CHAPTER 150: I LOVE YOU

Cassidy stepped into the room and shut the door behind her.

"Zeke, are you already asleep?" she called out, moving carefully in the pitch-black room.

"Ezekiel. You went to bed without waiting for me? Seriously?" she muttered in annoyance.

She took a few careful steps forward, then suddenly her foot slammed into something hard. "Ouch—my foot..." she whimpered, the pain shooting through her toes.

On the bed, Zeke stirred. He had been pretending to sleep, but the sound of her voice and her cry of pain made him sit up instantly. "Baby, are you okay?" he asked, his tone sharp with concern. He quickly reached for his phone on the nightstand, switched on the flashlight.

The flashlight from his phone lit Cassidy just beside the bed, holding her foot in pain.

Zeke swung his legs over the side of the bed, moving quickly toward her.

"Turn the lights on," Cassidy said, wincing as she rubbed her sore toes from the hit against the wooden bed frame.

"Okay, baby. Sorry!" Zeke hurried to the switch and flicked it on.

The room flooded with light, and Cassidy froze, her eyes going wide. Zeke was completely naked.

"Oh my god, Ezekiel! Put on some clothes, now!" she gasped, a mix of shock and panic in her voice.

A sheepish grin spread across Zeke’s face. He darted to the sofa, snatched his pajama pants, and slipped them on in a flash, and hurried back toward her.

"Baby, I’m so sorry," Zeke said, his voice thick with guilt as he reached Cassidy, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

He crouched down and gently took her lifted ankle in his hands, careful not to press too hard. Slowly, he angled her foot so he could see her toes. A small patch of skin was scraped off, and Zeke’s chest tightened at the sight.

He blew lightly on her injured toes, hoping the air might ease some of the pain.

"Does it hurt a lot, baby?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," Cassidy admitted, her voice tinged with discomfort.

Hearing that, Zeke immediately scolded himself, how could he let his desires distract him and let her get hurt like this? He knew Cassidy rarely exaggerated, if she said it hurt, it really did.

"I’ll get a doctor, okay, baby?" Zeke said, unable to stand seeing her grimace, the furrow of her brow making his chest ache with worry.

Cassidy nodded.

Zeke quickly called their family doctor, and not long after, a middle-aged woman, Dr. Jenice, arrived at Margaret’s house. Zeke was already waiting at the door, looking tense.

"What happened, Ezekiel? You sounded panicked on the phone," Dr. Jenice said as she stepped inside.

"Dr. Jenice, my wife hurt her toes. She accidentally kicked something, and the skin on her toes peeled. She’s in a lot of pain. I... I just wanted you to take a look," Zeke explained, guiding her to the bedroom.

She crouched to examine Cassidy’s toes. Besides the scraped skin, she noticed slight swelling, and the little pinky toenail had a faint bluish tint.

"That must hurt a lot, huh?" Dr. Jenice said, imagining the discomfort Cassidy was feeling.

"It’s throbbing," Cassidy admitted softly.

Dr. Jenice applied some pain relief medication and a soothing ointment to reduce the swelling.

Once she finished, Dr. Jenice stood up and gave a reassuring nod. "Keep the toe elevated and use the ointment. Call me if it worsens," she said, giving them a small smile before leaving.

Zeke watched Dr. Jenice leave, then turned back to Cassidy, his face full of regret. "I’m so sorry, baby. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t turned off the lights, your toes wouldn’t be hurt like this."

Cassidy still felt a sting of annoyance, knowing exactly why he had done it. "Yeah. This is all your fault. How could you even think about that while we were still at your parents’ house?"

Zeke hung his head, embarrassed and guilty. "But... it was my only chance," he murmured, a mix of sadness and frustration in his voice.

"And look at what’s happened to me now," Cassidy scolded, holding up her foot. "If you wanted to do that, you didn’t have to turn off the lights, did you?"

"I just wanted to surprise you. But, uh... the surprise backfired," Zeke admitted weakly, still looking down.

"Surprise? Naked and turning off the lights? What the hell, Ezekiel? Where on earth did you get that idea?"

"From... a novel," he whispered, almost too quietly to hear.

"What did you just say? I didn’t hear you."

"A romance novel. I read it in a novel," Zeke confessed, finally meeting Cassidy’s gaze with a resigned expression.

Cassidy burst out laughing. "Oh my god. A novel? You read a novel? And a romance novel at that?"

"Yeah... laugh all you want, baby. I was stupid enough to believe that damn thing," he said sheepishly.

Cassidy wiped the tears streaming from the corners of her eyes. Maybe because of laughing and the ointment, the pain had dulled considerably.

"Where’s the novel? I want to see it too," Cassidy said, eyes narrowing with curiosity, eager to know what kind of book could push Zeke to act so ridiculously.

"I threw it away," Zeke said quickly, lying.

Cassidy raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? I had no idea you were into romance novels," she teased, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.

Zeke’s lips twitched, and he looked down for a moment before admitting, "I read it... for you."

Cassidy tilted her head, frowning in confusion for a moment, then her eyes widened as realization sank in."Wait... don’t tell me you read it to... practice? To learn from those novels? Seriously, Zeke?"

"What’s wrong with learning from a romance novel? Isn’t all knowledge gained from reading? A romance novel is still a book, so I read it," he said, his voice small but earnest, though his face burned bright with embarrassment.

Cassidy’s lips curved into a soft, warm smile. "Yeah... you’re right. A romance novel is still a book. And you can learn a lot from books."

"Come here," Cassidy said gently, reaching out to Zeke. He stepped closer.

She took both of his hands in hers, holding them tightly, and lifted her gaze to meet his. "Thank you, Zeke. I didn’t realize you’d go that far just to understand women... to understand me. I really, truly appreciate it."

"I’d do anything for you, Cassidy," Zeke confessed, his voice low and full of warmth, eyes locked on hers with an intensity that made her heart skip.

"I know. And that’s exactly why I love you," Cassidy whispered back, her cheeks flushing, her hands squeezing his gently as she let her feelings show.

Zeke’s smile softened, a mix of relief and hope shining in his eyes. "Wait... what did you just say?" he asked, leaning slightly closer.

Cassidy tilted her head, pretending to think. "What did I just say?" she murmured, letting a small, playful smile tug at her lips.

"The words you just said," he pressed, his gaze unwavering, holding hers captive.

"I said I appreciate you?" she offered, her voice teasing but soft, feeling the warmth between them thrum like a heartbeat.

"Not that. The part after," he murmured, his breath warm near her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

"What? I don’t know what you mean," Cassidy whispered, leaning closer under the pretense of innocence, though her heart raced.

"That part... the part just now..." he murmured, his voice husky, eyes soft yet searching.

"Ohhh... you mean when I said that’s why I love you?" Cassidy’s voice softened, her gaze never leaving his.

"Yes. That. So... you really love me?" Zeke asked, his eyes sparkling with hope and longing, waiting for her to finally let her heart speak.

"Yeah... I love you, Ezekiel," Cassidy breathed, her voice trembling slightly, her eyes shining as they locked on his.

Zeke’s chest swelled, his pulse racing. "I love you more, baby," he murmured, leaning in without hesitation.

His lips met hers in a slow, lingering kiss, gentle yet full of emotion, each second deepening the unspoken bond between them.

Cassidy’s hands wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer, her face warmed by his hot breath.

Their breaths came fast as they kissed.

They didn’t kiss for long before Zeke pulled back from Cassidy—he knew if he let himself get carried away, he wouldn’t be able to stop. If Cassidy weren’t hurt, he would’ve kept going, but right now, she was.

Zeke leaned closer, his fingers gently brushing hers as he sat down beside Cassidy. "Thank you so much, baby," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "You have no idea... hearing you say that, it’s like my whole world just lit up. I swear, I’ll never let you down."

Cassidy’s eyes softened, but a teasing glint danced in them. She nudged him lightly with her shoulder and whispered, "You better not let me down, Ezekiel... or you’ll regret it." Her tone was playful, but there was no mistaking the seriousness behind her words.

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