Chapter 105
The next morning, Gilmore left his room and saw Claire emerging from Everly's. A blush colored her cheeks as she smiled at him. "Gilmore, good morning!" she said.
Remembering her teasing the previous night, Gilmore approached with a smile. "Morning," he replied.
Claire felt a pang of apprehension as he smiled. She suspected he was plotting something, but it was daytime, unlike last night in his room. She felt safe, recalling her own initiative in seeking him out yesterday and her successful scheme to become his girlfriend—a dream she'd long held. It felt a little unfair to Gilmore, but she believed her looks and family background gave her an advantage over other women. She felt she deserved to be his girlfriend, and genuinely liked him, no less than any other woman.
Lost in these thoughts, she felt a hand tighten around her waist. Her body stiffened. It was Gilmore.
"Gilmore, what are you doing? It's daytime. People will see," Claire whispered, protesting.
Gilmore smiled. "You left me hanging yesterday, didn't you? I underestimated you, Claire."
"Who who left you hanging? Last night, I was I was just talking to you!" Claire stammered, guilt evident on her face.
"You won't admit it? Fine! Let's pretend that conversation didn't happen. Are we still a couple?" Gilmore asked.
Claire nodded vigorously. "Of course! We're a couple."
"Good," Gilmore said. "Since we're a couple, it's okay for me to hug you, right?"
Claire coughed. "We're still in your house. We can't hug like this."
Gilmore nodded. "Yeah, makes sense. It's embarrassing to hug here."
Relieved, Claire thought he understood. He finally grasped the inappropriateness of public displays of affection at home.
Chapter 103
However, just as she thought this, Gilmore bent down and scooped her up.
Claire was stunned, but quickly recovered. "Gilmore, what are you doing?" she asked in surprise.
A bright smile spread across his face. "Didn't you say you'd be embarrassed being hugged? I'll carry you instead. No more embarrassment, right? Hahaha!" He chuckled smugly and carried her downstairs.
Claire nearly fainted. What was he doing? She was already embarrassed by his arm around her waist; being carried was even worse! She knew he was doing it on purpose—his laughter proved it. He was a devil! Despite her annoyance, she was secretly happy to be carried.
Harlan, Everly, and Gerald were having post-breakfast coffee in the living room. They stared in shock as Gilmore, laughing, carried Claire down the stairs. Harlan and his wife recovered, coughed, and continued their coffee. Everly closed her mouth, lowering her head to sip her coffee, mirroring her parents. Gerald, however, looked pointedly out the door, seemingly absorbed in the courtyard view, though his thoughts were elsewhere. Everyone pretended not to notice the intimate scene. Gilmore, however, intended for them to.
He carried Claire to his parents, who were still sipping coffee. "Mom, Dad, this is my new girlfriend, Claire!"
Harlan and his wife looked up, smiling awkwardly. "Great! We're glad you found such a beautiful girlfriend!" they said, though secretly wondering about Lilian. Had their son dumped Lilian for Claire? That would be a shame.
Still carrying Claire, Gilmore presented her to Everly and Gerald. Everly smiled broadly. "Gilmore, Claire, you're so sweet! All the best" she said, also thinking of Lilian. She wondered how hurtful it would be if Gilmore had abandoned Lilian.
Gerald, meanwhile, twitched his mouth. “Gilmore! Even if you got your girl, did you really have to introduce her while carrying her?” he thought. “Isn’t this an irresponsible attack on single men?” “Couldn’t he just leave me alone?”
Despite his urge to punch Gilmore for his public display of affection, Gerald restrained himself, given their friendship. "Gilmore, out of all the guys I know, you're the most popular with girls!" he said.
The extraneous website promotion has been removed. The dates at the end of each chapter are ambiguous and have also been removed. The "+95%" is likely a formatting artifact and has been removed.