Jinhai stood leaning against his sleek black car, scrolling through his phone like he had all the time in the world.
The moment Lily came huffing and puffing down the steps, he looked up. His grey eyes glinted mischievously as a slow grin tugged at his lips—and then he winked.
Oh gods. Not again.
That was the second time this man had winked at her and she was still not emotionally equipped to survive it.
Even with half his face covered by a black mask, he somehow managed to look like a walking sin. The hood of his white sweatshirt framed his messy dark hair, the strands falling just enough to brush his lashes. And those eyes—grey and sharp—looked at her like she was the most amusing thing he'd seen all day.
This man was a public safety hazard.
"Took long enough, Liang Princess," Jinhai drawled, waving his phone at her. The screen showed a stopwatch flashing 20:03.
Lily's jaw dropped. "You timed me!?"
"I did." His voice was smooth and dangerously amused. "And you lost. Which means…" He smirked. "…you owe me something."
"Excuse me? That's outrageous!" she blurted. "You said five minutes! Nobody in the history of ever can get ready in five minutes!"
Jinhai's eyes glimmered, his tone mock-serious. "A gentleman would never make a lady rush. But I'm not just any gentleman. I'm the one who came to rescue a lady from public transport suffering."
He tilted his head as he said it, and Lily swore her soul briefly left her body.
He's teasing me. He knows what he's doing, this smug little—
Without thinking, she swatted his arm with her bag. "That's for being insufferable!"
"Ow!" Jinhai clutched his arm, pretending to wince. "Violence? On a man who came to pick you up?"
"Don't act innocent," she said, glaring—well, trying to glare. It probably looked more like an angry tomato.
"Fine, fine." He grinned again. "But you do look nice. Different."
"'Different?'" Lily repeated, instantly suspicious.
"I meant it as a compliment. You put in effort."
His gaze flickered down, clearly amused by her lip gloss.
Lily wanted the ground to swallow her whole. Abort mission! He noticed! He noticed the gloss!
She crossed her arms, trying to look unbothered. "Stop playing with me."
"I'm not," Jinhai said smoothly, stepping a little closer. "You make it too easy."
Her brain short-circuited.
Was he—flirting? Or was this just his regular brand of chaos?
Before she could retort, he casually reached up and tugged his hoodie off.
Lily blinked. Once. Twice.
Then her brain screamed, ABS. THOSE ARE ABS. LOOK AWAY, LILY!
She spun around so fast she almost hit him with her hair. Her face was hotter than the sun.
"Here," he said, draping the hoodie over her head. "Before you melt."
"Ow! You could've handed it to me like a normal person!"
"I could have," he said easily, unlocking the car. "But this way was more fun."
She huffed, slipping into the hoodie. It was warm. Soft. And it smelled like him. Clean laundry, faint cologne, and something that made her stomach flutter in protest.
This was dangerous. This was so not a work thing anymore.
Jinhai held the car door open for her, his tone casual but his eyes sparkling. "After you, Princess."
As she slid in, she caught her reflection in the car window—his oversized hoodie swallowing her whole—and groaned inwardly. Perfect. I look like a fan who won a radio contest.
He got in on the driver's side and glanced over. "Seatbelt, please. Wouldn't want my 'colleague' to get hurt."
Lily side-eyed him. "Colleague, huh? You really love stretching that word, don't you?"
He smirked, starting the engine. "Only when it sounds like you're trying to convince yourself."
Her jaw dropped. "I am not—"
"Sure, sure," he said, pulling out of the driveway with infuriating calm. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Lily crossed her arms, muttering under her breath. "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable."
Her heart, unfortunately, disagreed—because it was beating way too fast for something that was definitely just work.
"Sooo…" Jinhai's voice broke the comfortable hum of the car. "Were you really fast asleep that night?"
I blinked at him, mid-sip of air. "What night?"
He turned his head just enough to give me that look — the one that said don't play dumb with me.
"That night."
"You've got to be more specific, Jinhai." I frowned, then paused. "Wait… ohhh."
"Yah," he said, smirking.
"Oh, that night." I sank further into the seat, already regretting breathing. "The night you carried me all the way to my grandparents' house."
He chuckled, low and lazy. "Yeah, that one. I think your grandparents got the wrong idea."
I whipped my head toward him. "Oh, they definitely did! I had to do some serious damage control because of you."
"Stop capping."
"I'm not!" I shot back, glaring. "They literally thought something was going on between us!"
And the second I said it — my soul left my body.
The car went quiet. Too quiet.
The kind of quiet where you start hearing your own heartbeat and question every life choice you've ever made.
I was suddenly very aware of my surroundings.
His hoodie wrapped around me.
His scent clinging to it.
Me, sitting in his car, going somewhere I couldn't even remember anymore.
Oh right. Work.
Definitely not a date. Totally professional. Yep.
Jinhai cleared his throat, maybe louder than necessary. "Sooo… how about some music?"
"Yeah!" I said too quickly. "Music's good. I love—uh—music. Big fan of… sounds."
His lips twitched. "Clearly."
He reached forward and fiddled with the radio, looking way too focused for a guy who probably had Bluetooth.
And then the universe decided to mock me.
Song: Almost Touching
> (Verse 1)
Streetlights fade on your skin,
Every breath's pullin' me in,
Radio low, your hand on the wheel,
But it's my heart that you steal.
---
OH. MY. GODS.
Of all the songs in the world, this was the one the radio picked?
Was this karma? A cosmic joke?
> (Pre-Chorus)
Your eyes say what your lips don't dare,
A thousand words just hanging in the air…
----
My lungs forgot how to function.
I risked a sideways glance at Jinhai.
He was stiff — hands gripping the steering wheel, jaw locked, eyes glued to the road like he was in a high-speed chase.
> (Chorus)
We're almost touching, hearts still racing,
Every inch between us, love's replacing,
Silence louder than a song,
One move, and we're gone—
We're almost touching.
---
YUP. This song was not helping.
I was ninety percent sure the radio was sent by Satan.
> (Verse 2)
The night hums slow, the world's asleep,
But this moment's ours to keep.
Your smile's a whisper I can feel,
Tell me this isn't real.
---
My face was on fire.
I couldn't look at him.
Nope. Eyes forward. Focus on the windshield.
The very interesting, suddenly fascinating windshield.
> (Bridge)
Do you feel it too?
This pull, this gravity—
The space between me and you,
Is barely reality…
----
Okay, universe. That's enough. You can stop now.
> (Final Chorus)
We're almost touching, breath unsteady,
Hearts collide, we're more than ready.
If love's a spark, then strike the flame—
One kiss, and nothing's the same…
We're almost touching.
----
My face had turned every shade of pink at this point. I just wanted to dig a big hole, crawl inside and die.
I sneaked another peak at Jinhai. He seemed as if every nerve in his body was trying not to go and switch the song on the radio.
His ears were red, and eyes were wide as if he were trying his best to keep a straight face. His jaw flexed at the word "kiss" in the song.
Something about that action triggered something so raw in me that I couldn't explain.