Backup Girl No More: Adios To My V-Card and My First Love

-1 Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Calista found herself by a river , the stillness broken only by flowing water .

She breathed out , watching her breath mist in the cold air .

The harsh wind and sand somehow made her feel unexpectedly free .

Footsteps crunched behind her .

Before she could turn , she collided with a solid chest .

What are you doing by the river at night ? Henrys voice was tight with worry .

The winds brutal , and its starting to snow .

You havent fully recovered from falling in the pool dont risk getting sick again ! He shrugged off his coat and draped it over her shoulders .

His unexpected concern startled her .

Then a detail in his words caught her attention .

The pool … were you the one who saved me ? Henry nodded , frowning .

Do you know how dangerous that was ? The genuine concern in his voice touched something in her , making her throat tight .

Henry , thank you .

I had no idea it was you .

I should have thanked you sooner .

He ruffled her hair affectionately .

Dont be so formal with me .

Calistas heart skipped at his sudden smile .

Its late .

Lets get back before you catch cold .

As they reached the dormitory , Henry pressed a small box into her hand .

Happy New Year , Calista .

He turned and walked away without looking back .

Back in her room , she opened her palm to find a lipstick .

She burst out laughing who would have thought the stoic Henry would give her something so thoughtful ? Life at the base fell into a busy rhythm .

Their days filled with machine calibrations and data analysis monotonous but fulfilling work .

As the days passed , Calista and Henry developed an easy rapport .

Hed surprise her with hard to find supplies , chat with her during breaks , make her laugh when the work grew tedious .

They could discuss their research for hours .

After a month of dedicated work , when their first satellite launched successfully , Calista hugged Henry in tearful excitement .

18:46 C Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love 82.0 % Chapter 16 Soon , rumors spread through the base about them dating Are you and Henry together ? Youll have to invite us to the wedding ! The gossip alarmed Calista .

She didnt mind being misunderstood , but Henry had feelings for someone if that woman got the wrong idea , it could cause problems .

The situation felt too familiar .

People had made the same assumptions about her and Ken , and shed ended up heartbroken .

She couldnt let history repeat itself .

On their next day off , she gathered her courage and knocked on Henrys door .

He answered fresta from the shower , hair still dripping , and quickly pulled on a shirt when he saw her .