Now You Love Me?

"Breaking out the champagne already? You sure know how to stay in your boss' good graces."

The system chimed in furiously, "This is all your fault! Why did you have to remind him that it's your birthday? Could you stop triggering his cheap sense of guilt for once?"

A throbbing pain split through my skull. Days of overtime had drained every ounce of energy I had left. I leaned weakly against the sink, feeling hollow inside.

The system piped up timidly. "What if you just asked him to sleep with you?"

I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "How about I ask him to die instead?"

If only it were that simple.

The creator of this damned game had made sure there were no loopholes. Words like sleep and die were automatically banned. Repetition wasn't allowed either.

Seven years in, even being turned down after a proposal was one of the last cards I had left to play.

Things had reached an impasse.

The sound of running water echoed softly through the bathroom.

I sat on the toilet while staring blankly ahead. I was racking my brain for another reason he could reject me.

Just then, my phone lit up with an unknown number.

When I answered, a woman's gentle voice came through.

"Ms. Cullen, this is Elaine."

My hand tightened around the edge of the sink

Faced with my silence, Elaine let out a soft, self-satisfied laugh.

"You probably don't know me very well, and that's fine. But I know you. I've eaten the lunchboxes you made for Ryan. I've worn the white shirts you washed for him. Last year, after he celebrated your birthday with you, he came to see me. His tie clip still had one of your hairs caught in it."

I leaned against the bathtub and said coldly, "So what?"

Elaine laughed again. "Are you really that clueless? Didn't you get the point? Last year, on your birthday, I gave him my first time. This year, I came back just for your birthday, and he's already forgotten it. Do I really need to tell you who he loves?"

Seven years had passed. Faint lines had formed at the corners of my eyes. The eyes that used to brighten whenever I saw Ryan were now dull and lifeless.

I took a deep breath. "No need. Ryan's marrying me."

There was a pause on the other end, then Elaine sharply said, "You don't have to say that just to spite me. You'll never beat me."

A knock came from the door. It was Ryan.

I hid the phone behind my back, opened the door, and asked softly, "I want to try on wedding dresses tomorrow. Will you come with me?"

He froze for a second, then pulled me into his arms. His voice carried a rare trace of tenderness. "Sure. You'll be the most beautiful bride on our wedding day."

I hung up the call.

Forcing back the nausea, I accepted his kiss.

I silently hoped Elaine wouldn't screw this up. I couldn't afford to be disappointed.

…

That night, I waited for hours, and Elaine never called Ryan.

Ryan's kisses burned against my skin, and his desire was unusually intense, but just as things were about to go too far, I pressed my hand against his chest to stop him.

"I've got a mission tomorrow. Let's call it a night."

He looked frustrated and unsatisfied, and when I turned away, wrapping myself tightly in the blanket, he let out a long, resigned sigh. "Alright."

A moment later, the sound of running water came from the bathroom.

The system sounded uneasy. "Do you think you were too harsh earlier? Maybe Elaine backed off?"

"Not a chance."

If I knew Elaine at all, she'd rather die than let Ryan go.

…

The next morning, the sky was heavy and gray.

For once, Ryan didn't dash off. He sat across from me at the dining table, calmly eating breakfast with me.

The only sounds in the room were the occasional clinks of silverware.

After a while, Ryan said, "When this mission's over, you'd better transfer to a desk job. You're marrying me. You don't have to work so hard anymore."

Inside my head, the system chirped, "Hey, I want some scrambled eggs."