Only you in my love

All of her life, Michelle had never thought that she would ever hear those words from Leon.

At that moment, she felt like she was merely dreaming. She thought that the words "I like you too" were just figments of her imagination. Each was like a pebble falling into a pond, making ripples in her heart. As she realized that she wasn't in a dream, that everything was real, tears welled in her eyes. After years of seemingly unrequited love, she wept from relief, her tears rolling unbidden down her cheeks.

Meanwhile, Leon was worried that he had frightened her and caused her to cry. He reached out to wipe her tears, trying to comfort her.

"Why are you crying?" He moved back a little to give her some space to breathe.

"I don't know. My head hurts after all those drinks we ordered," Michelle answered softly. She pursed her lips tightly, trying to suppress her sobs.

'No wonder I smelled alcohol,' Leon thought.

He then put one hand on her head and rubbed it lightly. "We should sleep now. Your headache will be gone in no time. You'll feel better."

"Sleep? No, no, no. It's too early for us to do that," she answered in a confused voice. Leaning back, she put her head against the glass window of the car.

Leon's hand was left hanging in the air as her head dodged away. Though he couldn't see her face inside the dim car, he noticed the nervousness in her voice.

Looking at her through the darkness, Leon couldn't help laughing. "What I mean is, I'm going to drive you home so that you can rest." To make fun of her even more, Leon paused for a second and added, "Of course, you can also go back with me if you want. I wish you would." "No way!" Shrinking back into her seat like a deflated balloon, Michelle was both frightened and embarrassed. "No, we can't do that. We shouldn't."

'This is all going too fast between the two of us. I can't go on like this,'

she thought.

Even before she could fully process the fact that Leon liked her, he was already asking her to stay over at his house. It would be shameful for her to rush into things like that.

Besides, she didn't even know yet if he truly liked her. Or if he was just looking for a temporary distraction. Maybe he was just heartbroken, and like Colby, and needed someone to ease his pain for the moment. Even if it was the case, she was willing to do this. At this moment, Michelle was happier than she had ever been. The joy that she felt now was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

She liked being with him.

Michelle's face was still flushed red from all the alcohol she consumed with her friends. She put her hands on her face and rubbed it with her palms, feeling the warmth of her cheeks. As her eyes shone in the darkness, she smiled softly to herself.

"Leon, I have a headache and want to go home to sleep," she lied. The darkness helping mask her deception. Letting out a sigh, she then closed her eyes and leaned on the window.

Leon raised his eyebrows slightly. "Alright, let's get you home then," he answered with a smile.

Between the two of them, it was a normal thing to say. But Michelle blushed.

Knowing that she might still be embarrassed by their talk earlier, Leon didn't turn the light on in the car.

He was in a good mood and kept smiling along the way. From time to time, he glanced at her. He saw that she had fallen asleep.

The soft leather seat and the warmth of the car heater made it very cozy inside. She fell asleep in the passenger seat in no time. With her facing away from him, Leon could only see the back of her head.

When they arrived at the gate of her community, Leon noticed that she was still sleeping soundly. He then parked the car in a quiet spot and left the engine on idle so the heater would keep her warm. Reaching behind him, he grabbed a pillow and a blanket. Very gently, he reclined her seat, slid the pillow under her head, and covered her with the blanket.

As if enjoying the added comfort, she snuggled the blanket while still asleep. Now she faced Leon slightly, and he could see part of her face.

A sliver of light from a streetlamp not too far away shone on Michelle's face. Leon saw that her cheeks were blushing. Perhaps it was the heater, or maybe the alcohol, he thought.

For two or three hours, Leon contentedly sat in silence as she slept. Three years ago, he could only see the lights of her community from afar. He couldn't even see Michelle's house. Now he was sitting in the car, next to her. He didn't need to look at the lights of the community anymore.

Three years had passed, and Michelle still liked him.

He still liked her too, even though he had failed to find her during the past three years.

It was getting late. Leon knew that she might catch a cold if she stayed in the car all night like that. He bent over and shook her gently, trying to wake her. "Michelle, wake up. You're home now."

The pleasant, milky scent of her perfume filled his nose as he leaned closer to her. Leon swallowed at the sight of her red, tender lips. Overwhelmed by his senses, he even thought about waking her up with a kiss.

But he tried his best to hold back his passion and to be decent. He didn't want to frighten her with sudden advances.

"Michelle, wake up," Leon said to her again, a bit louder this time. Finally, he saw her eyelashes move. He sat upright in his seat when he knew that she was waking up.

For the time being, he was determined to act decently.

Still dazed, Michelle opened her eyes and sat upright, facing him. She patted her face as if to get herself back to her senses and then looked out the window. "Oh, we're here at my community already. How did we get here so fast?" If she knew what time it was, she wouldn't have said that.

"Yes, we're here. You're home now," he answered in a gentle tone.

Hearing his voice, Michelle was a bit startled. She woke up temporarily disoriented, not remembering the events earlier that day.

Now she remembered that they had confessed their feelings and he kissed her.

Slowly, she touched her nose with one finger. Her chest heaved slightly, and her heart beat faster inside her chest.

She didn't dare to look at Leon. With Leon's eyes on her, she felt that the silence was becoming unbearable. "Hey, Leon. Are we..."

"Yes, we are," Leon answered even before she could finish her words. "We're in a relationship, Michelle. You want to take it back?"

"No!" Michelle quickly looked up at him, a hint of eagerness in her eyes. Finally, she was able to meet his gaze. She found it difficult to look into his eyes at first, but at the same time, she was also being drawn into his eyes. In the past, her roommates had told her that a woman could see in a man's eyes whether he was sincere or not.

Thinking about this, she wanted to see what future his eyes held.

But at the same time, she was afraid that she wouldn't see herself in them.

After a while, she turned away from his gaze. Staring out the window once again, she said in a low voice, "Leon, I'm not going to take back what I've said. So yes, I'll be your girlfriend from now on." "Good. That makes me happy," Leon answered, smiling with satisfaction.

Michelle nodded and asked in a low voice, "Leon, can we keep our relationship a secret for the time being?"

Deep inside, Leon was caught off-guard by her request.

'Why doesn't she want others to know that we are in love? She said that she likes me, but why keep it a secret?' he thought.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. He was anxious to know the reason behind it.

Without giving him a direct answer, she asked again, "Leon, is that okay with you?"

When he saw the look in her eyes, his heart instantly softened. Leon couldn't refuse her, so he had to give in to her request even though it left him feeling uneasy.

The disappointment was drawn all over his face.

He was so excited that they were finally together that all he wanted to do was announce their love to the world. However, the request dampened his spirits a bit.

"Thank you, Leon." Michelle tried to smile, but she quickly held back.

"Don't thank me so quickly." Reaching out, Leon raised her chin with his hand. As their eyes met again, a sly grin appeared on his face. "Michelle, you have to give me something in return for that request." Michelle felt as if warmth spread from the spot where Leon had a finger on her chin.

When he poked her forehead, she wouldn't feel anything strange. But now, the sensation of his finger against her chin made her nervous. She felt hot, and her throat dried up.

"What do you mean? What do I have to do in return?"

"Let me kiss you." At this point, passion overcame Leon.

In an instant, Michelle's eyes widened. Her face flushed, and her heart beat quickly.

Locking her fingers together, she raised both hands to cover her mouth.

"Eh?" Leon had a puzzled look on his face as he looked at her. He appeared as if he was trying to figure out why she covered her mouth.

"If I don't cover the mouth, my heart is going to jump out." A muffled whimper came from behind Michelle's palms as she lowered her eyes.

But Leon didn't give her a chance to lower her head. He raised her chin again and looked into her eyes intently.

"Michelle, take your hands off. Trust me."0000