Chapter 6 6. Sooty-headed Bulbul

Upon arriving home, Emily immediately organized all their purchases neatly. After ensuring everything was in order and clean, she went into her room to change into her sleepwear. However, her body froze as she stood with her mouth agape, and her heart raced. It was an opportunity she couldn't afford to miss – how often could she see such a handsome, well-built man in front of her? Emily struggled to swallow her saliva as she watched droplets of water from his wet hair trickle down his broad back, disappearing into the white towel wrapped around his waist.

"Oh, it must be so comfortable to lean on those broad shoulders, especially if I could cuddle," Emily's inner thoughts rambled as she watched Calvin, who only wore a towel to cover his lower body. Suddenly, her face felt hot, and her cheeks turned rosy as her imagination started running wild. Traveling everywhere.

Instead of snapping back to reality, Emily wanted to linger and savor this incredibly beautiful sight. At the very least, she could visualize the perfect, handsome, and sexy male characters from the romance novels she often read. It was exactly the same – an arranged marriage without love, beginning with the man's cold and aloof demeanor but eventually leading to him becoming smitten with the female lead. Emily's smile unraveled as she imagined what it would be like if Calvin became infatuated with her. But a minute later, Emily shook her head quickly, dismissing her thoughts that were still influenced by the fictional romance novel plot. All of that was purely fictional. The reality was quite the opposite, a 180° turnaround. There was no perfect man in the world like the male characters created by novelists.

Calvin, who had been the center of Emily's attention, still hadn't realized it. He was standing in front of a large wardrobe, scanning the neatly arranged contents inside. Then Calvin's hands moved to the third row of casual clothing, reaching for a change of clothes. Emily, on the other hand, continued to enjoy the graceful movements of Calvin's body as he took extra care while selecting one of the garments. It was a rare sight for Emily. Being the only girl among three siblings, she understood the three male characters in her family very well. Her mother's endless nagging every morning was routine for her. Her father, who never really did any housework in her mother's eyes, and her two elder brothers, Edwin, who worked as an accountant in a company, and Erick, who was pursuing postgraduate studies at a public university in Jakarta, were also never free from her mother's attention. Her mother's nagging was the daily breakfast in their household.

Recalling her childhood and adulthood spent with her two brothers made Emily's eyes start to well up with tears. They had only been separated since yesterday, and the longing felt like a heavy burden on her chest. Living with a man as cold as ice and as sharp-tongued as Calvin made her soul struggle to go back home. But despite his cold demeanor and sharp tongue, Emily was still happy. How could she not be happy? She had married a man with a handsome face resembling a famous IndonesRyan celebrity, Dimas Anggara, one of her idols. Furthermore, Calvin's profession as a heart surgeon only made Emily prouder, although deep in her heart, she suffered from his outright rejection.

And for the love of God, besides being cold and curt, Calvin was a perfectionist type of man. Emily wasn't sure if this was a blessing or a curse for her. Especially with his habits, which weren't that different from her two brothers, who tended to act as they pleased. For Emily, the most important aspect of clothing was comfort and self-confidence, not luxury. She suddenly shifted her attention from the man and began to look at herself. She realized that she wasn't on the same level as Calvin. All the contents of Calvin's wardrobe were expensive and branded, while she didn't have any branded clothing on her right now.

Amora, her mother-in-law, had actually bought her a lot of expensive clothing before they got married. Emily had chosen to save those clothes, afraid that she might damage or stain them, and she planned to wear them only on special occasions.

"Why are you standing there?" Calvin's voice suddenly snapped Emily out of her reverie. He casually put on a new shirt that he had taken from the wardrobe and let the towel, which had been wrapped around his waist, fall to the floor between his feet.

"Calvin, why are you changing clothes in the bathroom?" Emily exclaimed in frustration, covering her face with both hands. "Don't taint my pure eyes!"

Calvin couldn't help but burst into laughter. He walked somewhat unsteadily toward Emily, wearing a sly grin on his handsome face. The grin remained on his lips as he stopped right in front of her.

"What's wrong with changing clothes in my own room?" Calvin asked, completely unfazed. "Besides, we're husband and wife. It's perfectly fine if I'm naked in front of you, isn't it?" He teased, playfully prying Emily's hands away from her face. From the side, Calvin could clearly see how the rosy blush gradually spread from Emily's face down to her delicate white neck.

"I'm not ready to see it, Calvin. Could you, you know, cover up the little eagle?" Emily requested, still using her hands to shield her eyes.

"Hahaha, it's actually an eagle, not a little bird," Calvin corrected, feeling somewhat insulted to have his cherished weapon referred to as a little bird.

"Come on, open up! You should take a look at my majestic eagle!" Calvin laughed heartily, finding amusement in Emily's comical reaction. Yesterday, she had tried to act daring by teasing him with sexy lingerie, which led him to enjoy some solo time in the bathroom. Now, it was Calvin's turn to play along, and he wasn't about to pass up this opportunity.

"No, I don't want to. I might get a seizure!" Emily refused, shaking her head vigorously. Calvin, still laughing, managed to free her hands from her face.

"Stop having dirty thoughts all the time. You claim to be a teacher, but your mind is always in the gutter!" Calvin teased as he looked at Emily with a smirk.

"Wait, you're not naked!" Emily's face turned even redder as she realized that Calvin was wearing boxer shorts underneath the towel.

Calvin, who had been annoyed earlier, was now thoroughly entertained. His laughter filled the white and silver room. Then, he closed the gap between them, pushed aside the strands of hair obstructing his view, and leaned in close to Emily's ear, playfully winking at her.

"Next time, you should see everything, especially my powerful eagle, Emily!" Calvin whispered into her ear before gently blowing on it and walking away, leaving her at the doorway.

Emily closed the door with a bang, leaning against it to maintain her balance on her trembling legs. Calvin's playful teasing had left her feeling powerless, even though she knew he was just having fun with her.

"Emily, get a hold of yourself! It's just the little bird trying to tease you!" Emily's inner logic yelled at her to calm her racing heart as she imagined Calvin's eagle.

"Eagle or little bird?" Emily muttered, then rushed into the bathroom to wash her face, trying to clear her mind.