The Sudden Stroke of Love

I never imagined this scene would appear before me.

A tall man stood in front of me, his slender ring finger hooked onto the pink underwear I had just taken off.

Meanwhile, my jeans were halfway down, neither up nor fully down.

1.

It was Friday, and I had just left my internship, squeezed onto the subway during rush hour, and rushed home, planning to sleep for an entire day and night.

As soon as I reached the building entrance, I saw a familiar figure.

It was my ex-boyfriend.

He seemed to sense something, pausing while pressing the elevator button and turning his head suspiciously.

In a split second, I quickly jumped into the bushes nearby.

After waiting for five minutes and making sure the coast was clear, I slowly stood up and brushed the leaves off my clothes.

Men were just trouble. We broke up and he still pestered me.

I pulled out my phone and sent a message to my best friend, Isabel Graham.

"Isabel, beautiful Isabel, can I crash at your place tonight?"

"Sure, standard big bed room. 250 dollars a night."

"Talking about money hurts our friendship. Let me stay for a bit. Austin came to my house to block me again today. I can't escape."

"You're not still upset about his cheating, are you?

Vomit on the bed: 380 dollars."

I felt like she was scolding me.

"Got it. I swear I'll never drink alcohol again in this life."

I hailed a cab, and by the time I reached Isabel's place, it was already dark.

I entered the password to unlock the door and dropped my bag in the entryway.

The first thing I did was take off my bra through my T-shirt, freeing myself.

I tossed the bra onto the couch and was about to grab a can of cold Coke from the fridge.

But I was sweaty and a bit sticky, so I decided to take a shower first.

I walked into the bathroom and unbuttoned my denim shorts, pulling them halfway down before realizing I had forgotten to grab a towel.

I held onto my pants with one hand and tiptoed to the bedroom to get a towel.

Just as I turned away from the wardrobe, I suddenly saw a man standing next to the couch, wearing a black baseball cap, a black T-shirt, and gray pants.

Most importantly, his slender ring finger was hooked onto my pink bra, which stood out starkly against his all-black outfit.

My heart skipped a beat. "Ahhhhh!"

I rushed forward in three steps to close the door. Unfortunately, my jeans were still stuck around my thighs. Accompanied by the sound of ripping fabric, I twisted my foot badly and fell to the floor.

Enduring the pain, I crawled to the door and slammed it shut.

What a disaster. Why didn't Isabel tell me there was a man in her house?

Could this be one of her new flings again?

With trembling fingers, I pulled out my phone and sent her a message.

"Isabel, if one day your boyfriend and I both fell into the water, who would you save?"

"Speak normally."

"I violated your boyfriend's purity."

"???!!!"

"He saw my bra, and even my underwear." Tears streamed down my face.

"My baby is in my arms right now. Hannah, have you been drinking again?"

Oh no, could Isabel be two-timing? One at home, one outside?

I slowly stood up and pulled my pants back on.

While I was staring at my increasingly swollen ankle in despair, the man outside suddenly knocked on my door.

Between pain and embarrassment, I chose embarrassment.

I threw on a jacket and said, "Come in. I twisted my ankle."

"I'll take you to the hospital."

His voice still sounded like that of a boy, fresh and clean.

How could Isabel be into younger guys now?

My face flushed red. Embarrassed, I didn't dare to look up at him. I sat on the bed, burying my head and staring at his long legs.

"It's fine. It doesn't hurt that much. I'll just ice it myself."

"Are you sure it's not inconvenient?"

"It's fine. I'll wait for Isabel to come back. You shouldn't stay here. Even though you saw things you shouldn't have, we're totally innocent.

You know, Isabel has practiced Taekwondo since she was little..." The more I spoke, the more flustered I became. With my eyes closed, I could already picture Isabel in her uniform, kicking her opponents with full force.

"My elder sister won't be back tonight."

What?

Elder sister?

I looked up sharply and met his puzzled gaze. At some point, he had taken off his cap, revealing a clean, short haircut.

"Jarrod!"

I was certain because he looked exactly like his sister.

Jarrod ignored my shock, turned around, and came back with two ice packs from the fridge.

"Let me ice it for you."

Jarrod sat by the bed, holding my ankle with one hand, his fingertips still cool from holding the ice packs.

"Does it hurt?"

Jarrod pressed the ice pack onto my ankle and turned his head to ask me, his eyes filled with the youthful light of a boy, clear and pretty.

"It doesn't hurt."

I forced an awkward smile.

When we were kids, Isabel threw a tantrum for a long time when her parents had a second child, a boy. She always resented him.

So Isabel often bribed me with popsicles to help take care of Jarrod at her house.

But Jarrod was well-behaved, never causing trouble. Every day, he'd sit at the table after school, quietly doing his homework.

That continued until Jarrod finished his entrance exams, and I left for another city to attend college.

2.

I looked down at Jarrod, who was seriously applying ice to my ankle. He was a bit different from how I remembered.

His skin had darkened a little, his jawline was sharper, his features more defined, and the muscles on his forearms were smooth and toned.

He had become more masculine.

I stared at his long fingers on my ankle and suddenly recalled the moment he accidentally hooked my pink underwear. There was a sense of restrained sensuality about him.

I swallowed unconsciously.

I pinched my thigh hard.

Hannah, get a grip. Haven't you seen a man before? How can you be fantasizing about someone else's little brother? I thought.

"What's wrong?

Does it hurt?"

Jarrod noticed me pinching myself and looked a bit concerned.

"No, no, it's fine,"

I waved my hand. "So, are you back for summer break?"

"Yeah."

Jarrod pursed his thin lips, his voice low.

"You must be about to graduate, right?"

I counted on my fingers.

"No, I just got back from the army. Still in my sophomore year,"

Jarrod replied as he switched the ice pack.

"What made you decide to join the army all of a sudden?"

No wonder he seemed darker. I remembered him as a delicate, soft-skinned boy when he was younger. I used to love pinching his cheeks for fun.

Jarrod paused for a moment, glanced up at me with his dark, intense eyes, emotions flickering that I couldn't quite catch.

"I saw the recruitment notice, so I signed up.

You're almost done. I'll go out tomorrow and buy you some medicine."

Jarrod stood up and left the room.

I quickly pulled out my phone to message Isabel.

"Why didn't you tell me your brother was back?"

"He just said he'd be back soon, and didn't mention a specific date. I didn't bother asking," she replied.

"How could you leave me alone with your brother at home? It's awkward."

"You didn't find it awkward when you were kissing his cheeks when you were kids."

Isabel sent me a meme of someone rolling their eyes.

I glanced at Jarrod's long legs. If he was okay with it, I wouldn't mind giving him a kiss now.

Jarrod walked out of the bathroom, tugging at his collar. He reached out his hand. "The hot water is ready. Let me help

you over."

I nodded. Jarrod held my arm with one hand and my shoulder with the other. I could faintly smell the light scent of laundry detergent on him.

I tilted my head slightly to sneak a glance at him, but given the height difference, I only saw his collarbone and prominent Adam's apple, with a faint mole nearby. It was surprisingly seductive.

I swallowed again and quickly shifted my gaze.

It seemed that my leg wouldn't be getting better anytime soon.

I quickly showered and came out. Jarrod was in the other room with the door closed.

After dawdling in my room to finish my skincare routine, I went to toss my clothes into the washing machine.

As I closed the door to the washing machine, I turned around and saw Jarrod walking out of the bathroom, wearing only shorts, with no shirt on. He was drying his hair with a towel, and droplets of water still clung to his abs. Steam from the bathroom lingered behind him, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of body wash.

Blood rushed to my face. I could feel myself blushing furiously.

"What's wrong?"

Jarrod noticed my reaction and raised an eyebrow.

"N-nothing."

I stammered and hobbled back to my room in a panic.

I wanted to ask him why he didn't wear a shirt, but then again, I didn't want him to cover up in the future. What would I look at then?

Lying in bed, all I could think about was his irresistible physique, my heart pounding in my chest.

I pulled the covers over my head and inhaled the faint scent of body wash. Thinking about how Jarrod had used the same body wash in the shower I had just cleaned, a different kind of thought crossed my mind.

I reached for my phone and messaged Isabel.

"I want to be your sister-in-law."

3.

That night, I had a dream. I dreamed that I went back in time when Jarrod was still a kid. I treated him well, all in the hope that when he grew up, he'd willingly be my little sweetheart.

When I woke up, I found drool at the corner of my mouth. I checked my phone and saw a message from Isabel.

"I treated you as my best friend, and you want to be my sister-in-law?

I mean, it's not impossible. But my brother is a male chauvinist. He's never been interested in any girls and hasn't even had a crush.

Also, have you forgotten what you were like in front of him at my house?"

I tried to recall and realized that whenever I was at their house, I was either sobbing over soap opera or raiding their snack stash. I would also occasionally tease Jarrod for fun.

I was always in oversized T-shirts and sweatpants, looking a bit sloppy.

Great. Jarrod probably had a terrible impression of me.

I felt a wave of regret and kicked the covers with my feet.

A sharp pain shot through my ankle. Oh no, I forgot I sprained it yesterday.

"What's wrong?"

Jarrod's concerned voice came from outside, likely because he heard my cry of pain.

"My ankle hurts."

Jarrod opened the door and came in. He looked like he had just woken up. His hair was a bit messy, and he was still in his pajamas.

"Let me see."

He sat down beside me and lifted my foot. His voice was husky. "It's really swollen. We should go to the hospital."

He looked up at me, his sleepy eyes still a little puffy, with a bit of baby fat around his mouth.

"Oh, okay."

I resisted the urge to pinch his cheeks.

I struggled to get out of bed and changed into some clothes.

When I came out, Jarrod was already dressed and holding a hat.

"Wear this. It's sunny outside,"

he said as he placed the hat on my head and gave it a little pat. His movements were so natural that if Isabel hadn't sworn he was still single, I'd have suspected he'd practiced on some girl.

"Thanks."

I said, touching my slightly warm face, feeling a bit shy.

"I'll catch a cab."

Just as I pulled out my phone, Jarrod stopped me. "I'll drive."

"You can drive?"

I was surprised.

"Yeah, I got my license after coming back from the army,"

Jarrod replied as he pressed the elevator button.

I stuck out my tongue quietly. I had already graduated, but I still hadn't gotten my driver's license.

Jarrod helped me into the car and suddenly leaned over to fasten my seatbelt. His face was so close that I could count his long, individual eyelashes. He still smelled faintly of yesterday's body wash.

"Th-thanks."

I stammered, trying to calm my racing heart as I adjusted my hat.

Younger men were great and sweet, and this one was especially attentive.

As the car started, I stole glances at him.

Jarrod's hands were large, his fingers long and well-defined. His nails were neatly trimmed, and there was a string of bracelet on his wrist. When he gripped the steering wheel with one hand, he had an air of restrained elegance.

Today, he was wearing a black T-shirt and slim-fit jeans. Even though he still had a boyish face, his demeanor was more mature than most college students.

As for me, I was dressed too casually and hadn't even put on makeup. I didn't look like a working professional at all. I should probably go shopping for some clothes some day.