Take My Breath Away

Tears welled up in Blair's eyes. "If you don't like me, then you should stop taking care of me."

It had been a long time since Wesley said that he didn't like her. He pursed his lips and said, "My mom likes you. A lot. So I need to like you too. She'll be happy to see you live in a safe and comfortable place." 'As long as Mom is happy, I'm happy too, ' he thought.

But as soon as he said the words, he realized how lame of an excuse it was.

The softness on Blair's expression instantly vanished and turned into a scowl. 'So he's being nice to me only because his mom likes me? Nothing else? If I didn't know any better, I'd probably just think he's a mama's boy.

Ugh! I feel so tired!' She forced a smile and waved at him. "Good night."

Without saying another word, she turned around and walked back into her bedroom.

Wesley silently watched as she closed the door behind her, and then entered his own bedroom.

Lying in bed, Blair turned and rolled. She forced her eyes closed, but sleep still wouldn't come. She wasn't really in the mood to read a book either, so she just lay there, awake. When it was already past midnight, she suddenly sat up. She stared at the package of perfume and lipstick on the nightstand and then got out of bed.

'I wonder if Wesley is already asleep, ' she thought.

She picked up the perfume and lipstick and left her bedroom. Standing outside Wesley's bedroom, she knocked on the door once, but there was no response.

She knocked again. Still nothing.

'Is he asleep? Or maybe I should just knock on the door harder?' she mused.

After a short pause, she knocked on the door for the third time. This time, the door opened.

Wesley was not asleep; he was just taking a shower. 'Did he just finish showering? Or was he still in the middle of it when I knocked?' she wondered. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, and his hair was still dripping wet.

Blair was suddenly dumbstruck. This was the second time that she had seen Wesley wearing nothing but a towel. She had previously told herself that she would be a cheating dog if she still held any sort of attraction towards him.

Apparently, she was indeed a cheating dog.

Against Blair's better judgment, her gaze landed on Wesley's toned and muscular body. She had started to develop feelings for him when she was sixteen. It was more than just a schoolgirl crush and had deepened over the past few years. She could never forget Wesley's warm embrace as he comforted her the day her parents died when she was nineteen. He had a beautiful body on top of his caring heart; how was it possible for her to not be attracted to him?

Seeing that the woman in front of him had no intention of speaking any time soon, Wesley asked, "What do you want?"

His voice snapped Blair out of her thoughts. She then raised the package of perfume and lipstick and waved them in front of him. "I accidentally brought Niles' belongings here. Would you please give them back to him for me? I'm afraid you might have already left before I even wake up."

Wesley cast a glance at the package in Blair's hand and then at her face. "Keep them," he said plainly.

"What? Why?"

"Those aren't Niles' belongings."

Blair's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "Not his? But I asked Aunt Cecelia, and she said they were not hers either. Are these yours, then?" 'Did he buy them for Megan?' she thought bitterly.

Wesley took the package from her and unwrapped it under her watchful eyes. "Just keep them," he repeated

Blair shook her head and shoved the unwrapped package towards his hands. "No, no. Just give them to her. Young girls like these kinds of things. I bet she'll love them."

"Who are you talking about?" Now it was Wesley's face that was scrunched up in confusion.

Blair pursed her lips, puzzled. "Megan! Who else? Didn't you buy them for her?"

Wesley had never used any perfume before, but he knew how to use it. Of course, any normal person knew how to use perfume. He removed the cap from the perfume and sprayed it on Blair. "I never said I bought them for her!" he said.

A faint fragrance of mixed fruit and flowers permeated the room. It was sweet, a scent suitable for Blair.

'So, he bought them for me?' Blair was shocked.

Numerous questions immediately popped up into her mind. 'Why did he buy perfume and lipstick? And why did he buy them for me? When did he buy them?'

"You... Why did you buy them for me?" she pried.

'Will he use the same lame excuse again and say that because his mom likes me?'

Wesley was starting to get flustered. "Why do you have so many questions? Just go back and sleep!" he ordered in a harsh voice. Before she could respond, he placed the package into her hands again.

She was about to protest when she suddenly saw that there was a tinge of red on Wesley's face. Her eyes widened. 'Am I really seeing this? Is he blushing?' She wanted to have a closer look, but he pushed her out of his bedroom. "Wait!" she exclaimed just as Wesley was about to close the door.

He was already getting tired. He gave out an exasperated sigh as he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Look. You already used the perfume, so I can't return it anymore."

'What? You were the one who unwrapped the perfume and sprayed it! I didn't use it!' she retorted in her mind. But she didn't say it. Instead, she fished out a bank card from her pocket and said, "I didn't want to disturb you, but I'm afraid that when I wake up in the morning, you will have already left and I won't be able to see you in who knows how long. So, here, take this thing. There's $300, 000 in the bank account."

She reached out her hand towards Wesley, but he didn't move. 'Where did she borrow the money? From Adalson, Hartwell, or Wacian?' he thought.

"No. It's not your money, so I won't take it. When you've earned $300, 000, then you can give it back to me." He then closed the door without saying anything more.

Blair stood dumbfounded outside Wesley's door with the bank card, the perfume, and the lipstick in her hands.

'He knows that it's not my money? Oh, right. I just started working, and it's not possible for me to have the money.

What should I do? Wait to pay him back until I have earned $300, 000? That'll take me at least one to two years!'

Unwilling to owe him the money for that long, she knocked on Wesley's door again after contemplating it, making one more attempt to give him the card. "Aren't you sleepy? If not, then let's go outside and run five kilometers," he deadpanned when he opened the door.

Wesley's sudden proposition startled Blair. She had once been trained for a 5-km run. She knew how horrible it was. Unsure whether he was seriously suggesting that they go for a run at past midnight or not, she rushed back to her bedroom as fast as she could. She eventually fell asleep after a few minutes.

When the morning came and Blair finally woke up again, Wesley had already gone.

A couple weeks passed and Wesley still had not come back. And so, Blair's life went back to normal; she went to work and got off from work regularly. She was willing to work over time, but she always wanted to be home by early evening or as soon as possible. She was constantly thinking that Wesley might come back at any time.

One day, while she was working on her computer, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and saw that Miller's mom was calling. She sighed and answered it immediately. "Hello, Auntie!"

"Hi, Blair. I need to talk to you. Could we meet at a cafe somewhere?" Gertrude said in a calm voice.

After some consideration, Blair agreed. "Sure. You name a place."

Gertrude then suggested they meet at a restaurant near Miller's apartment later in the afternoon. They said their goodbyes and hung up. Blair looked at the time and went back to work.

A few hours later, she headed down to the meeting place that they had agreed upon. When she arrived at the restaurant, she was surprised to find that Miller was also there.

She walked over to them and said hello politely.

She hadn't seen Miller for a long time and was somewhat alarmed to see that he appeared haggard and gloomy. Gertrude, on the other hand, put on a warm smile and said, "Hi, Blair. Busy at work?"

Blair settled her bag on a chair and sat on the one beside it. She smiled back at Gertrude. "Hi, Auntie. I'm not that busy these days. It's the off season."

Gertrude nodded and asked a waiter to serve the dishes.

Miller poured a glass of water and handed it to Blair.

"Thanks," she said and offered him a warm smile.