Chapter 4
1013 Words
By the time Daisy drove out of the parking garage, she realized light snow had begun to fall, even though winter was still a few days away.
In just a couple of hours, a thin layer of snow had already blanketed the ground.
Frowning, she glanced at her dashboard and realized her fuel gauge was nearly empty.
She had no choice but to get out of the car and call her insurance company.
Just then, James drove up with Luna in the passenger seat and stopped beside her.
Luna rolled down the window and sneered smugly.
"James, it looks like Miss Daisy is almost out of gas. Why don't we give her a ride?"
James glanced at Daisy's thin cardigan before replying in an indifferent tone.
"If she can't drive, she can walk."
With that, he drove away without a second glance, leaving Daisy stranded in the snow.
Her heart turned cold.
She was wearing only a light cardigan.
Within minutes, her hands had turned purple from the freezing temperature.
The insurance company couldn't send anyone right away, so Daisy shivered as she called a towing company instead.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. The sudden snowfall has made the roads slippery, and we've had a lot of disabled vehicles today. We're overwhelmed at the moment. It'll be several hours before we can get there."
'Several hours...'
She would freeze to death before then.
Left with no other choice, Daisy abandoned her car.
The snow fell harder and harder.
She couldn't hail a cab, and every shop along the street had already closed.
All she could do was walk home.
She trudged through the endless night for nearly an hour before finally reaching her apartment.
Brushing the snow from her shoulders, she raised her stiff fingers and entered the passcode.
Without warning, the apartment next door opened.
A wave of warm air washed over her.
As feeling slowly returned to her frozen face, it stung as though countless needles were pricking her skin.
James stood in the doorway wearing a soft, warm sweater.
Ignoring how miserable she looked, he regarded her with cold indifference.
"You're filthy. Every day you show up looking like this around me. It's embarrassing."
Daisy's fingers paused.
She said nothing.
The door slammed shut.
Back then, she had bought this apartment just to live closer to James.
But he had never acknowledged any of her efforts.
So even though she now knew he had only been acting and had deliberately waited to make sure she got home safely...
She felt nothing.
Seven years of chasing him had drained every last bit of love she had left.
Tomorrow, she was moving out.
The next morning, Daisy asked a real estate agent to come appraise her apartment.
Hearing the commotion, James stepped outside.
He had been about to scold her, but the sight before him left him frozen for a long moment.
"You're moving?"
The urgency in his voice caught even him by surprise.
Daisy answered calmly, "My car was totaled yesterday. I'm moving somewhere closer to the office. It'll make commuting easier."
James let out an absent-minded "Oh."
Then he smiled. "Good. At least I won't have to wake up and see you every day."
Daisy merely smiled back.
"Since you're moving out soon, I'll drive you to work today."
She stared at him in confusion.
After graduation, she'd joined James' company.
Over the past year, even when she'd been running a fever, he'd never once offered to give her a ride.
Why the sudden change?
But James insisted, so she put on her coat and got into his car.
As soon as they arrived at the company's parking garage, they ran into coworkers making their way to work through the falling snow.
Not wanting anyone to see her, Daisy planned to wait until everyone had left before getting out.
Instead, James impatiently pushed her out of the car.
Every pair of eyes immediately turned toward her.
"What the hell? Since when does James bring Daisy to work?"
"Exactly. I thought the front passenger seat was always reserved for Luna."
"I heard Daisy's been chasing James since high school. She's seriously shameless."
Listening to the whispers, Daisy's heart ached.
She felt like a clown on a stage, waiting for everyone to laugh at her.
Instinctively, she looked toward James.
His expression remained unchanged.
But the faint smile curling at the corners of his lips told her everything.
He had done it on purpose.
Just then, Luna pushed her way through the crowd.
The moment she saw Daisy standing beside James, panic flashed across her face.
Quickly composing herself, she hurried over to James, eager to assert her place beside him.
"Miss Edwards... why did you come to work with Mister Palmer?"
As soon as Luna voiced her question, everyone watching the drama leaned in to listen.
Daisy heard someone whisper quietly, "Don't tell me Mister Palmer finally fell for Daisy?"
She stopped in her tracks.
Then she heard James's icy reply, "Never."
Soft laughter rippled through the crowd.
James paid no attention to Daisy's expression. Taking Luna by the hand, he headed for the elevator.
As the other employees walked away, they couldn't resist making a few more sarcastic remarks.
"Oh my God, getting rejected in front of everyone? That's so embarrassing."
"Well, that depends on who it is. I heard Daisy's been rejected seven times already. She's probably immune to it by now. Hahaha."
"I heard she even gave Mr. James eight birthday gifts this year. Looks like she still hasn't given up."
"Seriously... she's something else."
As the crowd drifted farther away, James' cold words echoed over and over in Daisy's ears.
Lowering her head, she let out a quiet laugh before suddenly calling out, "Wait."
Everyone turned around in confusion.
Daisy wore a bright smile, though her fingertips trembled.
"Since you're all so curious about my feelings for James, I've made up my mind. My next confession will be on Christmas Eve, beside the Christmas tree in the downtown plaza. I hope all of you will come and witness it."
- Writer
