Done Hiding as Your Backup Plaything I'm Shining Golden as a Queen - Chapter 119: Chapter 119

Then, seemingly at the press of a button, a warm amber light glowed through the blacked-out window.
I gaped, genuinely impressed by the unexpected magic of it.
When I came back to my senses, the waiter had already disappeared.
Caleb handed me the menu. "What would you like to eat?"
The prices weren't exactly friendly. I hesitated.
Caleb grinned at me. "Afraid you'll bankrupt me?"
Half his face was bathed in light, the golden glow catching on his features and making his eyes sparkle.
"I mean," I said honestly, "everything looks kinda pricey."
"Relax, I can definitely afford it. Order whatever you want."
I slid the menu back to him. "You pick. I'm not picky."
He took the menu, teasing me. "Nice, you're low-maintenance."
"How do you like your steak cooked?"
"I don't like it raw," I replied.
He thought for a moment. "Too well-done's no good either. Medium-well work for you?"
"That works."
After we ordered, I pointed at myself. "Guess what I feel like right now?"
He took a sip of water and raised a brow. "What?"
"Like a small-town girl seeing Times Square for the first time."
He laughed, and I noticed the two shallow dimples that appeared on his cheeks. He looked warm and sunny when he smiled.
Looking at him, I suddenly thought of Lucas again.
It had been a while since I last did.
It's just that he also had a dimple when he smiled. But he didn't smile often though—usually just a slight curve of his lips.
I used to poke his dimple and tell him, "You should smile more. You look good when you smile."
But after Lila showed up, he started smiling more—sometimes sweetly, sometimes adoringly.
Now I realized that he just didn't like smiling at me.
Our dinner began at the peak of sunset and ended after darkness had fallen.
By the time we walked out, the square outside was packed with people.
"Sophie, I had a great time today."
I looked up at him as he smiled down at me.
"Today's my birthday."
"What?!" I stared at him in shock. "It's your birthday? I should have been treating you! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
He gave me a fake wounded look. "Because if I told you, I figured you'd ditch me."
"I wouldn't," I said, shaking my head.
A few moments passed. I started wondering what kind of birthday gift I could get him.
Suddenly, I felt warm breath on my face as he leaned in close, his voice husky. "Thinking about what present to get me?"
He'd dyed his hair bright blonde two days ago and he'd gotten chewed out for it.
The wind blew his hair, making him look like a golden retriever. "I want that embroidered charm you had."
Once when he'd come looking for me, I was packing up my things, and a handmade embroidered charm fell out of my backpack.
"Can I have it?" he asked with a lopsided grin. "Please, Sophie?"
I'd refused back then, only because I'd originally made the charm as a birthday gift for Lucas.
I'd stitched the pattern one stitch at a time.
Even though it would never reach Lucas's hands, giving it to Caleb didn't seem right either.
Like I was offering him something someone else had already rejected.
I nodded firmly, making him a promise. "Okay, but you'll have to wait a few days. I'll make a new one for you."
On the way back home, Caleb asked me for the first time. "Sophie... what college are you aiming for?"
I tilted my head up at the scattered stars in the sky. "Oxford."
"Why?"
I paused, then answered, "Because..."
"Because I don't like the life style here. It's so fast. I want to be slower."
Caleb lowered his head, lost in thought, and just nodded.
We eventually stopped outside the apartment I was renting.
He gave a small wave. "Go on. Get inside. Night."
I took a few steps, then turned back to look at him.
The young athlete stood in the shadows in his jersey, a faint smile on his lips but a dimness in his eyes.
In that moment, something tugged in my chest.. I waved to him. "Happy birthday, Caleb."
He raised his hand and waved back with a smile. "Sophie, you're definitely going to make it to Oxford."