Suddenly, I Am Rich

”Gray, do I even have the right to be jealous when we’re not... even together?”

Gray blinked at that question. The air between them changed almost instantly after her words.

Selina also froze the second those words left her mouth. She didn’t mean to say it out loud. It just slipped out because she was slightly getting annoyed that Gray was pushing that idea to her.

Selina quickly looked away, pretending that she didn’t say anything. However, the truth was, her heart was already racing so quickly.

Gray also didn’t speak right away. He just looked at her as if her words had opened something in him. His teasing smile faded into something softer.

For a while, there was only silence between them. The only sound they could hear was the soft notes of a piano playing from somewhere nearby.

Just as the silence started to stretch between them, a polite voice broke through it.

”Good evening, sir, ma’am. Are you ready to order?”

Both Gray and Selina turned their heads to the side. In there, they saw the waiter standing beside their table with a professional smile. He was holding a small notepad and a pen in his hand.

Selina straightened in her seat immediately, her hand brushing her hair as if she wanted to hide the slight redness on her face.

”Ah, yes,” she said quickly,”I... I think we are.”

Gray cleared his throat softly, suppressing a small smile as he looked down at the menu.

”Right. Let’s see...”

The waiter waited patiently on the side. Occasionally, he would glance between the two of them as they flipped through the pages.

”I’ll have the grilled salmon with lemon butter sauce,” Selina said after giving the menu a quick read. The waiter nodded, jotting it down. ”And for the gentleman?”

Gray glanced at her before replying, ”I’ll take the same. And a bottle of white wine to go with it.”

”Excellent choice,” the waiter said politely, bowing his head slightly. ”Would you like anything to start?”

Selina shook her head. ”Just water for now, thank you.”

”Understood. I’ll have your orders in shortly.” The waiter bowed again before walking away, leaving them once more in the comfortable quiet of the restaurant.

As the waiter walked away, the quiet returned between them again.

Selina exhaled lightly. It was not the dinner she had envisioned in her mind. She reached for her glass, taking a small sip of water to distract herself.

”Well...” she said quietly before forcing a smile on her face. ”That was... great timing.”

Gray chuckled softly. ”Yeah,” he murmured. ”He saved you.”

”Saved me?” Selina blinked.

”From what you just said,” Gray replied, leaning slightly forward. His tone was gentle and not teasing anymore. However, what made Selina uneasy was the look of amusement in Gray’s eyes.

For her, it was scary to know what he was thinking.

”I didn’t say anything.” Selina looked away immediately, pretending to fix the napkin on her lap.

”You did.” Gray tilted his head. His lips curved upwards again, smiling. He found Selina cute as she denied the words she had said.

”Then forget I said it.” She bit her lip lightly, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her napkin.

”I don’t think I can,” he said softly.

That made her look up.

”I don’t mind you getting jealous, you know,” he said after a moment. He looked at her straight in her eyes, seeing how her reaction changed from surprise to confusion.

”What?” Selina blinked, caught off guard.

”It only means you care about me, Selina.” Gray smiled faintly.

Her throat felt suddenly dry. ”That’s not...” she started, but her voice faltered midway, realizing that she was about to lie. ”That’s not what I meant.”

He nodded slowly, still looking at her. ”Maybe not,” he said. ”But I don’t mind it. In fact...” He paused, the corner of his mouth curving slightly. ”I kind of like it.”

Selina’s eyes widened more. Her breathing was caught for a second as she looked at him with her lips parted.

”You...” She stopped, unsure what to say. Her face felt warm now.

Gray leaned back in his seat, resting an arm on the table as he looked at her with quiet affection.

”You’ve always been honest with me, Selina. Even when you’re trying not to be.”

”I wasn’t,” she tried again, but Gray just gave her a small, knowing smile.

”It’s fine,” he said softly. ”Because I think I’d feel the same way if it were you.”

Selina froze. Her eyes searched his, but he didn’t look away. There was no teasing there now, only sincerity. The soft golden light from the chandelier reflected in his eyes that they looked like gems for a second.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The space between them felt smaller somehow, filled with quiet understanding instead of tension.

Selina finally broke the silence with a quiet, almost nervous laugh.

”You really have a way of saying things that makes it hard to argue with you.”

”I’ll take that as a good thing.” Gray chuckled.

Selina shook her head slightly, though a small smile had already formed on her lips. She looked at him again, and there was a softness in her expression now. The kind that hinted that she could no longer hide what she was really feeling on the inside.

Their eyes met, and for a brief second, the noise around them faded away. It was just the two of them.

”Be with me, Selina.”

”What...?”

”I’m serious. Be with me.” Gray looked at her.

Selina froze from where she sat. Her heart started to pound harshly against her chest again. The sound of it was echoing in her ears. She wanted to speak, to say something, but she was too speechless.

Her mind told her to be careful, but her heart... her heart was already leaning toward him.

”Gray...” she finally whispered, but her voice trembled. ”I was waiting for that.”