Bianca blushed, avoiding Dave’s gaze, worried she might seem too smitten, like a young girl.
“Okay, I’ll go dry it now.”
“Wait!” Without hesitation, Dave took her wrist and pulled her into his room.
Dave’s room was filled with a light, pleasant fragrance, the same one Bianca had noticed on him earlier.
It was a calming scent.
“I have a hair dryer here. Let me dry your hair,” Dave said, taking her wrist and leading her to the bed. He gently pressed on her shoulders and guided her to sit down.
Bianca blinked, looking up at Dave with clear eyes. He fetched a small hair dryer from the bottom drawer of the nightstand, plugged it in, and positioned himself in front of her. His shadow enveloped her as he gently ran his fingers through her wet hair.
“I can do it myself,” Bianca murmured, holding his arm and shyly meeting his gaze.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle,” Dave assured her.
He switched on the hair dryer and carefully dried Bianca’s hair. His touch was soft, and he adjusted the dryer’s settings perfectly.
Bianca stole glances at his focused expression, feeling the warmth spread through her heart.
As a child, her mother used to dry her hair after showers, a memory from long ago.
Since her mother had left her, no one had cared for her like this. Dave was the first person in years to dry her hair for her.
At that moment, Bianca felt lucky that the man she met that night was Dave.
She was grateful he had found her and stayed with her.
Early in the morning, gentle sunlight bathed them as they slept in bed.
Bianca’s eyelashes fluttered as she gently opened her eyes.
Dave’s handsome face came into view. He breathed calmly and peacefully with his eyes closed.
Usually, when Bianca woke up, Dave would either be busy cooking breakfast, or he would have already left. This was the first time she had seen him sleep so peacefully.
His business trip must have exhausted him.
Not wanting to disturb his sleep, Bianca carefully slipped out from under the covers and got out of bed.
Quietly opening the bedroom door, she stepped into the living area. Dave was usually the one who cooked. Today, since she woke up early, she decided it was her turn to make breakfast.
Entering the kitchen, Bianca opened the fridge and took out two eggs.
Cooking wasn’t really Bianca’s strong suit. Ever since her mother had left, she had been responsible for feeding herself. Her father, busy with work, would give her money each month, and she often ate out. As a child, she ate a lot, and as she got older, she relied on restaurants or takeout.
Initially, Bianca enjoyed the freedom to eat whatever she wanted without anyone judging her choices.
But as time passed, she began to miss her mother’s home-cooked meals and the comfort of her gentle reminders.
It was then that Bianca realized how much she missed having someone care about her.
Bianca glanced at the fried egg recipe on her phone and found it quite straightforward. With confidence, she started cooking the eggs.
Meanwhile, Dave woke up after Bianca had already left the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, looking around the empty room.
He picked up his phone from the nightstand to check the time.
Disbelief crossed his face. He couldn’t believe he had overslept.
It had been a long time since he had slept so deeply. Normally busy with endless tasks, he was accustomed to getting by on little sleep, often waking up around four or five in the morning.
But today, he slept until seven o’clock.
It had been a while since he had such a restful sleep. Could it be because he shared the bed with Bianca?
With a faint smile, Dave got out of bed and went to the living room. He spotted Bianca in the kitchen wearing an apron, apparently making breakfast.
However, there was a hint of something burning.
Concerned, Dave hurried over and called out, “Bianca!”
Bianca watched anxiously as the eggs in the pan were on the verge of burning. Suddenly, a voice from behind startled her. Startled, she accidentally touched the hot edge of the pan and let out a painful groan as her finger got burned.
Dave rushed to her side, quickly taking her burned finger into his mouth for relief.
“You-” Bianca stammered, blushing as she saw her finger in his mouth.
Dave immediately turned off the stove. The kitchen was now filled with smoke, causing Bianca to cough uncontrollably.
He guided her to the living room sofa, urging her to sit down. Then, he fetched the first-aid kit, choosing a burn ointment. Sitting beside her, he gently blew on the burn as he carefully applied the ointment.
“Why weren’t you more careful?” Dave asked; his concern was apparent as he examined the blisters on her finger.
Feeling guilty, Bianca looked down and apologized, “I’m sorry. You’ve always made breakfast for me, so I wanted to do the same for you. But I’ve never really cooked before. I thought it would be simple, but I ended up causing chaos in your kitchen…”
Looking up, Dave noticed Bianca lowering her head, her pink lips pursed as though she felt she had done something wrong.
He gently stroked her hair, saying, “From now on, I’ll handle the cooking. You don’t need to do anything you’re uncomfortable with for me. I’ll always protect you when I’m here. Just make sure to take care of yourself and avoid getting hurt when I’m not around.”
His tone was soft and affectionate, lifting Bianca’s spirits and adding sweetness to her otherwise gloomy mood.
“Alright, I understand,” Bianca nodded in agreement. Then, she instinctively glanced at the clock on the living room wall and abruptly stood up from the sofa.
“I’m running late for work, and the kitchen…” She looked back at the mess she had created.
“Go ahead. Don’t worry about it. I’ll clean up the kitchen,” Dave reassured her gently after bandaging her finger.
Bianca felt a bit guilty, but there really was no time to waste.
“I’m sorry to trouble you.” Rushing back to her room, she quickly changed into her work clothes, grabbed her bag, and hurried out.
Once she left, Dave called Zane, telling him to arrange for someone to clean the kitchen.
Bianca, in a rush, took a taxi to her workplace. On the way, she received a call from Sophia.
“Bianca, what’s this trending on Twitter about you and Blake?”
“What?”
Bianca was taken aback. She quickly opened Twitter and saw her name at the top of the trending list.