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It had been about two hours when I sat behind the island in Bradley's kitchen, watching him as he placed the final touches on his strawberry cheesecake. 

"Did you go to a culinary school?" I asked, amazed by his skills. He laughed as he placed the last strawberry in the middle before looking at me. 

"I didn't, I just wanted to impress you," he replied.

"W-why would you want to do that?" I asked, feeling my cheeks heat at his words. 

"Because you're someone worth impressing."

Suddenly, my throat began to feel dry, causing me to clear it. He looked at me with a small smile. But even though the smile was small, his eyes seemed to shined so brightly behind it. 

"I-I'll be right back," I managed to say, standing on my feet. 

"Where is your washroom?" He told me the directions before I left the kitchen where the air was suddenly too thick. 

I quickly entered the washroom when I arrived and locked the door behind me, walking to the sink before I turned on the faucet and splashed water on my face. I looked at my reflection, noticing how quickly I was breathing. 

"What's wrong with you?" I said to myself, gently hitting both of my cheeks as I continued to look in the mirror. 

I spent a few minutes, trying to calm myself before leaving the washroom. However, as soon as I walked out, I felt as if air was knocked out of me as I saw Bradley standing across from the door. 

"I didn't mean to scare you earlier," he said. 

"Y-you didn't scare me."

"Then why did you run to the washroom?"

"I didn't run."

"Were you uncomfortable because of what I said?" he asked. I immediately shook my head. 

"No," I lied. He took a few steps towards me and said, 

"Because I meant every word."

I didn't know what to say as I looked at him, walking even closer to me. 

"Mia, ever since we met, I haven't been able to sleep well because I'm always thinking about you. The last thing I think about before I finally fall asleep is you. And a few hours later, I find myself waking up with even more thoughts of you."

I was still rendered speechless as he continued to talk. 

"The way that you chose to stay and support my family really helped me to see the kind of person you are. And although I lost my father, I feel like he helped me to find you."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked as if the answer wasn't already obvious. 

"I think I'm falling for you," he said, looking directly into my eyes.