"You're officially my girlfriend now," he said as he took my hand, gazing deeply into my eyes.
I took a deep breath, feeling strange yet unable to suppress this happy smile.
"You happy?" he asked.
"I don't know..." I shrugged, but suddenly he wrapped an arm around me and kissed my temple.
"Stop feeling unworthy. Everyone deserves to have a partner. Don't think about whether you're worthy or not. If it's love, hold onto it," he said.
I just nodded and dared to glance at him. Oh God, he was so close, and in an instant, he kissed my lips again.
My heart raced as I closed my eyes, but the kiss ended quickly.
"Don't close your eyes when I kiss you," he whispered.
I smiled shyly and turned my face away.
"Don't be shy," he whispered, holding my chin to make me look at him again. "What makes you shy?" he asked.
"I..." I blushed and shook my head. "I don't know..."
He simply smiled and hugged me tightly. "Oh, my Shasha... This is why I like you!"
I stayed silent, listening to his praise and feeling the warmth of his embrace. I couldn't deny how comfortable and warm it felt—a feeling I never thought I'd experience again after the heartbreak and loss of hope.
"Okay... I'll walk you to your apartment door now," he said, releasing his embrace.
I shook my head, looking at him with concern.
"No, Logan. You can't walk me to my door," I said.
He frowned.
"But I'm your boyfriend..." He reached for my hand, holding it gently. "I want to pamper my girlfriend..."
"I know, but..." I swallowed hard, looking at him with doubt, afraid that what I said might disappoint him.
"What?"
"I know you want the best for me, you want to show your love, you want to prove your sincerity," I said with a smile, gathering courage to caress his right cheek. "But... this isn't the right time. We're happy about our relationship now, okay? It's still too new. I don't want to ruin our happiness with new problems, with worries... I don't want to start doubting being with you again. So, it's better to keep our relationship a secret until we're truly ready to go public as a couple," I explained carefully, hoping he wouldn't feel disappointed.
He remained silent, his gaze intense.
"Please..." I pleaded. "This is for your own good. I don't want your career to be ruined just because we were impatient to share our happiness..."
"So, you're happy?" He smiled teasingly.
I blushed, averting my gaze.
"Shasha..." He leaned in close. "Honestly, I don't want you to go back to your apartment now. I want to be with you all the time, here!" he whispered, his breath warm against my neck.
"You know... I've never been this happy..."
"Logan..." I pushed him back slightly, brushing off his suit that wasn't even dirty. "I know how you feel... Excited... But we still need to respect our boundaries."
"I know..."
I took a deep breath.
"Keep our relationship a secret, for as long as it takes—I'll decide," I said, and he immediately smiled.
"Looks like you want to control this relationship," he said, stroking my cheek. "You want to be dominant..."
"No... I..."
"It's okay..." He chuckled. "It should be that way... The older one should always be dominant."
I froze, biting my lower lip as my smile faded. His words hit like a punch. Yes, the older one should always be dominant—it felt like he was looking down on me. I don't know... but it's true, i am older.
"I will always respect your decisions," he whispered.
"Because I'm older?"
"No... because I love you. I don't want age to factor into our relationship."
I smiled faintly, turning my face away. "You just said the older one is always dominant, but now you say age doesn't matter in our relationship..."
Once again, he didn't let me finish my sentence and kissed me. I closed my eyes, feeling his warm, firm hands on my neck. My heart raced, the kiss was too beautiful, and reflexively, I kissed him back, though it ended quickly.
"I'm just kidding," he said with a smile.
I nodded, giving him a forced smile. I didn't know how to describe my feelings—disappointment mixed with affection.
"You can go back to your apartment now, rest," he whispered, holding my arm.
"Okay..."
I quickly opened the door, stepping out without looking back, rushing to reach my apartment.
...
Once inside, I closed the door and leaned against it. Stella immediately approached me with a cheerful smile.
"Hey, sis... what happened? Did someone officially start dating tonight?" she asked, grabbing my hand and smell it. "Hmm... this smells like men's cologne..." She sniffed, even leaning closer to inhale my dress.
"Umm... I guess there was a hug..."
"Stella!" I pushed her away and hurried to the sofa.
"Haha... You must be speechless because you've lost your defenses!" She teased, laughing while following me. She sat beside me, crossing her legs, staring intently as she leaned her arm on the sofa. "Be realistic. Don't be shy... I know you're normal. It's okay to fall in love, even if he's younger. Never mind, as long as he's the one chasing you, not the other way around."
I exhaled harshly, licking my lips, which reminded me of Logan's kiss minutes ago.
"Stella... I can't stop feeling wrong," I admitted.
"What's wrong?" She raised her eyebrows. "Is it because he's a model, young..."
"Of course!" I exclaimed, looking at her in frustration. "What will people say if this relationship gets out? Maybe I can avoid his sister-in-law, his family... but his fans are everywhere! What if I become the target of ridicule when they see me on the street or in a store? They might say, 'She's too old for Logan. Logan deserves someone better. She's ugly...'"
"Grace..." Stella cut me off. "If they say that, it's their right. It's not your obligation to make them like you. It's not your responsibility. It's their opinion, and it shouldn't influence your thoughts. You can't live constantly worrying about other people's judgments... You can't."
She reached out to hold my shoulder. "As long as Logan loves you, everything will be fine. Okay? Don't worry."
I swallowed hard, looking at Stella, who kept reassuring me. She was right.
"But this is the first time I'm dating a model, someone much younger than me, and we haven't known each other long. I'm afraid I'll fall as I did when I accepted Chris's love," I said sadly.
"This has nothing to do with Chris," she replied.
"I know..."
"Stop overthinking this, especially when you're with him. It could make him tired, even hate you, stop loving you... Wouldn't that hurt?" she asked gently but enough to make me bow my head in fear, imagining Logan suddenly resenting me and turning away. "Learn to appreciate his love. Bad things won't happen. When love is strong, everything will be fine."
I nodded, and suddenly my phone rang. I quickly picked it up, seeing Logan's name on the screen.
"Wow, he's already missing you!" Stella peeked at my phone.
I blushed, standing up and walking away from Stella to answer the call.
"Hi..."
"Darling... Can you come to the balcony for a moment?" Logan's soft voice came through. I could tell he was smiling. "I want to see you before I leave..."
Oh, damn, he's still in front of the building. I hurried to the balcony, looked down, and saw him leaning against his car, smiling and waving at me.
How sweet. I waved back with a smile I couldn't suppress.
"I'll be busy tomorrow... I hope you're available when I take a break. There's a lot I want to tell you," he said.
I frowned, curious about what he wanted to say.