Me After Meeting You

Amber’s mother was very angry. ‘Didn’t he know what his alcohol tolerance was after all these years?’

Ian, on the other hand, glanced at Amber, finally understanding whom she had inherited her pitiful alcohol tolerance from.

Just like Amber, her father was a good drunk. He didn’t make a mess or fuss about; he just wanted to sleep peacefully.

He was tall and heavy, and generally, even two or three people wouldn’t be enough to support him. Luckily, the location of the restaurant they were eating at was pretty convenient, as there was a hotel right upstairs. Ian helped them book a room, and afterwards, Amber’s parents went there to rest.

Once Amber’s parents settled into the hotel room, Amber went out to send Ian off. The new year’s celebrations in the city were hardly festive; despite the particularly glamorous lights and shiny ornaments decorating the storefronts, there were very few pedestrians wandering about.

As the two of them stood by the roadside, Amber finally found a chance to privately speak to Ian. “Sorry. My mother insisted on meeting you, so please excuse her actions.”

Ian looked at her strangely. “Why are you apologizing?”

“….”

“Is it because, despite getting into bed with me, you never planned on marrying me?”

This question put Amber in somewhat of a bind. While she was indeed a doctor, she was also a woman, and it made her uncomfortable when he kept throwing around phrases like “getting into bed together.”

But she didn’t shift her gaze away. She met his glance straight on and smiled as she replied, “Today, when my father said that he’d rather have me not marry than allow me suffer, you seemed very surprised, no?”

Ian pursed his lips.

Amber continued, saying, “You were shocked because you realized that there are parents who are alright with their children not getting married, right? I don’t know what your precise stance on this issue is, but I feel like people needing to do certain things when they reach a certain age is a preposterous notion.

We only have one life, so why do we have to get in a relationship or have to get married? The world is so large, and our choices are so numerous. Neither love nor marriage are necessities in our modern world.”

“Just now, you asked me if, despite getting into bed with you, I had no plans to marry you. I can answer you now: yes. But marrying you and falling in love with you are two completely different things, because I can choose whether or not I want to marry you, but I can’t choose whether or not I love you. What about you, Ian? Are you chasing after me because you want to get married, or because you truly love me?”

When Amber finished her monologue, she exuded a calm and unhurried aura, there was a slight smile on her face, and her gaze was gentle.

She didn’t want to give Ian any impression that she was interrogating him or causing any discomfort to his mental state.

She simply wanted him to let go of his “life plan”, and then take a moment to think about whether or not it was truly necessary to walk down such a path.

Ian looked at her, and she looked right back at him. Under the resplendent lamplight of the street, this man stood ramrod straight in his standard uniform, proud and aloof. The backdrop was pretty and dazzling, but his presence seemed to make everything felt muted, even somewhat illusory.

“Am I chasing after you because I want to get married, or because I truly love you?” As he slowly repeated Amber’s words, he smiled, stretched his finger out, and cupped her cheek. “You’re not even pretty, and whenever I see this half-dimple of yours, I want to pull it off. To top it off, you’re even a little stupid in your constant endeavor to do your best for everyone. So… why am I doing this?”

Amber looked on as he seriously reflected upon his actions. The anxiety even gave her a stomachache as she silently swallowed the blood that had welled up from his comments. She was just about to help him analyze his feelings when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the area where he had touched her; Ian had leaned over and bit down on her ‘ugly dimple’.

Amber instinctively tried to pull back, but couldn’t do so. Ian had extended his arms and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her into his embrace.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

The expression on his face didn’t change as he did this. It remained as cool as always, but his lips did take on a hint of a smile-but it might have been better if he didn’t try to smile, as this hint would only make people terrified.

Amber’s head hurt because, given his shockingly shameless attitude, she was truly afraid that he would do something to her in public. Even worse, she didn’t even know how she had set him off. She desperately pounded against his chest, doing her best to remind him of where they were. “We’re still on the streets.”

‘So could you be more clear-headed, please?’

Ian smiled. When he smiled, his visage was truly beautiful; even a blossoming winter flower couldn’t compare to its unusually refined gracefulness. He caught Amber’s hand, and she tried to push him away, he trapped her between himself and a tall tree.

With her locked firmly in place, he stared at her, calm and unruffled. He put his jaw against her shoulder, and softly whispered into her ear, “Are you scared? But why didn’t you feel scared when you asked me that question?”

His voice became even softer. “You’re still treating me as your patient, aren’t you?”

After he said this, he bit down on her ear, and Amber immediately felt like her whole body was about to go numb, and she quickly admitted defeat. “No! I… I just suddenly recalled it, and then casually asked….”

“Is that right? He asked in a low voice as he rubbed himself against her face. His every action seemed to emanate danger, and they were also in a very suggestive position.

“Then I’ll also say something casually,” he said as he kissed her earlobe. “Whenever I see you, I become hard and want to drag you into bed. Do you think that this is because I want to get married, or because I really love you?”

Amber stood there stiffly, not daring to move a single muscle. Her head was a complete mess, and she didn’t know what to say in the heat of the moment.

But Ian couldn’t wait, and he scraped his teeth against her earlobe, not too lightly or too heavily. “Come on, say it.”