Chapter 51

As soon as Alice dropped that bomb, David was floored.

Alice's hair had this light, fresh shampoo smell, nothing too strong. It was smooth and silky, and she didn't reek of perfume. What he caught was probably just some regular body wash.

Alice shoved David back a bit and stared him down, "David, is it really such a hassle for you that I like you?"

Back in the day, David would've nodded like a bobblehead and told her straight up that her feelings were a pain. He never took this engagement seriously. Everyone thought she was perfect for him, but the more they pushed, the more he pushed back. He resisted the engagement, and he resisted her.

But now? He wasn't so sure.

Alice tried to smile, "I know you've got your first love stuck in your heart. I've known for ages. You can't forget her, and I never thought I could replace her. First loves are unforgettable. It's just a bummer I never had one, so I can't get it. But, it's tough for me to like someone for the first time."

Alice looked up at David, grinning, "David, you're my first love." A first love who had someone else in his heart.

David was shook, couldn't get his head straight for a while.

First love.

She said he was her first love.

Seeing David all quiet, Alice pouted, looking bummed out. "They say it's risky for a guy and a girl to be alone in a room. I didn't buy it before, but now I do. If I knew, I wouldn't have listened to Lucas and moved in with you. Now look, you haven't lost anything, but I've lost everything. So unfair."

David frowned a bit, feeling something was off with her words.

"You lost everything?" David chuckled, reaching out to poke Alice's cheek. From the first time he pinched it, he noticed Alice's face was smooth and felt nice.

"How many times you've seen me naked. Then think hard, have I ever seen you naked? So, who do you think lost everything?" David said.

Alice turned her head and looked at him, "If you wanna see my body, just say so. I can show you."

David was speechless, his ears heating up for no reason.

Alice said, "Well, since I like you, if you wanna see, I'll show you. What else can I do?"

"Aren't you embarrassed to say stuff like that?" David pinched Alice's face in frustration, not daring to use force, afraid of leaving a red mark on her fair skin.

Alice snorted lightly, "David, let me tell you. Even though I'm young, I have big dreams. If showing you my body would make you like me, I wouldn't mind showing you a million times! But the problem is," she turned her head to look at him, "who knows if you like my body or me as a person?"

"Alright, get to work." Alice pushed David, "I've said everything I needed to, and I feel relieved. If you kick me out later, I won't have any regrets."

David was too mad to speak.

David thought, 'When did I ever say I was gonna kick her out? Where does she get this habit of talking to herself? She only picks up bad habits, not a single good one.'

The whole afternoon, David sat at his desk handling documents, while Alice lay on the couch, scrolling through Facebook, reading novels, and snacking. Eventually, her eyes grew tired, and she turned over, facing her back to David, and took a nap.

When Garrett came in, he first glanced at the couch, seeing Alice asleep. Then he tiptoed to the desk, moving like he was in slow motion.

David looked at Garrett's actions. "What are you doing?"

Garrett said, "Mr. Tudor, Miss Bailey is asleep. It wouldn't be good to wake her."

Hearing this, David finally turned his head to check out the couch. He hadn't even noticed Alice had dozed off.

Garrett dropped the documents and bounced. David walked over to the couch, leaned in to see if she was really out, then went back to grab his jacket to cover her up.

Earlier, he was ticked off by Alice's words and didn't think much. After cooling down and mulling it over, he couldn't really blame Alice for picking up so many bad habits.

Living with the Bailey Family, except for Lucas, no one really treated her right. As a kid, she might've cried to Lucas when she got bullied, but as she grew up, she got it. So she had to ditch her innocent thoughts, toughen up, and show everyone she wasn't easy to mess with anymore. She wasn't the little girl who'd just cry and whine when bullied.

From today's dinner, it was clear Juniper and Celeste always gave Alice a hard time, while Marcus just stood by like a useless bystander instead of a dad.

Illegitimate daughter, mistress. David could imagine the nasty words thrown at Alice.

Glancing at Alice, David closed his eyes and sighed, murmuring, "What am I gonna do with you?"

Alice slept until around five in the afternoon.

As soon as she woke up, she sat up on the couch, lazily leaning back. The jacket on her slid off, and she squinted at it, realizing it was David's jacket, still half-asleep.

When David came in with takeout, he saw Alice leaning on the couch, clearly awake but with her eyes still closed. She looked annoyed, like she wanted to sleep but couldn't.

Alice smelled the food and looked towards the door, asking in a muffled voice, "What'd you get?"

David closed the door, put the takeout on the table, and then replied, "Your favorite."

Alice shifted, putting on David's jacket, raising her hands to reveal them, then letting the sleeves fall back down to cover them.

David couldn't help but laugh, rolling up the sleeves of the jacket, not caring about the creases it would leave.

Alice wanted to say something but paused for a few seconds and kept quiet.

David took the dinner out of the bag, opened the lid, handed a fork to Alice, and asked, "What were you gonna say just now?"

Alice said, "You just said you bought my favorite food. I was thinking, if I said my favorite food was you, would you get mad and not give me any food?"

Before she finished speaking, David took the fork back.

"David, I'm starving," Alice said.

David picked up the bowl and started eating.

"David!" Alice pounced on David's back and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I was wrong. I didn't say it, did I? If you're so petty, no one will want you!"

David put the bowl on the table, grabbed Alice's arms, and was swayed back and forth by her.

David said, "A few hours ago, you said I was your first love. A few hours later, you say no one will want me. You change your mind too fast."

Alice snatched the fork from David's hand, picked up the food he was eating, and started munching, mumbling, "You are my first love, and it has nothing to do with your age."

David's smile froze instantly.

Alice said, "You're already 26. Most successful guys are married with kids in kindergarten by now. Compared to them, you're old!"

This time, David didn't take the utensils away but started clearing the table.

Alice laughed, "David, you're so childish!"

"Yeah, I'm childish, and you're so mature."

David never thought age was an issue. Even when Dylan and Wesley called him a jerk, he thought he was just a few years older than Alice, not enough to be a jerk.

But thinking it over, if he really got together with Alice, the age difference would be an issue, and he would indeed be a jerk.