Chapter 83: A Stirred Heart
Seeing Kieu Ly fussing over silly things, Toan Phuong couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't have the nerve to force himself on her—nor could he bear to. But how could he make her believe that and stop worrying?
He cheerfully sat down at the desk, opened her laptop, and pulled up YouTube to rewatch the New Year's fireworks display in Vietnam. He had arrived that afternoon, originally hoping to spend New Year's Eve with her. But when he got there, she was out. He messaged her but got no reply. So he waited—stood in the cold from afternoon until night. Luckily, he'd finally met her.
"You must feel really lonely living here," he said.
Kieu Ly stopped her anxious fussing and focused on the fireworks on screen.
"Yeah. I miss home a lot."
"Are you happy that I came to visit you?"
"Yes."
There was a pause before Kieu Ly continued:
"Honestly, it's very touching. I've had a lot of guys pursue me, but none of them were crazy enough to do what you did."
"So that means I'm special to you, more than the others," he said, smiling.
Kieu Ly didn't want to admit it, but it was true—Toan Phuong was different. Quang Huy backed off when things got hard. Tuấn Anh was indecisive and unsure. Only Toan Phuong had pursued her with everything he had. She was honestly scared of breaking this heart that had just begun to feel love.
"But love can be painful. Loving someone too much will only bring heartbreak. I'm afraid one day... the one who hurts you will be me."
Toan Phuong laughed:
"I already tasted that earlier. I thought you broke your promise and were dating someone else. Thank goodness that wasn't the case."
After a pause, he looked straight into her eyes and continued:
"Even in the worst-case scenario, I'd rather you break my heart than me break yours."
Kieu Ly didn't want to admit it, but that gaze of his—so tender, affectionate, full of emotion—had made her heart race more times than she could count. It was dangerously captivating. She stared at him in a daze, unable to control her racing heartbeat.
Toan Phuong quietly stood up, sat down beside her on the bed, gently lifted her chin, and kissed her—a kiss that was soft, lingering, and filled with longing. It wasn't forceful. It wasn't stolen. It was a kiss shared by two hearts drawn to each other.
On the laptop screen, fireworks continued to burst across the sky in a dazzling blaze of color.
That night, the two of them lay back to back on the cramped bed, each trying to sleep. Once Kieu Ly had drifted into a deep slumber, Toan Phuong turned over, leaned in to inhale the scent of her soft, fragrant hair, and slipped into peaceful sleep.