Chapter 4

During the first period of study hall, I forced myself to focus on my math problems, telling myself not to overthink.

Suddenly, a folded note landed on my desk. It was from Chloe.

I hesitated, then opened it.

He smells like me, doesn't he?

My heart sank. I crumpled the note into a ball and threw it angrily at Ethan.

Ethan, who was busy compiling my practice mistakes, looked up in surprise. He slowly unfolded the paper.

The moment his eyes scanned the words, his knuckles turned white.

Muttering a curse, Ethan grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the classroom.

The teacher yelled after us, but Ethan ignored him, leaving our names to be written on the board.

At the end of the hallway, I yanked my hand away. "What is your problem?"

"What lies did she tell you now?" Ethan hissed.

I bit my lip. "She didn't lie. You two smell exactly the same."

Ethan let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Don't listen to her BS, Daisy. I ran into her at the grocery store two days ago when I went to buy your snacks."

"She probably saw me buying that body wash. She bought the same one just to mess with you."

It felt like too much of a coincidence, but I chose to believe him. Ethan wouldn't lie to me.

"Fine. I didn't say anything. Let's go back."

Ethan reached for my hand, but I instinctively flinched away.

I was distracted for the rest of the day, making silly mistakes on simple calculus questions.

On the ride home, Ethan didn't hold my hand or speak to me for the first time.

Usually, the walk from the classroom to the parking lot was his prime time to whine and cling to me. I actually loved listening to his endless chatter.

It was such a contrast to his cold, arrogant persona in public. It was cute.

But today, he just kept staring at his phone.

With his long legs and wide strides, he completely forgot to slow down for me, leaving me trailing far behind.

I clutched my backpack straps and jogged to keep up.

That night, Ethan brought a mug of warm milk to my room.

He leaned against the doorframe, watching me drink it. Then, tossing his messy hair back, he smiled softly. "Can I have a hug?"

I nodded.

Since we had already kissed last night, a simple hug didn't seem like too much.

I walked over and stepped into his arms.

But the scent that filled my nose wasn't the citrus from earlier. It was my lavender body wash.

Hadn't he changed his body wash?

Suddenly, Ethan’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the screen.

Immediately, he let go of me and walked out without looking back. "Sleep well, babe."

I stood frozen in the middle of the room. The mixed scent of lavender and citrus hung heavy in the air, suffocating me.

Right before bed, I received a Snapchat friend request.

The profile picture was Chloe.

[Remember what I said three months ago? I did it.]

[I tested him out for you first. Ethan is an absolute beast in bed.]