Chapter 325

Hearing Lena's words, I felt a pang of sadness. She'd harbored a secret crush on Nate forever, and I'd inadvertently helped her confess. But Nate's response was brutally blunt, seemingly disregarding her feelings. Even if he wasn't interested, did he need to be so harsh?

I was about to intervene when Nate interrupted Lena again, his voice steady but firm. "I'm not bothered by the trouble; besides, you're only allowed to trouble me."

What?

I blinked, utterly confused. Lena looked equally lost.

"Nate—"

Nate cut her off. "Didn't you say you liked me?"

She froze.

"If you like me," Nate continued, "then why are you letting other guys give you attention? Why are you accepting someone else's affection?"

Oh my God. He was jealous. Plainly, openly jealous. Was this his confession? If so, he wasn't pulling any punches.

Excitement surged through me. I glanced at Lena; she seemed short-circuited. "N-Nate, are you saying… are you jealous?"

Seriously? Wasn't it obvious?

"Yes," Nate said, unconcerned. "If you like me, then you can only like me. No half-hearted stuff."

Wow, Nate was even more direct than Hayden.

Lena swallowed nervously. "I do like you, but… you never said you liked me, so I thought…" She trailed off, searching for words.

"I never said I didn't like you," Nate replied, completely confident.

Boom. He liked her. I knew it!

Lena remained frozen, but Nate's confession clearly had her reeling. "Nate…"

"Lena," he said, intensifying his declaration, "I've liked you longer than you've liked me."

My heart leaped. I silently cheered for Lena. This was it—her moment! She should be throwing herself into his arms.

But… nothing.

Lena stood silent, motionless. Was she that shocked?

The awkward silence stretched on. I was about to rescue the situation when Nate, clearly impatient, spoke. "Lena, why aren't you saying anything?"

"Oh. Got it," she finally replied, perfectly calm.

I almost facepalmed. Was this the Lena I knew, or had she morphed into Hayden? That response was pure Hayden energy. She must have been overwhelmed; that was the only explanation.

I worried Nate would become frustrated, but instead, he smiled. "You're my girlfriend now. That means you can only accept flowers from me and eat the food I send you."

Lena nodded, still dazed. "Got it."

I was stunned. I had just witnessed the most awkward, low-energy relationship confession in history.

I wondered if my presence was hindering their interaction, so I quietly slipped out of the office. However, I immediately collided with a firm, muscular chest.