I looked up and found myself face-to-face with Josh’s strong, chiseled features.


    Not only had he caught me, but he’d also grabbed the apple out of my hands. This moment felt almost like something straight out of a TV drama-one of those picture-perfect scenes that only happened in fiction. Yet, here it was, happening in real life.


    He steadied me, then let go of my waist, but as soon as I tried to move, a sharp pain shot through my ankle.


    I instinctively grabbed his arm. “It hurts…”


    Following my gaze, he noticed my pale ankle had already started to turn red. “Did you twist it?”


    Josh was so close that his deep voice sent a shiver through me. His tone was low and soothing, yet strangely… maic.


    I nodded, and before I could say anything more, he gently ced the apple in my hands, then scooped me up into his arms without a second thought.


    In all the years I was with Alvin, he never once picked me up like this.


    The suddenness of Josh’s princess carry made my heart race, and I could feel heat rise to my cheeks, even a bead of sweat forming at the tip of my nose. I was just the type to sweat when I was nervous or excited.


    At that moment, I heard murmurs and gasps from the neighbors and people passing by. In a small town like this, I guessed disys of affection still caught people off guard.


    Josh seemed oblivious to the attention, walking with long, steady strides back to the yard, carrying me in his arms.


    As we approached the gate, I spotted Effie standing there, holding a spat, her eyes fixed on me with an almost resentful expression.


    “Oh, so he’s carrying you back, huh? You two are moving fast,” Holly teased, her eyes twinkling.


    “She’s hurt,” Josh replied, cing me gently on a stone bench in the yard. He crouched down, removed my slipper, and took my foot into his hands.


    His touch was cool, and when his hand closed around my foot, a strange sensation rippled up my leg. My toes instinctively


    curled.


    “Stay still,” he said, his other hand gently pressing on the swollen part of my ankle.


    I gasped softly. “It hurts…”


    But he didn’t release me. Instead, he applied more pressure on a nearby spot. “Does this hurt?”


    I shook my head, and he moved to press on a few other areas. “It’s probably just a muscle strain. The bone’s fine.”


    “How can you be so sure?” I asked without thinking.


    Josh shot me a quick nce, but it was Holly who answered, “Because he’s been in the army. He knows everything.”


    I thought, ‘So being in the army makes you some kind of expert?’


    I couldn’t help but roll my eyes inwardly, but before I could say anything, Josh stood up. “Stay still. I’ll grab some ointment.”


    As he walked away, I noticed he was only wearing a ck fitted T-shirt and dark blue cargo pants. With his broad shoulders and confident stride, he looked like he’d just stepped out of an action-packed TV show,


    “How did you hurt yourself?” Holly asked, clearly eager for details.


    I pointed toward the street. “I think I stepped on something and slipped.”


    “Where exactly?” she pressed further.


    “Right past Effie’s door,” I replied.


    As soon as I finished speaking, Holly got up and headed out.


    Josh returned a momentter with the ointment. He knelt beside me, gently cing my foot on his knee. I knew exactly what he was about to do and quickly said, “I can do it myself.”


    He nced at me, unamused. “You need to rub it in for it to work. You don’t have the strength to do it properly.”