Chapter 474 Making Up Stories
Daphne let out a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. "He still hasn't told his folks about his girlfriend. They think he's single and keep pushing him to go on blind dates. He dodged them before, but this time, he couldn't."
"Why doesn't he just tell them?"
"It's complicated. I don't know all the details. He just told me to keep it hush-hush." Daphne used the complexity as a smokescreen for what she couldn't explain. "If his proposal tanks this time, don't bring it up. He doesn't want me spilling the beans."
Seeing Daphne's serious face, Benjamin bought it.
After all, when he saw Daphne abroad, Gavin was there too.
"Are you bummed out now?" Daphne suddenly asked.
She couldn't match Benjamin's intensity, but she'd been making some strides lately. In a losing game, it was key to read people.
But Daphne missed one thing: Benjamin had nailed the date, the 12th. If she wasn't feeling guilty, she might've guessed Benjamin was planning to pop the question.
Benjamin felt a bit of relief and stopped overthinking. "Bummed about what?"
"That I'm not planning to propose to you," Daphne said quietly, sounding a bit conflicted.
Benjamin raised his hand and playfully knocked on her head, saying affectionately, "Silly girl."
This time, even the sly Benjamin got it wrong.
Feelings were everything to Benjamin. When he heard Daphne say Gavin and his girlfriend split for complicated reasons, he automatically pictured a tragic love story, which made him drop his guard.
"Show me your finger." Daphne decided to roll with it.
Benjamin raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"To measure your ring size," Daphne said seriously. "So I can get a custom ring and propose to you."
Benjamin's lips curled into a smile, and his eyes lit up. He extended his finger for her to measure.
Daphne's palm was sweaty with nerves.
After all, it was her first time seriously lying to Benjamin, and she had him fooled.
"For the next two months, you can't keep tabs on me every day," Daphne said, making Benjamin even less suspicious. "Even if you find out I'm planning to propose, you gotta act like you don't know."
"Okay," Benjamin agreed, playing along.
Anyway, after he popped the question the day after tomorrow, Daphne wouldn't need to propose anymore. He might as well let her have her fun.
"And one more thing," Daphne added.
Benjamin looked up. "Yeah?"
"During this time, you can't plan a proposal," Daphne said again.
"So many demands?" Benjamin teased.
"Yep."
"Do I have to agree?"
"Yep."
"Alright."
Benjamin agreed without a fuss.
He had everything ready. The only thing left was the proposal itself.
Until they hit the bedroom that night, Daphne's heart was pounding, scared any slip-up might blow her cover.
As a final test, Benjamin shot a message to Gavin after they went to their rooms: [Good luck with your proposal.]
Benjamin believed her, but he still wanted to test it.
Gavin replied: [You too. Good luck!]
Good thing Daphne had texted Gavin as soon as she got back to her room. Otherwise, she would've been busted.
If she hadn't, Gavin would've probably thought Benjamin sent the message to the wrong person and would've replied with a bunch of question marks.
Seeing the message, Benjamin tossed his phone aside and started getting ready for bed.
Even after washing up and lying in bed, Daphne couldn't chill out. To ease some of the stress, she spilled the beans to Zoey and Emma.
Both of them hit her back with a "Wow" when they heard she had told a whopper to Benjamin.
Emma said: [If it was anything else, Benjamin would've smelled something fishy.]
Zoey chimed in: [Yeah, your story's got too many holes.]
Zoey added: [Looks like when a guy's into someone, his brain takes a little vacation.]
Daphne was a bit confused.
She knew her story had flaws, but how many?
Emma replied: [You should've gone with a different angle. That would've been more believable.]
Daphne asked: [Like what?]
Zoey said: [Say the girl Gavin likes came back and secretly asked you to test if Gavin still liked her. If he did, she'd propose; if not, she'd move on.]
Emma agreed: [That way, Gavin not helping Benjamin propose would make more sense.]
Emma realized her slip-up as soon as she sent the message and quickly retracted it.
Luckily, Daphne didn't catch it.
After seeing Zoey's message, Daphne started mulling over the whole situation, trying to figure out which story made more sense.
After thinking it through, Daphne's attention went back to her phone screen. She didn't ask about the retracted message, assuming Emma had just made a typo.
Emma was freaking out and privately messaged Zoey: [Do you think Daphne saw it?]
If she did, Benjamin wouldn't let her off the hook. The whole proposal plan would be wrecked by her one slip.
Zoey replied: [Hold on. I'll send a message in the group. If there's no reaction, she didn't see it.]
Emma said: [I'm never doing this again. Being trusted by both sides is too risky.]
Zoey reassured her: [Chill, it'll be fine.]
With mixed feelings, Zoey nervously sent a message in the group: [You know Gavin was a bit emotional after the blind date, so you told him the girl planned to propose. That way, it’s easier to explain.]
Emma echoed: [Exactly!]
After sending the messages, both of them waited anxiously.
Daphne didn't know that Benjamin had asked Gavin to help with the proposal, so she wouldn't think about how Gavin's actions would avoid Benjamin's suspicion.
She just needed to figure out how to clear herself from the proposal mess.
Finally, Daphne replied: [That's not easy to explain. I'm not close with that girl. Helping Gavin propose makes more sense.]
The two paused, realizing they were looking at it from an all-knowing perspective. Daphne and Benjamin only knew parts of the story, so it was good she didn't catch on.
Daphne added: [I am counting on you the day after tomorrow.]
Both of them agreed.
After the chat, Daphne put her phone aside and went to sleep.
After sharing her thoughts, she felt a bit less jittery.
On the weekend, Daphne and Benjamin stayed home, each lost in their own thoughts, eagerly waiting for Monday.
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