The One Who Liked Me All Along Chapter 09

The One Who Liked Me All Along Chapter 09

Instagram Story:

Julian and I are together now. We owe it all to you relentless gossips.

You can applaud now.

That one post sets off a storm.

[Wait-we were all playing around and you guys were actually real?!]

Hold on, is this for real or are you losing it?

[This actually worked out?!]

[I knew Julian had a thing for Serena when he never shut down our nonsense.]

[Shut up, I’m happy for you two.]

The messages are exploding. The closest ones are blowing up my phone.

I turn it off and go to sleep.

Let them wait.

I wake up at dusk.

I lay there for a bit before sitting up, brain still booting up.

“Awake.”

A low voice nearly makes me jump out of my skin.

I turn and see Julian, and everything from last night comes flooding back.

I lick my lips, unable to resist being a menace.

“Remember what happened last night?”

Julian pauses for a beat, then says,

“I like you.”

Out of nowhere, that straight shot hits me like a truck.

Before I can react, Julian sits on the edge of the bed, leans in, those eyes locked on mine.

“I love you.”

My face betrays me and goes red.

But my mouth is always tougher than I am. “You still haven’t made ten billion.”

Julian. “Can we negotiate?”

“You’ll have to ask my dad.”

“I’m scared.”

“Huh?” I raise an eyebrow, shocked. “He only hit you once?”

Julian corrects. “Twice.”

Fair enough.

Maybe East Coast heirs don’t get spanked much.

“There’s another reason.” Julian’s voice goes quiet. “You always ignore me.”

“Do I?” I ask back.

“You take forever to reply on Instagram.”

“You’d turn me down, then go hang out with Gemma.”

“I’d come to your house, and you’d barely acknowledge me.”

“The only time I’d see you was at parties, but you’d say two polite sentences and disappear.”

“When you came back, you didn’t like me. You just used me as a business prop.”

[…]

Okay, when you put it that way, it sounds pretty bad.

But that’s because he always acted so cold and distant. How was I supposed to tell if I was a client or

> his crush?

I glance up, seeing how genuinely wounded he looks, so I soothe him. “I’ll reply instantly from now

on.”

Julian finally puts his phone in front of me. “What does this Instagram Story mean?”

I fold my arms. “You tell me.”

“So you like me too?”

“Mhm.”

[…]

I check the time. It’s already nine. I turn my phone back on.

I don’t even want to imagine how many unread messages I have.

I’m wearing that smirk of finally winning as I open Instagram, but when I see the notifications, my forehead twitches.

Top of the list is the anonymous gossip account.

[Years of Tortured Romance Finally Come Full Circle! NYC’s Richest Heir and His Lost Love Are Officially Together.]