliding into her seat.

I moved to Ethan’s original seat. The moment I sat down, a strong scent of sweet citrus hit my nose.

It was the exact same scent as Ethan’s new body wash.

Only, on her, it was much stronger.