Chapter 7

William was already waiting for me at the door. Dressed in a sharp suit, he looked even taller and more handsome than usual. As soon as he saw me, he took two quick steps toward me and handed me a rose. "Ms. Robins, thank you for looking this beautiful tonight."

I smiled shyly and accepted the flower. He gently took my hand and started walking toward the restaurant with me. But then, Chris's voice cut through the air behind us.

"Maggie, so you're dating him for this? If you want to go, I can take you there too. Just give me a chance, and I'll show you I'm ten thousand times better than this guy!"

The mood instantly shifted, and I rolled my eyes in exasperation. I shoved the rose into William's hand, turned around, and walked straight toward Chris. He grinned.

"You said it was about this before, right? I remember you mentioning it a few times. But it doesn't matter. I'll take you here often in the future."

Without a word, I slapped him hard across the face.

"Chris, who gave you the confidence to talk like that? You really think you can just come back into my life? Well, guess what? I'm not some dog that can't stop eating crap. You're the shit, so stay in the toilet with the trash. Stop hanging around the door of the restaurant and grossing people out."

"Who gave you the confidence? Sharon? Or is it just you, a regular guy?" I shot back.

Chris stood there, stunned by the slap, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yeah, I used to love you. I even thought about spending the rest of my life with you. But what did you do? You always made fun of my cooking, calling it garbage, throwing it away in front of me. You never cleaned, but you would criticize me for it, saying I was like a poor woman. We'd go out to eat, and the food would always be too spicy, and even when I had gastroenteritis, you dragged me to hot pot and called me hypocritical."

I stared at him coldly. "When I loved you, you abused my sincerity. And you were tangled up with Sharon. Now you show up and say you love me? Sorry, it's too late. I don't love you anymore."

Chris fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "Maggie, I'm sorry. I was blinded by Sharon. I see her true face now, and I swear I'll never do that again. Please, just give me a chance..."

I didn't even look at him. I turned and walked back to William, who handed me the flowers and stormed over to Chris, landing two quick punches on him.

"Chris, I don't care about your mess with Sharon, but you've been emotionally abusing Maggie. You're not even a human being. Those punches were for her and a warning to you. Stay away from her. If I ever see you near her again, I'll crush your head, understand?"

With that, William took my hand and led me into the restaurant. I didn't speak for a while. The tension had left, thanks to Chris's ridiculous antics. I finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry. I didn't know he'd show up."

William squeezed my hand. "Don't apologize. That idiot's to blame. Honestly, I'm just glad it only took two punches. I feel like I should've done more."

He always knew how to make me laugh. I chuckled, and once I stopped, he turned serious. "Maggie, you don't have to hold back with me. You can be a little willful. I like your temper, and I love when you act spoiled. You don't have to cater to me or guess what I'm thinking. Just be yourself."

"I'm not a chauvinist. If I mess up, you can tell me directly. I'll fix it. So, what do you say? Will you give me a chance to be your boyfriend?"

My face turned red. After a long pause, I asked, "Okay, if we ever argue, who are you going to side with?"

"If you argue with my boyfriend, you're my enemy."

He laughed. "Then... what if we argue?"

"I don't plan to argue with you. If there's a disagreement, we'll talk it out. Unless..."

He smirked, "Unless you think arguing is fun."

I kicked him under the table. "Stop joking around."

"Alright, then let's say your mom and I both fall into the water at the same time. Who do you save first?"

I tapped his forehead lightly. "Don't worry, I'll never let you and my mom both fall in at once."

"Hey, you're really good at giving me tough questions. Now it's my turn. Let's see what you've got!"