Sweet Kiss Trap

I swear, I'm never going to forgive Rick for this!

Not only did he agree to let Andrew join us for the escape room, but somehow, Andrew and I ended up on the same team, given the task of completing a side mission together.

"Do we really have to be paired up?" I asked into the walkie-talkie, hoping for a miracle.

Two seconds later, the cold, unyielding voice crackled back, "Yes."

Fine, I guess that's just my luck.

Andrew must have sensed my anxiety.

As we walked through the pitch-black corridor, he stepped in front of me, one arm shielding me from the darkness.

"I'll lead the way. If you're scared, just close your eyes and hold onto my hand."

I hesitated for a moment, scanning the inky blackness around us, but instinct kicked in. I shut my eyes and grasped his hand tightly.

Maybe it was just my imagination, or perhaps fear heightened my senses, but I felt a strange sense of safety whenever I was near Andrew.

It was as if, no matter how treacherous the path ahead, if he said it was okay, then it truly was.

But…

My past experiences told me that if I felt something was off, it probably was.

As we entered a room to grab an item, an NPC suddenly jumped out, startling both Andrew and me. I nearly crumpled to the floor, but Andrew caught me just in time, preventing me from landing hard.

That wasn't even the worst part.

The real disaster struck when I scrambled to open the door and escape, only to find the handle wouldn't budge, no matter how hard I pressed.

I assumed it was part of the game's design, so I kept at it, pushing the handle for five solid minutes. Eventually, the NPC playing the ghost couldn't watch any longer. He patted me on the shoulder and said, "Take a breather, I'll call someone to help us out."

Even the staff couldn't get the door open. They ended up having to call a locksmith to change the lock entirely.

While we waited, I huddled in a corner, wrapping my arms around myself.

The truth was, I'd always been afraid of the dark.

When I was little, I once locked myself in a room, and my parents didn't find out until they got home from work. They couldn't pry the door open, but luckily, there was a small window at the top of the old door.

A boy from next door, older than me, broke the window and pulled me out. That was how the whole mess ended.

But when he handed me over, he let go too soon, and I ended up hitting my head on the ground before my dad could catch me.

I heard that the boy cried all night after getting in trouble for it.

My mom always joked that ever since that fall, I hadn't been quite right in the head—she might as well have said I was a little slow.

Later, I worried that if I really did lose my wits, no one would want me. So, once my head healed, I went over to his house and asked him if, in the event that I did go silly, he would still marry me.

I'll never forget what he said: "I'll always take care of you."

I was proposed to as a kid, even if it was me who brought it up first.

As those memories flooded back, I found myself hugging my knees tighter.

"Lily, where are you?" Andrew's voice cut through the darkness.

"Right here!" I shouted, then quickly lowered my hand, realizing he couldn't see me in this pitch-black room.

Following my voice, Andrew settled down next to me, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his body through his coat.

Suddenly, I felt a wave of unease wash over me. I instinctively wanted to shift away from Andrew to create some space between us.

But then, a blood-curdling scream pierced through the air outside, and before I could think, I clung to Andrew, burying my face in the crook of his neck.

His body stiffened, but I didn't notice. All I could think about was escaping, getting out of this place.

After what felt like an eternity, Andrew's hand gently rested on my back, soothingly stroking me as he murmured, "It's okay. I'm here. We'll be out of here soon…"

As I nestled against him, listening to his comforting words, a memory from years ago flashed through my mind.

That boy had said something similar. "Don't be scared, Lily. I'll get you out…"

Just as I was lost in that recollection, the door swung open, flooding the room with blinding light. I squinted, my head spinning slightly.

"Lily, are you okay?" Rick burst in, and his eyes widened at the sight of me wrapped up in Andrew's embrace.

In the corner, the NPC playing the ghost looked utterly bewildered.

"What the… you two?" Rick stammered, clearly shocked into silence.

I shot up from Andrew's arms, waving my hands frantically. "It's not what you think! I was just scared, and he was comforting me! Don't go telling Mom and Dad!" I dragged Rick aside, whispering about how we needed to keep this under wraps.

Meanwhile, Andrew stood off to the side, quietly observing the entire scene. I didn't catch what he muttered under his breath, drowned out by Rick's commotion. "Looks like she really doesn't remember me at all…"

After the chaos of the escape room, Andrew had shielded me from the scare that nearly made me bolt for the walls.

For the next month, I attended his classes, showing up on time and keeping my head down.

He didn't bother me anymore, and for a while, everything seemed calm.

But the calm was just the eye of the storm.

On Sunday, I went to the package station to pick up my deliveries.

I had hoarded so many items that I ended up wheeling a small cart home.

As I passed by Andrew's building, I spotted a delivery guy heading upstairs.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I exchanged a quick glance with him. That was my first mistake.

The delivery guy mistook me for some other delivery guy and approached me with a wide grin. "Hey! There's a package upstairs that needs to be delivered right to the door. I'm in a rush to get to the hospital—my wife's about to give birth! Can you help me out and take it up?"

My focus zeroed in on the words "give birth."

Determined to make sure he got to see his kid born, I nodded vigorously and assured him I'd handle it.

But once he left, my smile froze when I glanced at the recipient's name on the package.

Andrew.

I blinked, rubbed my eyes, and looked again. Yep, still, Andrew.

Honestly, did the universe really need to throw so many coincidences my way?

After throwing a mini tantrum in my head, I made my way to Andrew's front door, clutching the package.

As I waited for someone to answer, I took a peek at the delivery slip, and my eyes widened at the bold letters: [Kidney deficiency, sometimes due to overexertion.]

What in the world was inside?