I Fell For My Contract Partner

Chapter 6.1 Caleb POV : A Sudden Urgency In The Middle Of Tension

A loud banging on my door echoed throughout the apartment, irritating me even more. But the moment I heard the voice calling my name, I knew it was Sean.

"Caleb? Are you still alive? Open the door, or I'm going back home!" He shouted impatiently.

I had no choice but to jump out of bed and rush toward the door. Unfortunately, my feet slipped because my pants were still hanging too low.

"Goddammit...!" I cursed under my breath, glancing down as I quickly pulled them back up.

I hurried out of the bedroom while the knocking continued relentlessly.

Knock... Knock...!

"Coming! Just give me a minute!" I yelled back as I rushed toward the entrance.

I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, only to find him standing there, wearing a simple white hoodie and blueish jeans. His brows knitted together and a strange look on his face.

Did I look that weird?

"You're a mess." That was the first thing that came out of his mouth. "Pull up your pants! Gosh, you're terrible..." He shook his head slightly while glancing downward—specifically at my pants.

He stepped into my apartment and walked inside. A grin slowly spread across his lips as he glanced at me.

Meanwhile, I was busy pulling up my pants and buttoning my shirt.

"Were you sleeping with a girl?" He scolded and suddenly asked.

For a moment, I simply blinked as his words registered in my mind. My fingers froze halfway to the next button.

Was that really what he thought? Did I honestly look like someone who had just finished doing that?

"It would be better if you gave me a kiss. Don't you think that's what a boyfriend should do?" I said with a smirk as I took a step toward him.

Immediately, he took one step back.

I almost laughed. The smug grin on his face vanished the moment I moved closer. In its place was pure surprise, maybe a little nervous too.

He was so focused on watching me that he didn't notice my hand reaching for the doorknob.

Slam!

His body flinched as the door shut behind him. He instinctively tried to move away from me, but his back hit the closed door, leaving him with nowhere to go.

“You...!” He glared at me, both hands raised as he pushed against my chest, trying to stop me from getting any closer. I was now just an inch away from him.

I kept going anyway, lowering my head until I met those clear, bright turquoise eyes. His gaze flickered away almost immediately, as if searching for help.

“Why? Are you afraid, hm?” I whispered, my voice low as I stared at him. I almost chuckled—his expression was far too amusing.

And then—I didn’t even see it coming. His fist shot forward in a sudden blur, landed onto my nose.

Punch!

"Fu**!" I cursed loudly, holding my nose as I felt something running down. "What the hell?!!" I looked down in horror, watching my blood fall onto the floor.

“I-I’m sorry, Caleb!!” Sean’s face turned pale with panic the moment he saw the blood. “I didn’t mean to hurt you! I-I just got startled… it was a reflex…”

He hurriedly grabbed my other hand and helped me walk toward the sofa, his eyes flicking over me every few seconds as if he was afraid I might suddenly collapse.

“Here…” He guided me down carefully. “Sit.”

His voice was lower now—less sharp, almost cautious.

“Let me see your nose,” he asked softly, bending down in front of me.

I slowly opened my hand.

The moment his eyes met my face, he gasped under his breath. “...Are you okay?” His voice dropped even softer now.

Then, more controlled, “Do you have a first aid kit?”

I nodded faintly. “Yeah… in the kitchen. Inside the cabinet.”

He looked at me for a second longer than necessary before moving.

But before he left, his hand came up behind my head. He guided me gently, placing my head against the sofa backrest. His fingers brushed my skin as he adjusted my position—slow, almost hesitant.

“Lie your head back,” he murmured. “So the blood won’t spill onto your face.” His thumb lingered for a moment near my cheek before pulling away. “Don’t move, okay?”

There was something in his tone now. Not just instruction. Something almost… intimate.

Then he hurried toward the kitchen, leaving the space strangely quiet.

A clattering sound came from the kitchen, and not long afterward, he returned with the first aid kit and placed it on the table.

He used a tissue to wipe the blood from my nose and face, then carefully cleaned the remaining stains with a damp cloth.

His fingers brushed against my nose as he gently massaged the area.

"Does it hurt?" He asked softly.

"Yeah..." I answered quietly.

"I just found this." He held up a tube of gel. "Do you mind if I use it?" He asked cautiously.

"Sure. That's an anti-inflammatory cream. You can use it..."

He sat down beside me and leaned closer. A small amount of cream rested on the tip of his index finger as he carefully applied it to my nose, his eyes focused on what he was doing.

A cool sensation sank into my skin as he gently rubbed the cream in. It felt surprisingly comforting.

"I guess that's enough...," he said with a small sigh and began to pull away.

Strange.

The moment his hand left my face, the warmth disappeared with it. It felt oddly empty, as if I had been left alone in the cold.

"No, you're not done yet." I caught his wrist before he could move away. "You haven't applied it to the other side yet..." I rubbed the other side of my nose.

"Oh... okay..." And he simply agreed without questioning it.

I didn’t expect him to change his position like that. Now he was directly in front of me, leaning his body toward mine, bracing himself on the sofa with his knees on either side of my legs. His chest brushed against mine as he adjusted his balance.

It looked like he was trying to avoid slipping into the middle position.

I froze instantly. My chest jolted, and something in my stomach fluttered in a way I couldn’t quite control.

His scent hit me all at once, like a sudden wave I wasn’t prepared for.

Before I could even think, my hands moved on their own—scrambling briefly before settling on his hips, then sliding slightly to his waist.

He didn’t react at first. Too focused on what he was doing, carefully maintaining his position as if he hadn’t noticed how close he had become.

I might have pulled him in slightly without realizing it.

“Okay, do—huh?”

He paused.

“Caleb… wh-what are you doing?”

Only then, he seem to realize it, trying to remove my hands from his waist.

Somehow, I pulled him a little closer, and I swear I could hear something thumping quite loudly.

“I’m just helping you make it easier, Sean. It would be better if you moved a bit closer, right?” It was just another excuse, but he took it anyway.

“Yeah, whatever. Just move your hands—I need to grab another tissue. Your face is a mess…” He rolled his eyes and sighed.

I slowly let go, allowing him to continue.

He wiped my face again, then applied something on my nose, gently pressing it while checking the result.

“I’m glad it didn’t break…”

After that, he shifted his position, but lost his balance at the same time—He slowly slid down before I could steady him, collapsing into my lap awkwardly in the middle between my legs.

We both froze and staring at each other for a moment.

“Shi—t!” we both cursed at the same time.

And then...

SLAM!!

The door opened.

Gavin stood there, his mouth slightly open and his eyes widened as if he had just walked in on a crime scene, but then his expression slowly shifted into a smug grin.

“I guess I came at the wrong time. I’ll go outside and wait until you’re done. Bye…” He slowly stepped back and started closing the door again.

“No, Gavin—come back here! You’ve got it wrong!” I shouted, grabbing a small white pillow from the sofa and throwing it at him.

“I don’t want to disturb you and become a third wheel in here!” He yelled back, letting out a small laugh. I could almost picture that i***t grinning outside the door.

“Goddammit!”

I quickly lifted Sean off my lap and moved him aside and rushed after him. “Gavin, come back or I’ll kick your ass!” My voice echoed through the apartment hallway, I didn’t care.

In the end, Gavin came back inside and sat down. His expression, however, had turned unusually stiff.

“Didn’t you guys watch the news on TV?” He asked in a serious tone, glancing between me and Sean.

“Hm? Why…? Did something happen?” I frowned. Something felt off—especially since Gavin had shown up unannounced like this.

“How did you forget what your mother said earlier? She’s surrounded by reporters, and since you didn’t come this afternoon, she’s planning to come here and ask you for a public clarification.”

“That woman…!”

Anger flared up again. Right—I had almost forgotten about that.

I stood up abruptly. “Let’s go, Sean. We need to leave now!” I glanced at him.

“Huh? Right now?” He lifted his head, blinking at me in confusion.

“There’s no time. We have to hurry before my mother gets here,” I said, rushing into my room.

“Uh… okay.”

I grabbed my things, threw on a black jacket, and stepped back out. Sean and Gavin stood out and following me behind.