Chapter 398: You Move In With Me

Chapter 398: You Move In With Me

Caroline walked into the private room, and everyone greeted her warmly.

Leopold pulled out a chair for Caroline to sit down and took her bag, placing it aside.

Now that everyone had arrived, he called the server over to order.

While waiting for the food, everyone chatted. Liam got news that his ex-girlfriend was getting married - the call came from a mutual friend of theirs.

After hanging up, Oscar laughed, "Your ex is getting married. You're not going to send her money as a wedding gift, are you?"

Liam said, "Forget it. After all, we loved each other once. I don't want to see her happier than me."

Oscar put down his teacup, "Sounds like you don't really want her to be happy."

"Don't even get me started. My ex can't stop thinking about me." Everyone thought a touching love story was coming, but Liam said, "Even after we broke up, she still cares about me deeply. Whenever any of our classmates has a funeral in their family, she asks around to find out if it's me."

Oscar spat out his tea and quickly grabbed napkins to wipe himself, "So you don't wish her happiness, and she doesn't wish you alive. I'm curious - why did you two break up in the first place?"

Liam said, "The reason was simple. We were living in different cities. When she wanted me around, I wasn't there. When I went to see her, she had someone else keeping her company."

Everyone at the table looked at each other - Liam had been betrayed.

Oscar quickly poured tea for Liam, "Sorry, didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

Liam seemed pretty unbothered, "Not really painful, it's all in the past. But honestly, I feel like I let her down."

Oscar was confused, "She betrayed you, so why do you feel guilty?"

Liam said, "We got together in our first year of college. When we graduated and faced career choices, I planned to try my luck in a big city. Her family found her a job back in her hometown, and she kept trying to convince me to go back with her. But I'd already gotten an offer from Celestial Waters Group, which definitely had better prospects than a small county town. So we did long-distance for half a year. What happened after that, you all know. If I hadn't found out, we would've already started planning our wedding. After all, we'd been together for almost five years - we couldn't just keep going without any commitment. But I really didn't want to go back to her hometown. You could say she gave me a reason to break up. Emotionally, she wronged me. Psychologically, I wronged her."

Oscar seemed to understand his dilemma and let out a sigh.

Seeing Oscar nodding repeatedly, Liam said, "The mood's set - your turn to share your story."

Oscar said, "I don't have much of a story. When adults date, you can tell if it'll work out over just one meal."

Liam's eyes widened, "Wow, you can judge whether it'll work after just one meal?"

Oscar smiled without answering, and just then the server came with the food, ending the conversation.

But someone had noticed what Oscar said.

Erik suddenly remembered that back when he was at Celestial Waters Group, he'd seen Oscar having meals with Lily a few times.

At this celebration dinner, everyone drank their fill, except Erik who didn't drink.

On the way back, Leopold said, "Looks like Oscar had his eye on Lily for a while."

"How do you know?" Caroline asked curiously.

Leopold said, "I used to bring Lily to meetings at Celestial Waters Group, and Oscar would invite Lily to eat every time."

Combined with what Oscar said at dinner, it really seemed to be true.

"Does Erik know?" Caroline asked.

Leopold said, "Hard to say."

Meanwhile, Erik was helping a drunk Lily upstairs. She'd been so happy tonight that she'd had a few too many.

As soon as they got inside, before the lights were even on, Lily threw her arms around Erik. Her hot breath hit his face, the strong smell of alcohol making him dizzy.

"Erik." Lily's hands mischievously circled his neck as she stood on tiptoes to kiss his lips.

Erik restrained himself and removed Lily's hands, "Let me help you inside."

Lily stood frozen, asking Erik through the darkness, "Do you actually like me or not?"

Erik felt the atmosphere changing rapidly. His breathing grew heavier as he said, "Of course I like you."

Lily asked him, "If you like me, then why do you keep avoiding me?"

Erik's grip on her arm tightened slightly. His throat bobbed before he said, "If I don't avoid you, I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself."

Lily said softly, "If you can't control yourself, then don't."

Erik's heart skipped a beat. He understood what she was hinting at, but he still had his wits about him. He steadied himself and said, "You've had too much to drink. Let me help you inside first."

Lily didn't respond, just let him help her into the bedroom.

He turned on the light and helped her sit on the bed. "Get some rest. I'm heading back."

As soon as he turned around, his wrist was grabbed.

Erik swallowed hard. No one could resist the advances of the person they loved, and he was no exception.

Lily suddenly stood up and pushed him onto the bed, straddling him and looking down from above.

"Between us, it's about time we moved forward," she said meaningfully.

Erik watched as Lily leaned down to kiss his lips, and he closed his eyes and held her tight.

Their soft lips rubbed against each other, her tongue mixed with alcohol stirring his restless heart.

Erik summoned what little reason he had left, grabbed Lily's arms and pushed her up. Suppressing the desire surging in his eyes, he said, "Lily, are you sober right now or drunk?"

Lily's body swayed slightly, but her eyes were exceptionally clear. "I'm very sober. I know what I'm doing."

"Good. Since you're sober, no stopping once we start." Erik hooked her neck and pulled her close. The kiss went from delicate and gentle to rough and intense, overwhelming her for a moment.

Soft moans escaped her mouth. Erik flipped over, pressing her onto the bed.

He propped himself up to admire her lips, swollen and red from kissing. His fingertip gently brushed over them, pressing slightly to part her teeth, then he leaned down again to continue showering her with affection.

The wall lamp cast a dim, hazy yellow light over them, coating them in an ambiguous atmosphere.

Lily's legs were beautiful - slender and long. He traced upward from her knee, her skin as soft as a baby's.

Outside the window, rain pattered, raindrops tapping against the glass.

On the windowsill sat a potted plant. Rain splashed through the window crack onto the leaves. The moistened leaves sheltered a flower bud, its white pistil trembling and swaying in the wind.

That night, the wind and rain outside the window never stopped, nor did things inside.

The next day.

The heavy rain had stopped, and a patch of white appeared on the horizon. The flowers on the windowsill, nourished by the rain, looked even more vibrant.

Erik opened his eyes to see Lily sleeping in his arms, quiet as a cat. He gently brushed aside the bangs on her forehead and kissed her between the eyebrows.

Lily made a sleepy sound.

Erik gazed at her, a gentle smile gradually spreading across his face.

"What time is it?" After asking, Lily burrowed further into his embrace. Erik held her tighter, rubbing his chin against the top of her head. "Still early. Sleep a bit more."

The next second, he heard her gentle breathing.

But Erik couldn't fall back asleep. Looking around her room, he said, "Move in with me."