Shorts Enthusiast - [FULL] My Enemy's Desire Level is 100
#shorts #aigenerated #aidrama #shortdrama #fyp #highlights #viral
#shorts #aigenerated #aidrama #shortdrama #fyp #highlights #viral
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00:01The first thing I do after gaining the ability to see how much people desire me, check my ice-cold
00:07boyfriend, obviously.
00:08Under my expectant gaze, a number slowly appeared above his head. Desire level 9.
00:14I was secretly thrilled, thinking the max must be 10.
00:17Then my childhood rival, the guy I could never stand, came over to my house.
00:21We stared at each other. And right before my eyes, another line slowly appeared above his head. Desire level 98.
00:28But it starts at work, when I'm slacking off and tap into a bizarre app.
00:33If you could have one ability, what would you choose?
00:36I try to close it. Nothing. Even the power button stops working.
00:40Fine, I mutter. Let's play.
00:42I want everything I touch to turn into cash. The words vanish. A reply crawls onto the screen.
00:48Denied. That would devalue the currency. Please exercise your rights within the law and refrain from disrupting the national economy.
00:55Thank you.
00:56I stare. Wow.
00:58A law-abiding, painfully polite malware app.
01:01Next wish. I want my family to live to 100.
01:04Life and death are determined by fate. Next.
01:07After several more rejections, I lose patience. I want to know whether someone actually likes me.
01:12This time, the app goes silent for so long I think it crashed. Then one tiny answer appears.
01:17Okay. The app finally releases my phone. I almost cry when my home screen returns. I cannot afford a new
01:23one.
01:23My co-worker comes back from the restroom and I rush over to tell her everything.
01:27Do you know what I just ran into?
01:28Then a white box flickers above her forehead. Desire level 3. I rub my eyes. Still there. I reach for
01:34it. My fingers pass straight through. My co-worker shakes my shoulder.
01:38Zora? What were you about to say?
01:40I look at her hollow-eyed.
01:41Never slack off at work.
01:42She knocks me on the head.
01:44You use your phone 16 hours a day. Get under 10 before lecturing me.
01:48The number trembles, nearly dropping to 2, then steadies at 3. It's dynamic.
01:54My brain threatens to overheat. The wish was supposed to tell me whether people liked me. Instead, it has installed
02:00a floating scoreboard above every head I see.
02:02Does 3 mean my co-worker barely tolerates me? Does the number measure affection, attraction, or something much less innocent?
02:09The app offered no instructions. No scale. Just one smug little okay before vanishing.
02:15And if 3 is low, what does someone who truly wants me score?
02:19I grab my phone and text my boyfriend.
02:21Liam, will you pick me up after work?
02:24Tonight, I'm finding out exactly how he feels, no matter the answer.
02:28Liam and I have dated for almost a year.
02:30I chased the campus heartthrob through most of college, never believing he'd say yes, but he did.
02:35We've held hands, kissed once, when he was drunk. On my birthday, I tried to kiss his cheek. He gently
02:41stopped me.
02:42We're still building our relationship, he said.
02:45That's your first kiss. I shouldn't take it casually.
02:47Even his rejection sounded tender.
02:49Liam replies quickly, sure. I send two happy stickers.
02:53What are you doing?
02:54Before he answers, my childhood enemy starts spamming me.
02:58Zora, answer me. Answer me, answer me. Ignoring me again? You won't even invent a decent excuse?
03:04My mom made chicken soup. Your period's coming. She says drink it before the cramps flatten you again.
03:08Caleb and I have fought since diapers. I only reply because his mother sent the soup.
03:13Fine, bring it over.
03:14He keeps bickering. Liam never answers my second message. By 5, I can barely sit still.
03:20If Liam's number is high, every doubt I've ever had disappears. But what if it isn't?
03:25I bolt out of the office and find Liam waiting downstairs, hands in his pockets.
03:30I throw myself into his arms, breathe deep, and look up. A pale status bar appears.
03:369. The scale must end at 10. My reserved boyfriend is secretly crazy about me.
03:42Liam pats my hand, asking me to let go, then opens the car door.
03:48Why are you so happy today? He asks while driving.
03:51Because you're apparently a closet romantic. I don't say it.
03:54Instead, I thank the cursed app, its developers, God, and the sacred art of slacking off at work.
04:00At my building, I ask Liam upstairs. He smiles. Warm, beautiful, somehow distant.
04:06Next time.
04:07Normally I'd stop there. Today, armed with that 9, I coax him inside.
04:12The second I open my door, rich chicken broth rolls out of the kitchen.
04:17A pair of men's sneakers sits in the entryway.
04:21I know that size. That obnoxious style. Caleb is already in my apartment.
04:25And he could not have picked a worse night.
04:29Caleb walks out wearing a pale pink apron and holding a soup ladle.
04:33Zora, you're only getting off work now? The soups.
04:36He sees Liam and stops.
04:38Great.
04:39He mutters, just loud enough for me.
04:41That guy's here. Should've stayed home.
04:43My stomach growls at the smell of soup, but I barely hear it.
04:47A status box is forming above Caleb's head.
04:49Unlike my co-workers' plain black text, these numbers glow deep crimson.
04:53Huge. Bold. Almost bleeding.
04:56The meter finishes loading. I blink once. Twice.
04:59Liam scored nine.
05:00Caleb, the boy who put worms in my backpack, stole my snacks, and has spent 20 years insulting me.
05:06Scores 98? Maybe different people use different scales.
05:10Maybe the app is broken. Maybe I've developed a brain tumor in the last three hours.
05:14Caleb arches a brow.
05:16Why are you staring at me like that?
05:18The crimson numbers pulse. 98.
05:20If that isn't out of 10, what exactly does Caleb want from me?
05:24I rub my eyes hard. The 98 is still there.
05:28Worse, it shifts through every color of the rainbow.
05:30Shameless and flashy. Exactly like Caleb. My stomach drops.
05:34I turn to Liam, clinging to one last possibility.
05:37He watches Caleb with narrowed eyes, a hint of hostility breaking through his usual calm.
05:42Above him, the same frigid number floats.
05:44Not 9 out of 10. 9 out of 100.
05:47Every rejected kiss suddenly makes sense.
05:49Every time I closed my eyes during a date and waited for warmth that never came,
05:53he must have watched me coldly.
05:54I spent nearly three years chasing him, and another year learning every preference he had.
05:59Was I only a foolish little dog, grateful for each crumb of affection?
06:03Zori, why is another man here? Hmm?
06:06Normally, I'd throw Caleb out and save her time alone with my boyfriend.
06:10Now my thoughts are static. I mumble something and push Liam towards the door.
06:14He frowns.
06:14What's wrong with you?
06:16Nothing. You said you were busy, right?
06:18Go. Sorry I took up your time.
06:20Impatience flashes beneath his perfect expression.
06:23Zori, what is this?
06:27She said she's tired.
06:29Caleb cuts in.
06:29Doors to your right, use it.
06:31Their eyes lock.
06:32Sparks flying.
06:33Liam's number drops to eight.
06:34Two sentences.
06:35That's all it takes for wanting me to become even more unpleasant.
06:39I smile sweetly at Caleb.
06:41You leave too?
06:42Nope.
06:43He shuts Liam outside.
06:46Walks toward the kitchen and messes up my hair.
06:48Die mad about it.
06:49Usually, I attack him for that.
06:51He reaches the kitchen before noticing I haven't moved.
06:53Caleb turns.
06:55I'm standing in the entryway, crying without a sound.
06:57His spatula hits the floor.
06:59And the number above his head rockets from 98 to 100.
07:06Oh, hell.
07:08Your prynus, what royal hairstyle did I ruin?
07:10I'm blind, stupid, criminally disrespectful.
07:12Just stop crying.
07:14His touch is absurdly gentle.
07:19Hit me. Mess up my hair, I'll never touch yours again.
07:21I finally stop sobbing.
07:23Caleb, thank you.
07:25Then I see it.
07:26A perfect score.
07:28While I was crying, I slap him.
07:31Pervert!
07:32Later, Caleb sits across from me with an ice pack on his cheek.
07:36Why were you crying?
07:37My boss caught me slacking and fined me 20 bucks.
07:40His eye twitches.
07:41I sip the soup he made.
07:45Caleb, do you think Liam doesn't love me?
07:47I've asked him versions of this for a year.
07:49He answers automatically.
07:51Dump him.
07:53Maybe from the beginning?
07:54Dump him.
07:55But why did he agree to date me?
07:56Dump him.
07:57I exhale.
07:59You're right.
08:00I should have seen it sooner.
08:02I'll end it.
08:04Exactly.
08:04Dump what?
08:05Caleb slides right off the couch.
08:07After dinner, I wash dishes while Caleb circles me like a broken voice recorder.
08:11Possessed?
08:12Reincarnated?
08:13Bound to a mission system?
08:15No.
08:16Say it again.
08:17You're really dumping him?
08:18When?
08:19After the tenth question, I snap.
08:21Fine.
08:22It was a lie.
08:24Caleb goes quiet and turns away.
08:26I knew it.
08:28Zora, don't lie to me like that again.
08:29Something in his voice hurt.
08:31I turn his face toward me, but he stares stubbornly at the ceiling.
08:34I've told you I'm serious.
08:36You're the one refusing to believe me.
08:37His eyes light up.
08:39So it's real?
08:41Yes.
08:42I'll do it in the next few days.
08:43You can't hold on to someone who never reaches back.
08:46The next week, I stop chasing Liam.
08:47Strangely, his replies become faster.
08:49The attention I once begged for arrives only when I no longer want it.
08:52Then, office gossip brings another surprise.
08:54A gorgeous, foreign-educated PhD is joining as our new boss.
08:58She went to our university.
09:00And somehow, she already seems connected to me.
09:02Liam offers to pick me up, giving me the perfect chance to end things.
09:06This time, I don't hug him.
09:07I quietly get into the car.
09:09He looks displeased.
09:11The drive is painfully silent.
09:13Without me filling every gap, we're practically strangers.
09:16You've been acting weird.
09:17I'm weird because I stopped worshipping you?
09:20My hand brushes his.
09:21He recoils instinctively.
09:23I laugh.
09:26Let's break up.
09:27The car jerks to a stop.
09:29What did you say?
09:31Do all men have hearing problems?
09:33We're done, Liam.
09:35Impossible.
09:36Stop joking.
09:36He starts driving again.
09:38What did I do?
09:39I don't love you anymore.
09:40And you never loved me.
09:43Don't be ridiculous.
09:45Your period ended last week, didn't it?
09:47I obviously love you.
09:49At my building, I jump out.
09:50Liam follows, grabs me, and pins me against the car.
09:52You're serious?
09:53Let go!
09:54His desire level begins to climb.
09:57Nine, twelve, eighteen.
09:58Why does rejecting him make him want me more?
10:01You'll dump me and date Caleb?
10:03That childhood friend who's always glued to you?
10:06What are you talking about?
10:08You like him?
10:09Caleb and I have too much blackmail material on each other to imagine romance.
10:13You say you love me, but you won't even kiss me.
10:15Kiss me now, will you?
10:18His number surges.
10:19Liam stares down at me.
10:20His eyes darken.
10:21Slowly, impossibly, he leans closer.
10:24His hot breath touches my lips.
10:26Panic shoots through me.
10:27I shove him away.
10:30So you're dumping me because I didn't kiss you?
10:33This isn't how it was supposed to go.
10:35I run upstairs without looking back.
10:37And collide with a broad chest outside my door.
10:39Caleb.
10:40Standing around in the dark like a ghost?
10:42Very tasteful.
10:44He says nothing.
10:44The second we enter, he pins my wrists against the door.
10:47Did he kiss you?
10:48His usual teasing is gone.
10:49You said you were ending it, didn't you?
10:51I switch on the light.
10:55Above him burns a blood red 100.
10:56And I've never been afraid of Caleb, until now.
10:59He didn't kiss me.
11:01I stopped him.
11:03Caleb releases me, relief brightening his voice.
11:06You rejected him?
11:07Yes.
11:08We broke.
11:09Pain tears through my abdomen.
11:11I fold over, sweating.
11:13Caleb.
11:14My stomach.
11:15Your period?
11:16First day?
11:17I'm sorry.
11:18How bad is it?
11:19He rushes to boil water, brings a heating pad, then lets me curl against him.
11:24We argue 365 days a year, minus the 84 days when my cramps are at their worst.
11:29Before I fell for Liam, Caleb always rubbed my stomach until I slept.
11:32Afterward, we silently kept our distance.
11:34Now, his hot palm moves gently over the pain.
11:37The breakup hurts too.
11:38I start crying again.
11:40Don't cry, Zora.
11:42He brushes damp hair from my forehead.
11:44Sleep drags me under while my head rests on his thigh.
11:48Sleep?
11:48For once, I don't check the number above him.
11:52But the next morning, the woman who will make my life hell walks into my office.
11:56Olivia is beautiful, accomplished, and sweet to everyone.
12:00Everyone except me.
12:01My workload doubles.
12:02I fetch coffee.
12:03Someone else presents my work.
12:05Then, afternoon tea arrives for the entire department.
12:08Minus mine.
12:09Hannah leans over.
12:11Is Olivia targeting you?
12:12I glance at Olivia's deeply negative desire level and nod.
12:16Also, you two kind of look alike.
12:19I nearly choke.
12:20Olivia is wealthy, polished, untouchable.
12:23I'm an office aunt who spends 20 minutes on makeup and will never earn a fraction of her savings.
12:28Maybe you're both just gorgeous.
12:30Her number jumps 10 point.
12:31I scoot away.
12:32Are you finally making a move on me?
12:35You?
12:36Pass.
12:37We nearly wrestle over the insults.
12:39I forget the resemblance until Liam appears at the office.
12:42He is dressed carefully, but exhaustion cracks his perfect smile.
12:45We need to talk.
12:47We don't.
12:48He pulls me aside anyway.
12:50And Olivia walks around the corner.
12:52Olivia freezes.
12:54Liam?
12:56Why haven't you answered my calls?
12:58Her voice breaks.
12:59She grabs his shirt like she owns it.
13:01Liam looks at me, visibly rattled.
13:03You know my employee?
13:05After a long silence, he-
13:06Zora is my current girl.
13:09Female friend.
13:09I'll leave you two alone.
13:11His hand lifts, perhaps to stop me.
13:13Instead, it settles on Olivia's back.
13:15He half embraces her as they leave.
13:18Over his shoulder, Olivia gives me a victorious smile.
13:21I order takeout and open Caleb's message.
13:24Still cramping?
13:25I'm cooking tonight.
13:26You just want my new air fryer?
13:28He sends a voice message, his husky laugh filling my ear.
13:31Yeah.
13:31I want you.
13:33He pauses for two long seconds.
13:34Your new air fryer.
13:35My face heats despite myself.
13:37That evening, while shopping with Caleb, we pass a famous restaurant.
13:39Inside, Liam is wiping tears from Olivia's face.
13:43And this time, he doesn't pull away from her touch.
13:46Olivia clings to Liam's arm.
13:49Leaving you for that man was wrong.
13:51But dating him was my only chance to study abroad.
13:54I never loved him.
13:56Liam strokes her hair.
13:57The way he touched mine once, drunk.
13:59While murmuring someone else's name.
14:01You still love me, don't you?
14:03Olivia presses.
14:04Everyone says you found a stand-in.
14:06That girl, Zora.
14:07Liam says nothing.
14:09Ethan told me everything.
14:10You only dated her because she looks like me.
14:13Everyone knew you were just playing around.
14:14Ethan.
14:15Liam's closest friend.
14:16The man who always called me sister-in-law while Liam glared at him.
14:20Not embarrassment.
14:21A warning not to reveal the joke.
14:24Our dates.
14:24Sunrise hikes.
14:26Valentine's irises.
14:27Every memory collapses.
14:29Someone like her can't help you.
14:30Break up with her.
14:31Come back to me.
14:32My eyes burn.
14:33Caleb covers them with one warm hand.
14:36Zora, if we don't buy groceries now, we're not eating.
14:38He turns me into his chest.
14:39His heartbeat is steady while mine splinters.
14:42I glimpse his meter.
14:43Below 80.
14:44He holds me without lust.
14:46Simply because I need him.
14:47My heart hurts.
14:49Mine too.
14:50But the last words disappear into the noise.
14:53The next day, Olivia's hostility becomes open warfare.
14:56My workload doubles again.
14:58Office gossip spreads faster.
15:00Hannah approaches carefully.
15:02People say you stole Olivia's boyfriend, then threatened his family when he tried to leave.
15:06Do I look legally illiterate?
15:08She laughs and squeezes my shoulder.
15:10I knew it wasn't true.
15:11She's probably trying to force you out.
15:12Meanwhile, Caleb starts appearing every day to comfort me, dressed more dramatically each time.
15:17One evening, he arrives in Liam's clean-cut style.
15:20I look twice because it's so unlike him.
15:23He talks non-stop, then suddenly sulks.
15:25I pinch his cheeks.
15:26What is wrong with you?
15:29He catches my hand and looks straight into my eyes.
15:32I wore a suit.
15:33You kept staring.
15:34And?
15:34It's Liam's style.
15:37So that's still your type.
15:38I burst out laughing.
15:40We're over.
15:41I stared because you never dressed like this.
15:43I prefer your usual clothes.
15:45His whole face brightens.
15:46At least you have taste.
15:47Then his eyes turn cold.
15:49Under the street light behind me stands Liam.
15:52Liam strides toward us.
15:53Caleb immediately blocks me.
15:55Zira, we need to talk.
15:56Mr. Hale?
15:57We broke up.
15:58He flinches.
15:59What did you call me?
16:01What else should I call you?
16:02I never agreed to the breakup.
16:04Caleb scoffs.
16:05To avoid a fight, I send Caleb upstairs to fix my projector.
16:08He refuses to move until I tug his hand and coax.
16:11Go.
16:12It'll be quick.
16:13Alone, Liam rubs the bridge of his nose.
16:15If this is some hard to get game, congratulations.
16:18It worked.
16:18I never knew you were this narcissistic.
16:20I turn away.
16:21He grabs my arm.
16:22Or did you get with Caleb first then dump me to enjoy your new life?
16:25My slap cracks through the street.
16:26Liam's head snaps sideways.
16:28He apologizes instantly.
16:30But grief floods me.
16:31My hand shakes.
16:32Anyone can think the worst of me.
16:34But after everything I gave him, how dare he?
16:36What are you angry about?
16:38Losing your stand-in?
16:39Your first love is back.
16:40Why can't we part peacefully?
16:42Who told you, Olivia?
16:43Panic flashes across Liam's face.
16:45I pry his fingers from my arm.
16:46It doesn't matter.
16:47We have no future.
16:48I don't love her and just to embrace me.
16:50Zora, you're the one I love now.
16:51His meter rises toward Forty.
16:53So Forty creates the urge to hug me.
16:55You don't love me.
16:56You love being loved.
16:57Stop lying to yourself.
16:58I give him the same radiant smile I once wore whenever I saw him.
17:01But the devotion is gone.
17:03Leave.
17:03At work, Olivia makes her final move.
17:06She inserts someone into my nearly finished project to steal the credit, then orders me transferred.
17:11Why don't you go?
17:12You've lost two partners in two weeks.
17:15Clearly you're very capable.
17:16She slams the desk.
17:17The sweet mask finally falls.
17:19Then quit.
17:20And smiles like she has been waiting to say it.
17:23Liam and I are over.
17:24Whether he takes you back has nothing to do with me.
17:26I just don't like you.
17:28Her red smile is vicious.
17:31Who enjoys looking at her own replacement?
17:34I march out and pack my desk.
17:36Olivia follows, speaking loudly enough for everyone.
17:40I never truly wanted you gone, despite what you did.
17:42But we should respect your decision.
17:44Let's thank Zora for her years of service.
17:45She begins clapping alone.
17:47Then her own voice rings from my phone.
17:49Then quit.
17:49I just don't like you.
17:51The whole office goes silent.
17:53Are you insane?!
17:54Olivia lunges for my phone.
17:55Hannah stands, dragging her chair loudly across the floor.
17:58Damn, I woke up and the dog learned to talk.
18:00If Zora leaves, I leave.
18:01This company is doomed anyway.
18:02She starts packing too.
18:04Olivia's face twists.
18:05Hannah, what do you mean?
18:06Hannah shrugs.
18:07Whoever wants to serve you can.
18:09I quit.
18:09Then, another employee reaches for a box.
18:12Two veterans and a junior I've mentored join us.
18:14We're leaving too.
18:15They don't even have new jobs lined up.
18:17Still, they stand beside me.
18:19Olivia points at us, shaking with rage.
18:21I'll blacklist every one of you from the entire group.
18:25My phone rings.
18:26Caleb.
18:27You'd better have a reason.
18:28My boss is forcing me out.
18:30What?
18:30I drove across town for those rose red bean pastries you wanted.
18:34I'm downstairs.
18:35The trip takes nearly three hours.
18:37I mention the pastries once.
18:39Warmth fills my chest.
18:41Caleb thinks-
18:42Wait.
18:42She made you quit?
18:43Great news.
18:44I've told you to leave that dump forever.
18:46Come work with me.
18:47I press my fingers to my forehead.
18:49Yes, Mr. Caleb.
18:50He arrives minutes later, pastries in hand, ready to pack my belongings at record speed.
18:55Hannah spots him and whistles.
18:57Well, hello, handsome.
18:58For some reason, the compliment makes me ridiculously pleased.
19:02Then everyone asks the question Olivia is desperate to hear.
19:05Zora, where are you going next?
19:07I glance at Caleb.
19:08He gives me a shameless wink.
19:11I'm going to Eric's group.
19:13Everyone erupts.
19:16Eric's?
19:17That's almost impossible to get into.
19:20Olivia laughs.
19:22If you could work there, why were you here?
19:24This little company could never contain someone so important.
19:28Then Caleb speaks.
19:30Miss Olivia certainly talks big.
19:32It's for someone who dated a man to study abroad, then returned crying for her ex.
19:37And somehow Zora is the villain?
19:40Impressive nerve.
19:41Olivia turns white and calls security.
19:45Relax.
19:47I'm taking my people.
19:48As for Zora, my mother has wanted her at Averex for years.
19:52We just acquired a new building and need staff.
19:54Her friends can join too.
19:56Half the office forgets how to breathe.
19:58Hannah elbows me.
19:59Which company is he from?
20:00I whisper.
20:01Averex.
20:02Her desire level shoots up.
20:04You hid this?
20:06Rich girl!
20:07Can I date you?
20:09Hard pass.
20:12I retreat and Caleb casually wraps an arm around my waist.
20:20Olivia stares at his hand.
20:22Who are you?
20:24My father is Aurex's executive chairman.
20:27Zora and I grew up together.
20:29Our parents helped build the company.
20:31And hers were among its earliest shareholders.
20:33Olivia's face empties.
20:34Zora has the education and experience.
20:38Why wouldn't we hire her?
20:40The co-workers who resign cheer.
20:42Others suddenly ask whether they can quit too.
20:44Caleb rejects the opportunists with a pleasant smile.
20:47I eat my pastry and watch Olivia lose control of the room.
20:52When it's over, Caleb leans close.
20:55Good.
20:55Without thinking, I hold a pastry to his lips.
20:58He pauses, then opens his mouth.
21:00The warm tip of his tongue brushes my fingertip.
21:02Yeah.
21:04Delicious.
21:05Ripples spread through my chest.
21:07Days later, Liam calls.
21:12He and Olivia had a terrible fight.
21:17Come back to me.
21:18You can return to your old job.
21:21Olivia won't bother you.
21:22I miss you, Zora.
21:25I really do.
21:27This time, his voice breaks.
21:30I think I finally understand what you meant.
21:34But understanding has come too late.
21:37Liam has always known how to turn three parts affection into ten.
21:41He makes you feel cherished even when his hands are empty.
21:44Once, I believed every word.
21:46Now I hear the gap between what he says and what he gives.
21:50It doesn't matter anymore.
21:52Zora.
21:54What good is devotion after it's too late?
21:58We missed our chance.
22:00That's all.
22:02Silence stretches across the call.
22:05I won't turn back.
22:07I hope you don't either.
22:10I hang up.
22:15For the first time, losing Liam doesn't feel like losing my future.
22:20It feels like setting down something heavy.
22:23Then Caleb betrays me in an entirely different way.
22:26He tells his mother everything Olivia did.
22:31Mrs. Carter has treated me like a daughter all my life.
22:33She is furious enough to terminate Oryx's cooperation with my former company.
22:40I rush over to stop her from declaring corporate war.
22:44But Caleb is already encouraging the Queen.
22:51That company will collapse with Olivia running it.
22:54Better to cut ties now.
22:56I consider this and bow dramatically to his mother.
23:01Your Majesty is wise and mighty.
23:04Mrs. Carter laughs and makes me stay for dinner.
23:09Halfway through the meal, she drops the same question our parents have asked for over a decade.
23:14So Zira, when are you finally becoming my daughter-in-law?
23:18Normally, I ignore it.
23:21This time, heat rushes up my neck.
23:23I look at Caleb without meaning to.
23:26Mrs. Carter catches it immediately.
23:29And you?
23:31Why are you still dragging your feet?
23:34Didn't you say back in college that-
23:36Mom!
23:38Caleb cuts her off too sharply.
23:40Then he softens, places food in my bowl, and smiles as if nothing happened.
23:47Stop teasing her.
23:48You know she gets embarrassed.
23:50It's the same protective smile he has given me a thousand times.
23:52Only now, I can see the number above him.
23:55Caleb's desire level stays impossibly high.
23:58Higher than the number that made him pin me against the door.
24:01Higher than when he almost thought Liam had kissed me.
24:04Yet his gaze at dinner is calm, patient, almost helplessly tender.
24:10This isn't a sudden crush.
24:14It has survived childhood fights, scrape knees, college, Liam, and every cruel joke I've thrown at him.
24:22Years of feeling hide beneath that familiar look.
24:26And the moment I recognize them, every defense inside me begins to fall.
24:33After dinner, I escape to Caleb's room and reach for his game console like I always do.
24:41Water runs in the kitchen, then it stops.
24:44Caleb enters and shuts the door behind him.
24:47He moves quietly, slowly, like a leopard approaching something skittish.
24:52For the first time in my life, his room feels like his territory.
24:57I have something for you.
24:58He says.
25:00He opens a drawer.
25:01Inside lies a yellowed letter I recognize instantly.
25:05I saw that letter years ago.
25:07Back then, I had burst into Caleb's room and announced that I might like Liam.
25:13Caleb hid the letter behind his back.
25:16Later, curiosity consumed me.
25:19I begged, threatened, bribed, and tried to steal it.
25:23He refused every time.
25:25Caleb almost never refuses me anything.
25:29That letter was the single exception.
25:32Now he places it between us.
25:34The paper is old enough to prove this began long before the app.
25:38Before Liam.
25:40Maybe before I knew what romantic love was.
25:43Why show me now?
25:44I ask. Caleb leans against the desk, studying my face.
25:47Because I think you know.
25:48His voice is low and rich, every trace of joking gone.
25:52I grip the game controller harder.
25:53Know what?
25:55He steps closer.
25:56Don't make me say it if you're gonna run.
25:58But there is only one truth he could have hidden inside that letter.
26:02Caleb asks.
26:03You know, don't you?
26:05That I like you.
26:08The words land softly, but their weight still knocks the air from my lungs.
26:12For days, the meter has shown me his desire.
26:15Desire is simple.
26:16Physical.
26:17Easy to blame on impulse.
26:18This is different.
26:19The faded letter says it has lasted for years.
26:23Long years.
26:24The soup says he notices my cycle.
26:27The pastries say he remembers everything I want.
26:30The night at the restaurant says he hurts when I hurt.
26:33And his voice now says there is nowhere left for either of us to hide.
26:38Caleb.
26:39Zora.
26:39I know you.
26:40He looks almost painfully calm.
26:43The moment you realize someone likes you, you create distance.
26:45You define the relationship and shut the door.
26:47He's right.
26:48That is exactly what I do.
26:50He comes another step closer.
26:52So now that I've told you, what are you gonna do with me?