My Birthday, My Downfall novel Chapter 56

And just like that, all the usual distance between us vanished.

Putting aside everything about our relationship, just seeing Ethan smile was enough to make my heart flutter.

There was something magnetic about him when he smiled—especially when you knew that smile was meant for you. It made me feel shy and a little breathless.

I turned my face away, my cheeks burning. "Let's go eat. I'm starving."

Without a word, Ethan reached for my hand again. He seemed to like holding hands, always keeping our fingers intertwined.

I wasn't used to this, but I didn't pull away.

After lunch, Ethan took me to an art exhibition.

"Ethan, weren't you here on business? If your company is busy, we can skip the exhibition and you can head back."

His family had asked him to go home and take care of company matters.

But Ethan had told me he wanted to start his own business before he turned 30.

In the past, whenever there were social gatherings, he would only stay for a short while before disappearing into his world of calls and emails.

I always thought of him as the epitome of a workaholic CEO.

But today, during lunch, he hadn't looked at his phone once.

And now he was taking me to an exhibition.

Ethan casually waved it off. "I handled everything last night. Today, it's all about you."

My heart fluttered, and I tried to act calm, though my cheeks were still flushed.

"Ethan, I'm not a kid, you don't need to babysit me."

He grinned, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh, so I'm the kid here? I need you to keep me company."

I nearly choked on my own breath, my face turning even redder.

On the way to the art exhibition, Philip's call came through.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether I should pick it up.

Ethan glanced at my phone. "Pick it up, maybe it's something urgent."

I thought about it, then shook my head. "What could be urgent?"

Just as I was about to put my phone down, Ethan's phone rang.

It was a call from Philip.

Ethan looked at me.

"Should I answer it?"

I immediately averted my gaze. "Do whatever you want. Don't ask me."

"I won't answer it. He's been pestering me all night."

So Philip hadn't just called me last night.

"He's probably drunk. He gets all chatty when he drinks," I muttered under my breath.

But Ethan caught every word.

"My drinking habits are very good. When I'm drunk, I just go straight to sleep. Of course, most of the time, I don't drink," he said smoothly.

Though he was speaking the truth...

Why did it feel... off? Was he comparing his drinking habits to Philip's? What's the point of that?

Philip's calls kept coming, one after another.

The familiar scent of his cologne grew stronger as he moved closer.

Ethan took my hand, gently caressing from my fingertips to the palm of my hand.

Every part of me seemed to tingle.

It was like an electric shock, and I forgot to pull my hand away.

"Autumn, I want to kiss you."

Boom—fireworks exploded in my mind.

When Ethan released me, the music ended just in time.

Five minutes.

Aside from the forty seconds of the intro, he kissed me for exactly four minutes and twenty seconds.

I struggled to regulate my breath, but my heart was pounding wildly in my chest.

Ethan's gaze never left me for a second, and I was too scared to even look up at him.

"Autumn, thank you for agreeing to be my girlfriend. Today is the happiest day I've ever had."

I could barely whisper, "Mm."

"Our relationship can be like what it was just now. You can stop me anytime."

His voice was low and husky.

I thought back to earlier, when he leaned in close, our breaths mingling. His nose brushed my cheek, and in that same tone, he whispered in my ear.

"I've wanted to kiss you since I saw you this morning. I've thought about it the whole time. So, if you want to refuse, just say so anytime."