No More Waiting, She Chooses Love novel Chapter 91

I was breathless, frozen in place. Ernest didn't move or speak, but his gaze was fixed on me. More accurately, we were locked in a stare. We just looked at each other, neither advancing nor retreating. I could even feel both our heartbeats accelerating...

Until the voice of Mrs. Johnson from next door broke the silence, "That new girl renting the place sure knows how to pick 'em. Look how clean he got the stairs."

That snapped me back to reality. I pushed Ernest away and hurried back to the living room. But once there, I didn't know what to do next, feeling utterly confused and flustered.

Ernest followed, breaking the awkwardness with ease, "Is this your parents' old house?"

I was puzzled about how he knew, but then I saw him walking towards a wall adorned with photographs. "You haven't changed much since you were a kid."

The wall held my certificates of achievement and a family portrait, with me in the middle, flanked by my parents, all of us wearing gentle smiles. Seeing their smiling faces now, though, there was a pang in my heart.

"You were a great student," Ernest remarked, eyeing my certificates – not just 'Star Student' but also 'Academic Excellence' and 'All-Rounder'.

"I'm still excelling," I said, unable to hide my pride.

Ernest looked at me, "Indeed."

He paused, then added, "In every aspect."

His direct gaze made it difficult for me to look at him. He was too straightforward, both in his looks and words. I didn't want any further entanglements with him, so I said, "You've helped a lot today. Let me treat you to dinner, and then I can help you look for a place."

I had shifted from reluctance to taking the initiative. Because I owed him a favor.

At that moment, I felt embarrassed again, as if caught spying. I didn't know why I felt so flustered and lost around him again. It was like being an inexperienced young girl when it came to matters of the heart.

Even though Conrad and I were discussing marriage, we never really shared these sweet, intimate moments.

Just like Jefferson said, Conrad and I were more like siblings – there was affection, but not the kind of thrill you get from a romance.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked him through our reflection in the mirror.

"I've always used cold water, got used to it in the military," he said, inspiring both admiration and sympathy in me.

Is cold water a military thing?