Chapter 287Never to Be Let Down Again
<Chapter> Chapter 287Never to Be Let Down Again</Chapter>
"Hey... Morning."
As Diana yanked back the shower curtain, the sight that greeted her struck like lightning, freezing her in place.
Douglas stood beneath the showerhead, clearly having wrapped up his waterside escapades. He caught sight of Diana, dressed only in a tank top nightgown, her eyes wide and her mouth agape with shock. Douglas cracked a mischievous smile and casually greeted her.
Realizing how she must look, Diana quickly snapped the curtain closed. Her heartbeat thrummed in her chest as she dashed from the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
She hastened back to the bedroom and, with a swift motion, shut that door, too, with an audacious thud.
Leaning against the door, Diana touched her heart, feeling its vigorous pounding as if ready to burst forth.
She was far from a naïve little girl—she knew the male form well enough—so why did the sight of Douglas, barely past adolescence, send her pulse racing? Her heart hammered as it did with Liam, once upon a time.
But was Douglas indeed just a boy? She had seen him head to toe in that shower. His physique was anything but boyish... Damn it. What was she thinking?
Disturbed by her thoughts, Diana shook her head vigorously, trying to cast away the images that lingered in her mind.
After all, Douglas was just a senior in college, not even graduated—an overgrown kid.
Yes, that's all he was to her—a kid, more like a little brother. That's all she had seen—a sister looking at her sibling—no big deal.
With each calming breath, Diana tried to soothe her rattled nerves.
Finally, her heartbeat leveled out. She changed clothes and opened her bedroom door to leave.
Unexpectedly, as she stepped out, Diana looked up to meet Douglas, who towered at the threshold of her room.
While Douglas stood an impressive six feet tall, Diana, at just five-foot-three, never felt much shorter when she wore her heels. But now, in her slippers, the height difference was starkly evident.
Douglas grinned and took a step toward her, closing the gap.
Instinctively, Diana stepped back, but Douglas’s hand grabbed her waist, stopping her.
"Enjoy the show, sis?" he murmured, his voice low, as he brought his face tantalizingly close to hers.
Diana looked up to see the boy's charming face, radiant with sunlight, inches from hers. Her heartbeat became erratic, unable to contain its wild rhythm.
Fresh out of the shower, Douglas lay wrapped in only a towel. Droplets of water cascaded from his damp hair down his chiseled, youthful chest.
Flushed with an uncontrollable blush, Diana felt her face heated up at the sight of him.
"What do you mean, 'enjoy the show'?" she dodged his gaze, feigning ignorance, and forcefully pulled away from the arm he'd wrapped around her waist. "I need to get ready for work. Since you're awake, you should..."
"Ah!" "Mm!"
As Diana pretended to head for the bathroom, Douglas suddenly caught her wrist, pulling her back against the wall and his chest, his large hand cradling the back of her head as he bent down to kiss her deeply.
The boy's kiss was intense and wild.
Diana's eyes widened as she stared at his eager and focused face, her mind blank.
It wasn't until he pried her lips apart that she snapped back to reality and pushed Douglas away with all her might.
Caught off-guard, Douglas stumbled backward, his loosely tied towel falling to the floor.
Diana immediately turned away, her heartbeat once again racing uncontrollably.
"Douglas, I don't like playing games. Get dressed and leave," she said, eyes closed, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
One Liam was enough. She couldn't let herself get hurt again.
"Diana, I'm not playing games. When I said 'I like you,' I meant it," Douglas said, standing still without reaching for the towel, his gaze fixed on Diana's silhouette.
Hearing his confession, Diana laughed, not caring about his state of undress. "Douglas, we've only just met. Don't you think saying you're serious is a bit much?"
"Do you really think we've only known each other for a few days?" Douglas didn't answer her directly. Instead, a touch of sadness surfaced in his eyes.
"Are you talking about before?" Diana looked down, smiling resignedly. "Does that count?"
"Why wouldn't it?" he responded earnestly. "I've had feelings for you since you first came to my place."
She couldn't help but laugh as though she'd just heard a joke. "Douglas, stop fooling around. Get dressed. I have to get to work soon."
She didn't allow Douglas to say anything more as she finished speaking. She dove into the restroom, and with a decisive thud, the door shut behind her.
Douglas watched her evasive and resistant behavior, his brows knitting in a faint concern, and his expression dulled before he obediently turned to get dressed.
Diana took a deep breath inside the restroom, trying hard not to let her mind wander, and then she freshened up.
Once done, Diana opened the restroom door, finding the modest living room devoid of any sign of Douglas. The apartment was eerily quiet, and the clothes previously strewn across the couch were now gone.
He left.
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