Sweet Kiss Trap

Could I, Lily, really be the kind of girl who lets her desires run wild?

Yes, I am.

Before my brain could catch up, my body had already made its choice. When I found myself standing at Andrew's door, reality hit me like a ton of bricks.

He had called me over in the dead of night, half-naked, with the curtains wide open.

What is he thinking?

I stood there, a whirlwind of thoughts racing through my mind. Is he some kind of twisted exhibitionist? Has he summoned me here to satisfy his strange cravings?

A cold sweat trickled down my back, and my feet instinctively began to retreat.

Just then, the heavy door swung open.

Andrew stood there, bare-chested, his muscles defined.

Without his glasses, he looked different—more alluring, radiating the fresh scent of a shower, completely shedding the facade of the charming professor I had seen earlier.

He seemed taken aback for a moment, but then his surprise melted into a smile. "So, you actually came to check it out?"

I barely registered his words. My gaze was glued to his abs.

Oh my God, forgive me.

I hadn't been in a man's embrace in twenty-six years, hadn't kissed anyone in ages, and the last time I'd even brushed against a guy was when the delivery guy accidentally touched my hand while handing over my food.

I had played by the rules for so long; this was my reward.

Just as I was getting lost in the fantasy of Andrew's perfect physique, my earlier wild imaginings of a thrilling mystery plot faded away.

Leaning casually against the doorframe, Andrew tossed me a piece of paper. "Hey, what's up?"

I blinked, confused.

He pointed to my face. "You've got some blood on your nose…"

"Seriously?" I felt my cheeks flush.

"Yeah, it's about to drip into your mouth." He handed me a bag of dried dates, too.

I felt like I was dreaming.

In my dream, Andrew stood half-naked, grinning at me, beckoning me with a finger.

"Come here."

Just as I was about to touch his abs, music started playing in my ears.

"You're getting married, and I'm not the groom…"

I jolted awake, realizing there was no handsome man, no Andrew with those chiseled abs. Just my phone was vibrating on the nightstand, displaying a call from "The Food Thief."

"Hello?"

"Lily!" Rick's voice crackled with urgency on the other end. "Where are you? Why aren't you in class yet?!"

"Class?"

It took me a moment to piece together the chaos of yesterday.

Nothing much had happened, really.

I had grabbed the thing he'd given me and fled in embarrassment, my head down, feeling utterly foolish.

Andrew hadn't called me back; his soft laughter echoed in my mind, amplifying my embarrassment.

"Oh, I remember now. What time is your class?"

"Eight! It's eight already! The classes are all at eight, and it's seven forty-seven! Don't tell me you're still on your way!"

His frantic tone made me hesitate to admit I was still in bed.

If I told him the truth, Rick might just leap out of the classroom in a panic.

For his sake, I decided to hold my tongue.

I rummaged through my stuff to find my long-forgotten student ID. Thankfully, the security guard didn't scrutinize it too closely, ignoring the fact that I'd graduated four years ago and letting me through the gates.

By eight-fifteen, I was huddled by the classroom door, ready to sneak in through the back.

Just as I took my first step inside, Andrew's voice floated down from above. "Rick's sister, you're here pretty early today."

Of course, he caught me and pulled me to the front row.

To my horror, I spotted Rick in the corner, glaring daggers at me as if he wished he could swallow me whole.

Finally, the class ended, and I let out a sigh of relief, but just as I did, a shadow loomed over me.

No, wait—two shadows.

I looked up to see Andrew's smile, paired with Rick's incredulous expression.

"Want to grab a bite?" Andrew asked, his tone casual.

"Thanks, but I'll just have my brother take me out to eat," I quickly replied, trying to avoid any awkwardness.

Rick, clearly worried I might blurt out something embarrassing again, slid next to me and discreetly pinched my side, just like when we were kids.

It reminded me of the time I accidentally broke a vase and threatened to blame him in front of Mom, pinching him to keep him quiet.

I stifled a wince and forced a smile. "Yeah, Rick can take me out."

In my mind, I was already plotting how to tell our parents about Rick's antics when we got home for the holidays.

But Andrew wasn't having any of it.

"I'm still getting familiar with the cafeteria here. If you don't mind, could you show me around? I'd love to know which food stalls are the best."

With that, it became clear that refusing him would put us in a tough spot.

"Sure, of course, Mr. Wayne!" Rick managed to muster a smile that looked more like a grimace.

The three of us walked in silence, the atmosphere feeling oddly strained.

With Andrew's striking looks and height, we attracted quite a few curious glances from passersby.

Halfway through our meal, Rick's phone chimed with a WhatsApp notification. He snatched it up, his eyes lighting up as he began typing furiously.

Two minutes later, he announced he had to leave due to "urgent business."

My gut told me the message was from his crush.

As he made his escape, I figured I should come up with an excuse to follow.

Before I could think of anything, Andrew said casually, "I'll give you a ride home later and drop something off for you."

I nearly choked on a piece of potato, my mind racing. "You're… giving me something?"

My words came out jumbled, the food in my mouth making me sound like a chipmunk caught in the act of stealing snacks.

Andrew couldn't help but laugh at my predicament.

When he smiled for real, he looked even more handsome than that day in the office—like a million bucks.

But there was something else, too.

Despite only having met him a handful of times, I felt an inexplicable pull toward him, as if he had some magnetic charm.

I swore it wasn't just because of his chiseled abs and striking features!

Definitely not!

Andrew drove me to my apartment building, and just as I opened the car door, he called out to me.

"What's up?" I turned, puzzled.

He handed me a box.

"Here's your package. Open it when you get home."

Then, lowering his voice, he added, "It'll be really useful for you."

With that tantalizing hint, I practically sprinted upstairs, finally finding the scissors I usually couldn't locate even after half an hour of searching. I tore into the package with excitement.

Inside lay a telescope.

Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a WhatsApp message from Andrew.

[The phone camera isn't great, and holding it up can be tiring. Next time, you can use this to take a look.]