Chuckling, Shirley answered, “It’s a guess.”
“You must have looked up information on me,” Zacharias teased.
“That goes without saying,” she admitted. “Before coming here, I have to find out what kind of person you are.”
“Oh, what kind of person am I, then?” he asked out of curiosity.
All the previous information and reports she had gathered about him flashed through her mind. Looking in retrospect, she concluded that before getting into contact with this man, all the reports that categorized him as an aloof man couldn’t exactly define what kind of person he was. But now, she knew what kind of person he was-outstanding, capable, and a little playful. “After working by your side for so long, I have a pretty clear idea about what kind of person you are,” she answered.
His smile was increasingly charming. “So, tell me.”
“No, I don’t want to.” She rejected him haughtily, picking up a match and striking it before lighting the candle. When that was done, she paced to the switches and turned off all the lights in the living room.
Some light from the second floor poured down, but it didn’t affect the light from the candle, and the room was blanketed under a misty light. Sitting across from him, she said, “You can make your wish now.”
“Sing a birthday song for me!” he requested. Struck with embarrassment, she muttered, “I’m not good at singing.”
However, he wanted to hear it. “Just a couple of lines will do.”
So, she cleared her throat, clapped her hands, and sang softly.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”
When she finished singing, her face started to burn brightly in the candlelight because he had stared at her unblinkingly while she was singing, his eyes burning with passion.
“Okay, blow the candles and make a wish now,” she urged. And don’t ask me to sing again.
Only then did he smile and clasped his hands together in front of his chest, resting his forehead lightly on the tips of his fingers, just like a pious, good-looking sculpture. The candlelight danced on his handsome, deep-set features, and Shirley was so mesmerized that she held her breath, forgetting to breathe for a few seconds. Although she wasn’t a superficial person, she was overwhelmed by his looks.
While she was staring at him, his eyes suddenly popped open, and he raised his head, catching her right in the moment when she was in a daze. There was a shimmer in his eyes so tender that she couldn’t look away immediately..
A grin spread across his face. “I’ve made my wish. He looked deeply into her eyes as though. telling her telepathically that his wish was related to her. Sensing his hidden message, she urged nervously, ‘Blow out the candles.”
Zacharias leaned forward slightly and blew softly at the candles, then she stood up and turned on the lights.
The bright lights seemed to lighten her up a little, and she took out two plates before slicing a piece of cake and placing it on his plate. Then, she cut a smaller piece for herself since she wasn’t a fan of desserts.
As Zacharias didn’t have a sweet tooth, he merely took a couple of bites symbolically and pointed at the bag. “Shouldn’t you give me the present now?”
Shirley reached out and grabbed it, passing it to him. “This is for you. I took time to pick it out.”
First, he ripped the tape on it and reached into the bag to take out something. The tie was lying on the bottom, and the wrapped underwear was on top of it.
Right now, the thing Zacharias was holding in his hand was a small package. He looked at it curiously. Then, he opened the packaging and retrieved a satin-like item from within.
Opposite him, Shirley had her head lowered, picking out the fruits from the cake instead of watching him.
At the same time, the man’s eyes wavered a little at the black underwear spread out flat in his hands. Is this the gift this woman specially picked out for me?
Just then, she looked up for a split second and saw that he was admiring the black underwear in his hands. Her face turned scarlet, and she snatched the underwear from his hands out of panic.
