novelraw Chapter 100: All the Ways I Say I’m Yours
Chapter 100: All the Ways I Say I’m Yours
Chapter 100: All the Ways I Say I’m Yours"CAN I BE YOUR BOYFRIEND?"
I read it again, my mind trying to catch up. ’CAN I BE YOUR BOYFRIEND?’ It wasn’t a puppy’s name. It was... a query. A question. Scrolled in neat, tiny letters on a miniature silver dog tag.
My eyes snapped up, past the puppy’s fluffy head nestled against my chest, to meet Adrien’s eyes.
He was no longer just standing; he was walking towards me, slowly, a tenderness I rarely saw flickering in his expression. His usual carefully constructed composure was fractured, revealing a vulnerability there, a raw hopefulness that stole my breath more effectively than any grand gesture.
He stopped in front of me, reaching out a hand, not to me, but gently stroking the puppy’s head. "She," he said, his voice lower than usual, quiet amidst the gentle rocking of the boat, "is asking for me. Or rather... she’s delivering the question for me."
My eyes welled up, hot and immediate. This wasn’t just a date. This wasn’t just a fancy client dinner.
This was... this. An elaborate, incredibly sweet, slightly insane way to ask.
I buried my face in the puppy’s soft fur for a second, breathing in its clean, puppy scent, taking a breath to steady myself.
My heart was racing in my chest. All the questions, the confusion, the mild irritation from the drive over – it all dissolved in a wave of overwhelming emotion.
I lifted my head, still clutching the impossibly cute dog tight.
I looked at him.
A laugh, wet and disbelieving, escaped me.
"Adrien..." My voice was thick. What could I even say? This was... everything I hadn’t known I wanted to admit I wanted. The grand gesture hidden behind business talk, the attention to detail, the puppy!
He waited patiently, that hopeful vulnerability etched on his face.
I looked down at the puppy again, whose little tail was now wagging furiously against my arm, then back at him, a genuine, overwhelmed smile finally breaking through my tears. "You... you bought me a puppy," I repeated, the wonder clear in my voice, "to ask me out?"
He smiled, a genuine smile, the kind that softened the sharp angles of his face. "It seemed... memorable."
Memorable didn’t even begin to cover it──It was out of the ordinary──It was overwhelming... It was perfect.
My heart was pounding still, a chaotic drum against my ribs. All the confusion, the irritation from earlier, the anticipation, melted away into pure, staggering affection.
I looked at the puppy again then back at him, tears finally spilling over without control and tracing cold paths down my cheeks.
"Yes," I whispered, the word catching in my throat. "Yes, Adrien. You absolutely can."
His face broke into another smile, a brilliant smile that lit up the deck.
He stepped closer, gently placing a hand on my cheek, thumb brushing away a tear. "Good," he murmured, his eyes holding mine. "Because I wasn’t sure I could wait any longer."
He wrapped his arms around me and the little fluffball between us.
"I’m keeping the dog too," I said into his chest.
He chuckled, low and satisfied. "That was part of the deal."
The silence that followed wasn’t empty—it was full. Of everything unspoken. His eyes