Exclusive Band-Aids

Early the next morning, Emily had expected a relatively peaceful day. After all, she'd had more than enough drama the day before. But to her surprise, Ryan instructed her to grab coffee for him and his two best friends. Emily sighed inwardly, but since it wasn't too hard of a task, she shrugged it off as a simple errand and made her way to the coffee shop.

Ryan's two friends were quite the pair. Jason, the heir to a massive conglomerate, was the joker of the group. Always cracking jokes, he had a knack for lightening the mood. Then there was Noah, whose family background was just as impressive, but he was more calm and composed, similar to Ryan. However, Noah had a playful side too, often teasing Emily whenever the opportunity arose.

Emily soon returned to the classroom with three cups of coffee, handing them over to Ryan and his friends. But as soon as Jason took a sip, he frowned dramatically and said, "This coffee is way too hot! My mouth's gonna burn!"

Noah chuckled and added, "Mine's a bit cold, Emily. Next time, try to control the temperature better."

Ryan, as always, didn't even bother to look up. "Too sweet," he muttered indifferently.

Emily stood there, her mind a swirl of frustration. Are they serious? I'm a coffee runner, not a human thermostat!

Not wanting to cause any more trouble, Emily rushed back to the coffee shop to adjust the temperature and sweetness levels to their liking. However, when she returned, Jason was nitpicking again. "The temperature's fine now, but there's not enough cream."

"The coffee's too weak," Noah added, raising an eyebrow with mock seriousness.

Ryan remained unbothered. "Not enough cream," he said calmly.

Emily felt like she was going to lose it. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed her irritation. Alright, fine, keep complaining. Let's see how far you can go with this.

Determined not to let them get the best of her, Emily decided to get clever. On her third trip, she brought back every single ingredient the coffee shop had to offer. Cream, butter, sugar, nuts—you name it, she had it. With a sweet smile, she placed it all in front of them and said, "Here you go. Now you can adjust it exactly how you like it."

Jason burst out laughing at the sight, while Noah couldn't hide his grin. Even Ryan raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. Though he didn't say anything, the three of them seemed to realize they couldn't push her any further.

Emily thought that the coffee saga was over, but Ryan had other plans. He handed her another task—this time, to write an essay for his management class. Emily fumed inwardly. Again? Is this guy planning to use me as his personal ghostwriter forever?

She was about to refuse when a mischievous idea struck her. Why not have a little fun with this?

And so, Emily decided to fight back in her own way. She quickly wrote a very daring essay titled, "Twenty Years Later: Ryan's Gender Reassignment Surgery."She spared no detail, describing how Ryan underwent surgery, adjusted to his new identity, and continued to dominate the business world. She even threw in a section about "her" impeccable fashion sense and gossip-worthy scandals.

The next day, Ryan confidently turned in the essay, thinking he'd gotten away with it. To his shock, the management teacher not only praised the essay for its "creativity and boldness," but also read it out loud to the entire class. The room erupted in laughter, and Ryan's face went from disbelief to simmering rage.

Sitting in her seat, Emily stole a glance at him, barely containing her glee. That's what you get for making me your personal scribe!

Later that afternoon, Ryan was still clearly upset. He decided to get back at her by using the class's live-streaming system. He projected his screen onto all the students' computers, posting a message in bold letters: "Emily, you've violated the contract. You have two minutes to come to my side or face the consequences."

Emily stared at the message in disbelief. Two minutes? What am I, a delivery service? But, knowing she had no choice, she hurried over to Ryan's side.

Ryan's expression remained cold as ever. "I want seafood from that hidden restaurant," he said calmly. "The one that only serves ten people a day, with ingredients flown in fresh. Go buy it."

Emily felt a headache coming on. This isn't running an errand; this is running a marathon! But knowing there was no point in arguing, she reluctantly agreed.

After a long and arduous reservation and wait, Emily finally got her hands on the expensive seafood. Just when she thought her mission was complete, disaster struck. A passing motorcyclist accidentally knocked into her, sending Emily tumbling to the ground. The seafood spilled everywhere, covered in dust, and her knee was scraped.

Sitting on the pavement, looking at the ruined seafood, Emily felt utterly defeated. Why does this stuff always happen to me?

Despite the pain in her knee, she picked up whatever seafood she could salvage and limped back to school.

When Emily finally returned to Ryan, she was prepared for another round of complaints. But when he saw the cut on her knee, his expression changed. Without a word, he knelt down, pulled out a band-aid from his pocket, and gently applied it to her wound.

Emily froze. Wait… is this the same Ryan? He actually cares? She had always assumed Ryan was just a cold, arrogant rich kid, but this unexpected act of kindness caught her off guard.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Ryan said, his tone gruff as he stood back up, clearly uncomfortable. "I just don't want you getting hurt and being unable to run my errands."

Emily couldn't help but smile, feeling a strange warmth inside. This young master, for all his arrogance, isn't entirely heartless after all.

Just as Ryan was about to dig into the seafood, Emily quickly snatched the box from his hands. "I'm hungry too. Let me have the first bite," she said, trying to sound casual.

In truth, she didn't want Ryan to eat the dusty seafood and risk getting sick. Ryan seemed a little taken aback, but after a moment, he handed her the box. "Go ahead."

As Emily was about to dig in, Jason suddenly chimed in, "I'm hungry too! Can I have some?"

Ryan shot him a cold look. "If you're hungry, find your own food. Don't come to me."

Jason pouted dramatically, "So heartless!"

Noah, watching the whole exchange with a knowing smile, simply shook his head. Clearly, he was used to the dynamic between them all.

Standing at the edge of the playground before gym class, Sarah's eyes landed on the band-aid on Emily's leg, one that bore Ryan's exclusive limited edition logo, gleaming in the sunlight. A sharp pang of jealousy flashed through her, and she clenched her teeth in frustration. Since when did Emily and Ryan get so close?The thought made her scowl. Gathering a few of her girlfriends from her clique, she whispered, "Come on, let's teach her a little lesson."

Sneaking into the locker room, they hid Emily's gym clothes deep in a corner, making sure it would take her ages to find. Sarah smirked to herself. Let's see how you handle this today.

Emily rushed into the locker room, desperately searching for her clothes, but after tearing through everything, she realized they were nowhere to be found. Anxiety washed over her as sweat began to bead on her forehead. With no other option, she headed out to the playground in her school uniform and ill-fitting leather shoes.

The moment she appeared, the gym teacher's face darkened with a frown. "You're late, Emily. Run a lap around the track as punishment."

Great, just my luck.Emily groaned inwardly. Running in uncomfortable shoes? This is going to be painful.But she couldn't argue, so she gritted her teeth and started running.

It didn't take long for the leather shoes to start rubbing against her heels, and before she knew it, blisters had formed. Each step became more excruciating, but Emily forced herself to finish the lap, limping and clenching her teeth through the pain. By the time she completed the run, she was in agony, and her feet were burning. She hobbled her way to the infirmary, barely able to walk.

In the infirmary, the doctor examined Emily's feet and shook his head gravely. "This is a serious injury. You shouldn't be walking on it. You'll need crutches, or better yet, have someone carry you."

Emily's heart sank. Have someone carry me? That's beyond embarrassing.

While she was contemplating how to deal with the situation, the doctor continued, "I've contacted your family, they'll be here shortly."

Emily tensed up, a sense of dread creeping over her. No… it couldn't be…

Sure enough, moments later, the sound of familiar footsteps filled the room. Ryan stood at the door, looking as if he had just been asked to do the most bothersome thing in the world.

"My mum said I have to take care of you," Ryan said flatly, casting a disgruntled look at the doctor before turning his gaze to Emily.

Emily froze. Why did it have to be him? Could this day get any worse?

Ryan looked at her with a mix of impatience and skepticism. "You really can't walk?"

"I really can't!" Emily snapped, although she was trying hard not to roll her eyes. As much as she hated to admit it, her foot was throbbing with pain, and walking was impossible.

Ryan let out a long-suffering sigh. What a hassle. After a brief moment, he crouched down in front of her, his back facing her. "Get on. I'll carry you."

Emily hesitated, eyeing the curious glances from outside. Everyone's going to see this. I really don't want to be the center of attention.But what choice did she have? With a deep breath, she gingerly climbed onto his back, trying to make herself as light as possible.

Ryan stood up, steady and strong, carrying her effortlessly. "Hold on tight," he said, his tone as cold as ever.

Emily clung to his shoulders, feeling incredibly awkward. Who would have thought that one day I'd be carried by this arrogant jerk?But the truth was, she had to admit, Ryan was handling it with more grace than she'd expected.

As Ryan walked across the playground, students began to whisper and stare. Some even whipped out their phones to take photos.

"Is that Ryan? He's carrying Emily!"

"Are the rumors true? Are they really engaged?"

Emily's face burned with embarrassment. Oh God, why is everyone looking at us? Please stop staring!

Ryan, on the other hand, looked unbothered, walking confidently with his usual composed demeanor, as if this were the most ordinary thing in the world. Each step was smooth and purposeful, making him look even more dashing in the eyes of those watching.

Emily's thoughts were conflicted as they reached the school gates. As much as I hate to admit it… he does look pretty handsome like this.

Back at home, Ryan's mother, Catherine, greeted them with a concerned expression. "My goodness, Emily, your foot looks awful! Ryan, you need to take care of her."

Ryan frowned, clearly irritated by the idea. "She's hurt her foot, Mum, not her entire body. She can handle herself."

But Catherine remained firm, her tone gentle yet commanding. "She can't walk, Ryan. You'll have to carry her wherever she goes. And during meals, you'll need to feed her."

Emily nearly choked. Feed me? My hands work just fine!

Ryan shared her exasperation. "Mum, she only hurt her foot. Her hands are perfectly capable."

Catherine smiled knowingly. "Her mood is affected because of her injury. She probably doesn't feel like feeding herself, so you're going to help her."

Emily wanted to protest, but one look at Catherine's unyielding expression made her think twice. This is ridiculous! Why am I being babied over a foot injury?

Dinner came, and Ryan, looking thoroughly annoyed, sat beside Emily, a bowl of hot soup in hand. "Alright, open up," he muttered, his face a mix of disgust and impatience.

Emily's face flushed with embarrassment. This is mortifying.

"I can do it myself!" she protested, still trying to maintain some dignity.

Ryan, however, remained indifferent. "Nope, my mum said I have to feed you."

Resigned to her fate, Emily leaned forward and opened her mouth, deliberately taking her time to bite the spoon. If I have to endure this, I might as well make him suffer a little too.

Ryan sighed, clearly running out of patience. This is such a pain.

If Jason and Noah were around, they would've burst out laughing. Jason would've definitely made some smart remark like, "Wow, Ryan, so considerate! Never thought you'd be this gentle."

Ryan would've shot back with a glare, "Say one more word and I'll throw this soup in your face."

Imagining that scene, Emily couldn't help but laugh. Maybe he's not as unbearable as I thought. He's actually kind of… cute like this.

After dinner, Ryan helped Emily push her chair aside and prepared to carry her upstairs. As awkward as it was, Emily felt an odd sense of comfort. She stole a glance at Ryan, catching his strong profile. For all his coldness, he's not so bad,she thought, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Ryan, still playing his role of the brooding prince, kept his expression cool, though his mind was filled with conflicting thoughts. Why am I getting used to taking care of her?

They didn't speak, but something subtle passed between them—a feeling only the two of them understood.