14 Sorry I Can't...

A car was stopped near the entrance of Elena's apartment building. The tension inside of the car was rather awkward. Elena and William just sit silently - None of them was speaking.

William gripped at the steering wheel tightly. He looked so calm but his hands slightly trembled and sweat perspire profusely on his forehead. He looked at the woman sat on the shotgun seat. His expression was the mixture of relief, worry, expectation and fear.

Elena, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. She couldn't utter any words because she felt her mind was suddenly blanked when she heard his offer.

...

A while ago

William, as usual picked Elena up from the UDI Lab. Along the way, they chatted like usual. But, William was somehow a bit different from his usual self, at least that was what Elena felt. Sometimes, he would stutter whenever she asked him or he would gripped on the steering wheel tightly.

Elena asked him why he looked so nervous but he didn't reply, he just smiled sheepishly.

Along the way, William didn't talk due to his nervousness thus Elena was also kept silent. During the ride, her mind created countless scenarios about why William behaved that way. There was one possible answer that she could thought - he might face something troublesome that it made him differed from himself the other days.

The car kept moving until it stopped in front of the entrance of Elena's apartment building. Elena spoke softly to console William before she opened the door of the car. "Whatever you are facing now, brace yourself Wil. Believe in yourself!"

Elena was about to hopped down from the car before her wrist was caught by William. The man looked at her with his deep eyes. Then he spoke softly, "Please get in first. There's something that i want to talk to you about."

Elena puzzled but she nodded obediently. She sat and asked curiously. "What do you want to talk about?"

William answered, "I..." he didn't continued his sentence. He beckoned Elena to wait for awhile by moving his palm to face him. Then, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A moment later, he looked at Elena with his clear eyes. There was no more uncertainty in his eyes. He enunciated clearly. "Elena, please be my girlfriend."

Elena didn't reply. When she heard that sentence, she felt her brain exploded and her entire being was shut down, she blanked out. She was like a broken computer which screen and command tools freeze because of virus.

William was waiting for her answer nervously. His breath became irregular and his heart ran erratic as if he was about to be sentenced with a capital punishment.

The time went by and Elena was still silent. William didn't get the respond he wished. He looked down with dejected expression on his face.

Elena had gained her clarity when she saw William dejected expression. Unable to see his pitiful expression, she called him softly. "William."

William looked at Elena with pitiful expression. His look was like an abandoned puppy. "Why?"

Elena asked. "What did you say just now?"

William repeated the sentence he just said. "Elena, please be my girlfriend."

"Why?" Elena asked again.

"Because I love you." William replied her with seriousness in his eyes.

Elena shocked. This man love me? thought her inwardly. She outstretched her hand to his forehead, trying to feel his temperature. He was not sick. Probably he was drunk?

William, on the other hand knew what she was thinking. He said to her. "I'm not sick nor drunk. I'm sober Elena."

Elena nodded. He was sober indeed. She asked sceptically. "You love me?"

"Yes."

"But why?"

"I don't know." William shook his head, indicating that he didn't know. The truth was, he indeed didn't know why he loved her. But, he remembered clearly how his entire being felt when he saw her for the first time. It was as if he had known her for a long time, as if she was someone he was waiting for the entire time.

"You don't even know you love me but you said you lost me?" Elena frowned in disbelief. He was like what she thought of him the first time they met. He probably just wanted to mess up with her.

"Yes i don't know. But whenever i see you, i feel that i yearn for you." William explained while looking at her earnestly. He was afraid that she would get a wrong idea like he just wanted to play with her and so on that resulted to her bad impression of him.

Elena was silent. Was he just play playing? But he looked so serious. Furthermore, with his taciturn personality, why did he bother explaining it to her? She believed he was not a dishonest guy.

"I'm sorry but i can't." Elena answered William's confession swiftly. She didn't want to become someone's girlfriend whose her boyfriend didn't even know why he loved her. Her past experience with a man was too terrible and troublesome that the problems after her break up was still coming until this day. Moreover, they were not familiar to each other long enough.

After he heard the answer, William sank in disappointment. He had expected this answer when he wanted to ask her to become his girlfriend. But still, when he heard the answer was directly spoken by her, he was disappointed. He nodded, understood with her intention.

Elena looked at his disappointed face. Her heart softened. She wanted to console him when she heard he spoke with determination. "That's fine. Although you do not want to become my girlfriend, then let me be your boyfriend."

Elena was speechless. Her good intention instantly vanished into thin air. She asked incredulously. "Both are the same. We will still end up as a couple no matter how i reject you."

William nodded. "Yes, both bring the same effect."

"But I don't want to become your girlfriend." Elena raised her voice slightly. She was angered by this man insistence.

"So that's why i want to become your boyfriend." William replied with matter-of-factly tone. Then he continued to explain his reasoning shamelessly. "When i ask you to become my girlfriend, It means that i request you. But, when i want to become your boyfriend, it means that i offer myself to you."

Elena looked at him in trance. His reasoning was a bit off but why it was oddly make sense? As Elena thought about it, she directly denied it. "But the result is the same."

William shook his head. "The result is the same but every method has its charm. So, it will have different progression."

Elena was almost unable to contain her anger when she witnessed how shameless William was. Suddenly, she smiled and waved her hand, beckoning William to move closer to her.

Plak!!!

She smacked William's head as she swifly hopped down from the car.

Unlucky her, as she got down from the car, she saw Liu Tang wandered in front of the main door of the apartment building.

As she was afraid that the scum would find her, she get into the car once again and said. "Let me sit for a while."

On the other hand, William sulked moodily, looking at Elena with a wronged wife expression. He didn't know why Elena got back but when he saw a certain figure near the main door of the apartment building, he understood immediately. He said with persuasive tone while pointing Liu Tang's figure from the car. "See, your ex is still pestering you. If you have a boyfriend like me, i can surely fend you from him and other pests." Soon after he finished his sentence, William once again was engulfed by his nervousness, waiting for her answer. Though she rejected him just now, he could still used his other advantage to make her his right?

Elena contemplated as soon as she heard his words. Indeed, a boyfriend like William would surely helpful in exterminating some pests like her ex. It was probably the perks of having him as her boyfriend. Oh wait...why does it feel like she has been successfully persuaded by him? But still, should she think about his offer?