Chapter 4: Blindfolded Longing

Caleb was getting better, but he still refused to go out during the day. I threw open the curtains; he flinched from the sunlight, shielding his eyes. So I grabbed one of his old ties and blindfolded him.

The tie was navy blue, frayed at the ends. I knotted it around his eyes and felt his breath catch. Sunlight poured in, sharp and bright, but I wanted him to feel a sliver of the world—even if just through a scrap of fabric.

"Honey, the sun is so bright today."

I pounced, grinning. "Speaking of big, yours is..."

He tensed, but didn’t stop me. Sometimes I wondered if he was starting to crave the attention, even if he’d never admit it.

Caleb let me ride him, gripping the sheets, lips pressed tight, but little gasps still escaped.

His hands twisted in the cotton, his whole body taut. I leaned down, whispering in his ear, and felt him shudder.

"Honey, say something. If you talk, I’ll stop."

It was a challenge. I wanted to hear his voice, to know he was still in there, fighting with me.

Finally, Caleb rasped out, "I... want to see."

His voice was barely more than a croak, but it thrilled me. I paused, heart skipping.

"Oh, you finally want to go out and see the world?"

I teased, but underneath, I hoped he meant it. I yanked off the blindfold. Caleb’s eyes were red, full of longing. I wiped sweat from my chest, his gaze following my fingers. My head spun, vision blurring. I didn’t notice the greedy hunger in his eyes.

Later, with the room dim and the air heavy, I realized how much he was holding back. His longing was a force I hadn’t expected.

Later, I found Caleb had locked himself in his room again. I stood outside, half-teasing, half-desperate. "Didn’t you want to see? Not coming out?"

From inside, his voice was forced-calm: "I’ve seen enough."

He sounded distant, far away. Looks like the hate-sex wasn’t intense enough.

I rolled my eyes. "Honey, if you don’t open the door, I’ll pick the lock."

I pulled out my tools, determined to get him out. Suddenly, a string of group chat notifications flashed in my mind:

[What does he want to see, girl? Hard to guess!]

[Obviously, he wants to see MC’s dazed eyes, her stormy peaks, her struggle between shame and pleasure, her seductive face.]

[Haha, MC still doesn’t know she’s been forcing the bad boy all along.]

[He might look like a soft bun now, crying every time, but he’ll never forgive her for taking his innocence—revenge is coming.]

[What to do? Even if MC’s just a side character, I still ship this couple.]

The group chat notifications scrolled past, like some twisted Reddit live thread. I shivered.

The system popped up just in time:

[Sorry, host. You were supposed to get a fake marriage license with the male lead to make the female lead jealous, but you accidentally got matched with the antihero. For your safety, don’t provoke him.]

My stomach dropped. Crap.

No time to lose. I grabbed my papers, trying to sound calm as I called through the door:

"Honey~ If you don’t want to go out, then don’t. I’m off to buy some condoms—you stay home, okay?"

I added an exaggerated wink, even though he couldn’t see me. My heart hammered as I hurried down the hall, keys jingling, ready to bolt.

As I hurried out, I caught a glimpse of my reflection—eyes wide, heart pounding, knowing I’d just poked a sleeping dragon.