Countdown

Callum smiled wickedly. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "My request is simple. I want you to kiss me goodbye."

Lucia was speechless. How could he ask for such a thing? He was such a man-baby. "No way!"

Callum pouted. "But you agreed! You can't back out now! Come on, don't be so mean! It's just a kiss! A little peck on the cheek! Please?"

Lucia rolled her eyes. She couldn't stand him anymore. She decided to give him what he wanted, but not in the way he expected. "Fine, I'll kiss you goodbye. But only on one condition."

Callum perked up. "What is it?"

Lucia said, "You have to close your eyes and count to ten."

Callum agreed. He thought this was easy. He closed his eyes and started counting out loud.

Lucia pursed her lips, her patience wearing thin. She glanced at the GPS, hoping that they would reach their destination soon. She was tired of driving and listening to Callum's incessant chatter. "We haven't arrived yet, stop counting," 

Callum turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised in surprise. He had a smug smile on his face, as if he knew something she didn't. "Why didn't you mention that earlier?" He leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest. Looking at her with a mock-serious expression. 

Lucia retorted, "Well, you didn't ask."

Callum said, "Ooh, I get it. You're trying to play hard to get. You want to leave a lasting impression on me, so I won't forget about you."

"Ooh, I get it," Callum said, his voice low and seductive. "You're trying to play hard to get. You want to leave a lasting impression on me, so I won't forget about you."

"What?" Lucia said out loud, "Are you kidding me?" He was the most delusional person she had ever met.

Callum said, "Sure, sure. I can see through your lies. You're just too shy to admit it."

Lucia said, "You truly are unbelievable." She said it with a roll of her eyes and a sigh. 

Not long after, the car arrived at the location, which was in front of a flower shop. Lucia was a bit confused. She turned to Callum and asked, "Why are we here?"

Callum unbuckled his seat belt. "Will you please promise to wait? I'll be back soon."

Lucia was tempted to drive off the moment he stepped out of the car, but she resisted the urge. "Fine, I won't leave. But hurry up."

Callum nodded and got out of the car. Lucia looked away and searched for her phone. She had not held it since leaving the house, it was better for her to distract herself.

Callum entered the flower shop and looked around. He saw a variety of flowers in different colors and shapes. 

But his eyes were set on a beautiful bouquet of roses. It had red, pink, and white roses, arranged in a spiral pattern. It looked perfect.

He reached out and grabbed it. He walked towards the counter, where a young woman was working. She was a bit shocked to see a man with such an impressive body figure wearing a fancy suit and face mask. 

"Hello, sir. That's a lovely choice. Is it for someone special?"

Callum smiled behind his mask and said, "Yes, it is."

He reached for his wallet and took out his card. He handed it to her.

She took the card with shaky hands and swiped it on the machine. She saw his name on the screen and gasped, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. "Here you are sir!"

Callum nodded, "Thank you."

He took his card back and signed the receipt. He took the bouquet and walked out of the shop, leaving the woman speechless. 

He walked back to the car, where Lucia was waiting for him.

Callum opened the passenger's seat door and slid into the car, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers in his hand. 

Lucia, who was busy scrolling through her phone, looked up when she heard the door slam shut. She gasped when she saw the colorful petals and the green stems in his grip. "Wh..what is this?" she stammered, her eyes wide with surprise.