One night stand with my president (chapter 435)

 Chapter 435: How Should I React?

Sam walked Joyce all the way to her hotel room door.

"Well... here I am," Joyce said, then immediately regretted it. "And you're... also here."

The words came out awkwardly, and she mentally kicked herself for sounding so dumb.

Sam gave her a crooked smile.

"You're laughing at me," she snapped, embarrassed and annoyed.

"I'm not!" he replied innocently. "I swear I'm not."

"You are." She shot him a glare, then huffed, "I'm going in. Hmph."

With that, she swiped her keycard and slipped inside. Sam opened his mouth to explain, but the door shut in his face before he could say another word.

Left standing in the hallway, he stared at the door, utterly baffled.

Inside, Joyce leaned against that very door and let out a long breath.

Of course she wasn't really angry. She was iust Standing with Sam outside her room, her heart had been pounding so hard she could barely breathe. She had no idea what to say, what to do, or how to act. So she did what she knew best-acted like she was mad to cover it all up.

But now that she was alone again, a wave of anxiety crept in.

Sure, her tone had been a little playful, maybe even a bit coquettish-but still, she'd snapped at him when he hadn't done anything wrong. That couldn't be good, right?

Biting her lip, she reopened the door.

The hallway was empty.

Joyce thought, "He was gone?"

Joyce sighed. Honestly, after the way she'd just shut him out, she couldn't blame him for leaving.

He'd probably gone back to his own room.

She understood that. She got it.

But still... her heart sank a little.

And just then, a familiar voice drifted in from nearby-amused, soft, and unmistakably Sam's.

"Looking for me?"

Joyce jumped.

She turned, startled, and found him leaning casually against the wall just a few steps from her door.

He hadn't left. She just hadn't looked in the right direction.

"You..." Joyce's face flushed red. "You did that on purpose."

"I didn't," Sam said quickly. "I just didn't know when you'd open the door, so I waited here."

She stared at him for a beat, then suddenly grabbed him by the collar, yanked him inside, and slammed the door shut.

Sam barely had time to blink before she shoved him up against the wall.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

"Joyce..." he said with a strained laugh, "isn't this a little backwards? Shouldn't I be the one doing this?”

"Don't talk," Joyce muttered, pressing her forehead to his chest as she tried to calm the whirlwind in her heart.

It was strange. This wasn't her first relationship, but she was this nervous.

But then again, she knew Sam felt the same.

She could hear his heart racing beneath her ear, just as wildly as hers.

When she told him not to speak, Sam didn't say a word. He didn't move either-just stood there quietly, letting her hold him.

A moment passed.

Then Joyce lifted her head, glanced up at him, and narrowed her eyes. "You really weren't going to react at all?"

Sam blinked. He was speechless.

Dating was hard.

But what could he do? No matter how difficult it was, she was the only one he wanted to do it with.

So he asked sincerely, "What kind of reaction was I supposed to have?"

Joyce looked like she was about to faint from frustration.

She thought, "Isn't Sam supposed to be experienced when it comes to relationships? So why did he now seem like a clueless teenage boy who d never dated anyone before?"

They were in a hotel room. Alone. Late at night.

Just the two of them.

And he was asking what kind of reaction he should have.

Joyce decided she wasn't wasting any more time.

She stood on her toes and kissed him.

Sam froze for a second.

He had thought about kissing her. Many times.

But he hadn't dared.

Maybe it was because of his past-or the guilt he still carried-but around Joyce, he always felt hesitant, like he didn't deserve to make the first move.

He didn't want to scare her away. So he'd restrained himself, keeping every affectionate impulse tightly in check.

But he never imagined she would be the one to kiss him first.

He was stunned for just a heartbeat.

Then his arms wrapped around her waist, and he kissed her back.

The room was quiet, which only made the sound of their lips meeting that much clearer.

Joyce's ears turned scarlet.

She didn't know how long they kissed.

When they finally pulled apart, she didn't dare look up at him.

The air was thick with heat and something electric.

"You..."

Sam looked down at her, his voice low and husky.

"No talking."

And just like that, he fell silent again.

They stood there, arms around each other, not saying a word.

Until-of course-Sam's phone started vibrating.

Once. Then again. And again.

Over and over, completely shattering the perfect, quiet moment.

Joyce stepped back and cleared her throat awkwardly. "Um... maybe you should check that. Could be important.”

Face darkening, Sam pulled out his phone-and immediately scowled.

It was a group chat. His friends, naturally.

They'd created a new thread just to spam him with questions and gossip.

He wanted to call and cuss them all out.

But with Joyce standing right beside him, he held back.

No way was he going to scare her off now. Or ruin the moment by looking like a maniac.

"Wanna sit down?" Joyce offered, trying to ease the tension.

"Sure."

They moved to the sofa and sat side by side.

Sam typed out a few scathing replies in the group chat, but his so-called friends didn't seem to care. They just kept teasing him, laughing and begging for details.

Meanwhile, Joyce pulled out her own phone and began messaging Adeline.

So now the two of them were just... sitting on the couch, playing on their phones.

Sam glanced at the screen again.

"Sam, come on, tell us- who is she? Which family's girl is this? Never seen her before!"

"Bro, your ex just called me sobbing. Like, full-on meltdown. What do I tell her?!"

"Spill! We're dying here!"

Sam typed a few vague responses.

Then another message popped up. "Wait-Sam.

Are you serious about this one? Like, voluntarily? Like... marriage serious?"

His reply came quickly. Yes.

Just one word. But he meant every letter of it.

He turned to look at Joyce, who was happily chatting with Adeline, her expression soft and content.

A smile tugged at his lips.

No matter what happened, he wasn't letting go this time.

After what felt like an eternity, Adeline was finally discharged from the hospital.

Everyone came to pick her up, and the scene was nothing short of a grand parade.

Each person treated her like she was made of glass, fussing over her, and showering her with concern.

"What are you all doing?" Adeline said helplessly.

"I'm fine now, really."

"It's cold outside," Gracie said as she wrapped Adeline's coat more tightly around her. "You haven't been out in days. Bundle up, don't catch a chill."

"The car's already parked right outside the hospital entrance," Alberto added. "Just a few steps and you'll be inside."

"Is the heat on in the car?" someone asked.

"Cranked it up ages ago. You're all set."

Adeline could only stare at them, utterly speechless.