Plato?No Thanks. Novel – Chapter 01 At my bestie’s wedding, I fell for my bestie’s husband’s best friend. I flirted, acted cute, clung to him, said all kinds of dirty things—but he stayed distant the whole time. I actually started thinking he was some kind of Platonic idealist… until I accidentally saw his phone. [Message:] “Doesn’t it get annoying, being stuck to like that all day? Showing up at your office every single day, dressed to the nines?” Him: “Yeah, it’s a little annoying.” My heart sank. I put his phone back, pretended nothing happened. He came back from his meeting, and I immediately said goodbye. “I’m heading out.” Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist, frowning slightly. “Didn’t you say your stomach hurts? Want me to rub it for you?” I paused for a moment, then pulled my hand away. “I think I’m feeling better. Probably just something I ate.” Liam’s eyes dropped to his now-empty hand.
Then they flicked back to my face, like he was trying to figure out if I was lying. I rubbed my neck, pretending to be tired. “You know my stomach’s kind of weak. Yesterday I went for BBQ with Noah and the gang, so…” Noah Harrison is Liam Mitchell’s ride-or-die, and also my bestie’s husband. Liam looked half-convinced. He paused, then said in a cold voice: “You sure it doesn’t hurt? Don’t be a hero.” I shook my head. “Really, I’m fine, Mr. Mitchell.” “…” Liam’s breath caught. His eyes darkened, and his brow furrowed slightly. “What did you just call me?” Ever since I’d set my sights on Liam, I’d been calling him honey, sweetheart—you name it. At the very least, I used his first name. Hearing “Mr. Mitchell” come out of my mouth? Yeah, that was a first for him. I grinned, eyes curving into little moons. “We met because of my bestie and Noah, so it’s only right I call you that. Can’t be rude forever, right?” Even though I’d already been rude for a good long while.
Liam’s eyes trembled slightly. He sat down in the chair behind his desk, his tone unreadable. “Whatever you say.” I quickly made up an excuse and left. Liam sat there, his heavy gaze landing on a lipstick left on his desk. He pressed his thin lips together. He was about to reach for it when the door burst open again. I ran back in, grabbed the lipstick. “Almost forgot this. Bye, Mr. Mitchell.” “…” Liam watched my flustered escape, and a rare, tiny expression flickered across his stoic face. Once I was outside the building, I put my hand over my heart. It ached—tight and uncomfortable. Yeah, it’s a little annoying… Those four words were like a red-hot brand, seared into my brain. This was a guy who could have wine thrown in his face and still politely say “no worries.” For him to say “yeah, it’s a little annoying”… Damn, I must be something special. I looked up at the grayening sky.
Had Liam found me annoying all along? I met Liam at my bestie Sophie Bennett’s wedding. Sophie hadn’t wanted a big, flashy wedding, but Noah had thrown a full-on tantrum until she caved. At the wedding, she didn’t want me to get too tired, so she didn’t make me a bridesmaid. Instead, she sat me at the head table. After I sat down, I saw a man walking toward me. He was wearing simple casual clothes, but they couldn’t hide his perfect proportions. Narrow waist, lean muscle… And above that—a model-tier face. Sharp eyebrows, a high nose bridge, a tear mole at the corner of his eye, and pale pink lips that just begged to be kissed. This guy was obviously my future boyfriend! As luck would have it, he sat down right next to me. I immediately put on my sweetest smile and started asking for his name, his age, and whether he was single. He looked confused but answered every single question. “Liam, 27, single…” Once I confirmed he was single in every sense of the word, I whipped out my phone. “What a coincidence—I’m single too.
Let’s add each other on WeChat, honey.” Liam looked like he wanted to say something, but he added me anyway. When Sophie and Noah came back from toasting tables, I finally found out who he was from the way Noah addressed him. A friend, huh? I thought for a moment, then turned to Sophie and whispered, “You know what I’m like.”