I Fell For My Contract Partner

Chapter 10.1 Caleb POV : Is It Really Nothing To Him?

I could feel his breath coming hard, and his body growing warm the moment I touched him like this. But still… to him, it meant nothing at all…

It made me wonder—was it really true? Did he feel absolutely nothing? Was I the only one who felt anything here?

“Caleb—stop… w‑we’re in a hospital right now…” He tried to reason, reminding me where we were.

“Tell me, Sean…” I whispered right against his ear. “Does this feel like nothing to you?” I lowered my face to his neck, breathing heavily against his skin.

His body flinched when I pressed a soft kiss there. One hand moved slowly over his chest, while the other curled around his shoulder to hold him still, close against me.

"You... bastard...!" He grabbed my wrist and pulled it toward his mouth.

I groaned in pain and immediately pulled away once I felt his teeth sink into my skin.

"Damn, what was that for!?" I pulled my hand back and checked it while shooting him a sharp glare.

"To keep your head clear...!" He barked back and stepped away. "Don't make any trouble, Caleb. Eat your food and take your pills now!"

He crossed his arms over his chest while his eyes remained fixed on the untouched food.

"Fine, I'll eat. But you stay here." I sighed, not arguing back.

"Fine..." He sat down on the edge of the sofa, still watching me. "Now, eat peacefully."

My lips curled up slightly when I saw him pouting like a child.

Damn... he's cute.

But then, my heart sank when I remembered what he had said before.

It was nothing...

Everything between us was nothing more than a contract partners. Even the touches and... those intimate moments we shared...

They still meant nothing to him.

Without realizing it, I let out a small sigh.

"Eat, Caleb..." He suddenly blurted out. "What are you, grumbling at your food?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll eat. Just shut up..."

I rolled my eyes, turned my attention back to my plate, and began eating.

For a moment, the room became quiet.

Sean didn't say anything. He just kept watching me, as if he wanted to make sure I actually finished my food and took my medicine.

The pills slid down my throat in one gulp. Bitter. I hated it.

The glass clinked softly against the tray when I placed it back down.

Sean immediately stood up and took the tray away.

"You don't need to do that," I said as he lifted it from the table.

"Huh? Bu—"

Before he could ask another question, I cut him off.

"We're heading back..." I stood up and walked toward the bed.

"You sure? Do you really feel better?" He blinked while looking at me with a serious expression.

"Yeah..." I replied quickly, took off my jacket, hung it on the hanger, then walked toward him. "Let's go..." I pulled him along with me as we left the room.

We hurried through the hospital hallway toward the administration counter.

I went to the administration desk to check the payment while Sean waited behind me, only to find out that Gavin had already paid for everything.

I immediately walked back to Sean. "Gavin already paid for it," I said while ordering a ride through my phone.

Then we walked out of the hospital building and waited outside for a while.

But, as usual, some reporters seemed to know I was there and quickly followed. They arrived in a small group.

"Geez... can't they give me a break?" I muttered under my breath, already feeling exhausted.

Instinctively, I stepped forward and stood in front of Sean when they started moving closer.

Soon, we were surrounded. The reporters circled around us from every direction.

"Stay beside me..." I whispered to Sean, lowering my voice beneath the growing noise.

He simply nodded and stayed close to me while the reporters began taking pictures.

A woman was the first to ask, pushing her microphone toward my mouth.

"Mr. Caleb, are you here on vacation with your boyfriend?"

Then another voice came from the crowd...

"How serious is your relationship with him? Are you really serious about him?" She moved closer, unwilling to miss the chance.

"You're famous for dating women, so why did you end up with another man instead?" Even one of the male reporters joined in, not wanting to be left out.

"I heard your family is against this relationship, and people are saying you had a huge argument. Is that true?" Another question came, sharper and far more direct than the others.

I felt dizzy...

I rubbed my temple and closed my eyes for a moment.

"Hey, please step back. Don't get too close... he's still not feeling well." All of a sudden, Sean stepped forward and stood in front of me.

He spread his arms slightly, shielding me from the crowd while trying to create some space between us and the reporters.

"Please slow down when you're asking questions, okay?"

The reporters looked at one another as if they had finally realized something. One by one, they stepped back and gave us some space, following Sean's request.

He seemed to let out a small sigh of relief before turning his head toward me, as if checking whether I was alright.

I stepped forward and stood beside him.

My cold stare swept across the crowd, making them slowly back away and lower their gazes.

"Hhh... You guys should be more professional." I complained immediately. "I know you're just doing your job, but that was too much. I had just gotten out of the hospital, and you guys surrounded me without even considering my condition."

I glared at them, scanning each of their faces.

They had all gone stiff now, looking like a group of scolded children.

"As for your questions, I'll answer them if you behave."

The reporters cautiously stepped closer again.

"We apologize, Mr. Caleb," the woman said.

One by one, they began apologizing and quickly organized themselves.

"As for your questions, I'll answer them all at once, so listen carefully, because I won't say this twice." I spoke in a firm tone, my posture straight and unwavering

The crowd fell silent immediately. They waited tensely. Some kept their microphones raised in midair, as if frozen in place. Others prepared their notebooks, ready to write down every word.

"About me and Sean..." I pulled Sean closer and wrapped an arm around him. "Yes, I'm serious."

A few reporters exchanged glances.

"We're even planning to get engaged."

Sean flinched at my statement and immediately turned to look at me, as if he wanted an explanation too.

I chuckled softly when I saw his reaction.

His eyes had widened slightly, and his brows were drawn tightly together.

The reporters looked just as surprised as Sean. Some of them even had their mouths slightly open, their eyes widening in disbelief.

"If that's the case, don't forget to invite us to the engagement! We'd be happy to help spread the love!"

They sounded genuinely excited, their voices rising slightly as their faces brightened.

"Sure. I won't forget to share one of the happiest moments of my life." I replied calmly, putting on a small smile while pulling Sean a little closer than before.

Then one of the reporters turned to Sean.

"You must be happy to hear that, right?" the young woman asked with a bright smile.

"Tha-that's..." Sean awkwardly brushed a hand through his hair. "Ye-yeah, I'm happy. Hahaha..." He laughed nervously.

Murmurs immediately spread through the crowd when they noticed his reaction.

It looked unnatural. I could tell Sean glanced at me, silently asking for help.

"What's with that reaction? You seem more surprised than happy," someone pointed out.

"He's just nervous."

I answered before Sean could say anything.

"He's never been in the public eye like this before. I guess it's a little overwhelming for him. But the truth is, he's happy, just like he said."

The crowd seemed to accept my explanation.

No one pressed him with any more questions.

"I think that's enough. My taxi is here."

I glanced at the white taxi rolling into the hospital entrance before stopping behind the crowd.

The reporters immediately stepped aside. They split into two groups, leaving a clear path in the middle for us.

"Thank you."

A small smile spread across my face as I started walking forward, still holding Sean's hand.

The reporters continued taking pictures of us as we walked toward the car.

Once the door closed, I let out a sigh of relief.

So did Sean.

The driver rolled up the partition window, blocking the view from the outside, then started the engine.

A few seconds later, the car slowly pulled away from the hospital while the reporters continued watching us from behind.

"Fiuh..."

Sean let out a long breath after glancing back through the window before turning forward again.

"I can't imagine having to deal with all of this almost every day..." He murmured.

"And now you know." I smirked at him.

"A-Anyway... about the engagement..." He looked at me with those big turquoise eyes, blinking a couple of times. "You... aren't serious, are you...?"

"What would you say if I were serious?" I turned my head and looked back at him straight into his eyes.