We told Aunt Mel that we were spending Christmas abroad a week before Christmas. She cried a lot, so much so that she had to cover her mouth.Mom was very upset too. She kept Aunt Mel company for the whole morning, and her eyes were all puffy.Aunt Mel went on about how disappointed she was regarding Felix. She couldn't understand why he became so inconsiderate about his family's feelings. She also mentioned that Lilac looked like a cunning woman, and that she feared that she might hurt Felix.There was nothing much Mom could do except offer words of consolation. She could empathize with Aunt Mel very well. After all, we had been neighbors for 20 years—we were like a family now.We treated each other like a part of our lives, but Mom couldn't do anything about Lilac's visit. For the first time in 20 years, we had our Sunday roast separately. I didn't know how the Whites coped with that, but my family was enjoying ourselves.Mom cooked a delicious meal, and Dad opened a bottle of r
Admiring Colin's soft hair, I had the urge to pet him the way he petted me."What are you doing?" Before I could raise my hand, Colin held my head in place, stopping me from advancing.I struggled and broke free from Colin's paws before leaning in. "Nothing. I just want to know what you mean."Colin gazed at me for a while. Then, he grabbed my chin before closing in. A shadow flashed before my eyes. His handsome face was inches away from mine. With this distance, I could see his long eyelashes and cupid bow. His Adam's apple rolled in place, as if he was suppressing something.I sniffed. Ah. It was the wonderful scent of alcohol again. I had never been this close to a guy, not even with Felix. My heart was racing, and I began to panic. My head jerked backward, but I overdid it and hit the bookshelves behind me. "Ow!" I cried out.Colin sat back in his seat. Unable to deal with my tearful expression, Colin gave the back of my head a gentle massage. Then, he cooed, "Should've been m
When I left all the fun reluctantly and returned to my room, it was already 9:00 pm. Looking at the fireworks and festive lights outside the ceiling-to-floor windows, I felt oddly at peace.Suddenly, I received a video call. Needless to say, it was from Colin. He was lying on his bed gloomily, one hand cushioning his head while the other holding the phone to talk to me.He wished me Merry Christmas and asked if I had any wishes. I told him that I wanted everyone to be happy, to attend a concert for once, to earn more money for my parents, and that he would become more and more handsome next year.Colin chuckled and doted on me. He then told me to come back as soon as possible because Lilac was such an eyesore. He even said that if we didn't come back sooner, he would move out and sleep on the street.It was a joke, of course. And I laughed out loud. He then lamented how dull the Christmas dinner was. Lilac was rude during the dinner. Other than Felix, no one wanted to talk to her.
We had dinner with Colin that night. To be precise, Colin cooked for us and ate with us. It was my first time having Colin's cooking, and it was delicious.That said, nothing beat watching the six-foot-three-tall Colin cooking in the kitchen. He donned Mom's baby blue apron as his slender fingers waltzed around the ingredients under the mellow light. The view was mesmerizing.After dinner, Colin proposed to take me out on a stroll. Mom was worried, but she relented after Colin vowed many times to return me in one piece.Coincidentally, it just so happened that there was live music at the entrance of a shopping mall. Loud music blasted through the speakers. Young performers sang and jumped on the stage, instructing the spectators to sway to a certain rhythm.Everyone raised their hands and enjoyed the music. The heat they produced was enough to dispel the wintry coldness.We were late to the concert, so we were in the outermost circle. I couldn't see what was happening on the stage
Before I reached home, I saw a red spot around my home. It was Felix. He was leaning against a wall, smoking. It was a dark corner, so dark that unless you glanced over, you wouldn't have noticed that someone was there.The cigarette flickered in the dark. The lightless environment concealed Felix's face from everyone's view."It's late. Your mom will be worried about you," said Felix as he blew out a perfect smoke ring.Colin raised his brow. Before I could say anything, he blurted out, "Why? Are you worried that Lulu will be abandoned once more? Not everyone is as heartless as you."Felix snuffed out the cigarette and stood upright. He looked at Colin and then at me. After that, he left without saying a word.I wasn't sure if I saw it wrongly, but Felix's silhouette looked so… lonely. So, he felt lonely when Lilac wasn't with him, huh? They must be a match made in heaven.Colin knocked on my home's door and returned me to my mom. "Aunt Harper, Luna's here."He grabbed my hand
I'd love to tell Felix what I saw, even though he had hurt me in the past. We grew up together, so I didn't want him to get hurt. Yet, I found it hard to do that because he didn't trust me. Perhaps feeling uncomfortable under my intense scrutiny, he covered my eyes and offered to buy me a meal. I turned him down right away. What happened last time still traumatized me. I didn't want to relive it again."Why not? Is it because of what happened last time? Don't worry. It's winter now. It won't rain as much. Come with me. I don't want to be all alone.""Felix, you have a girlfriend. Lilac doesn't like me. We should avoid hanging out together in case she gets the wrong idea again.""Luna, you've changed. We grew up together. You used to follow me around except for when we slept or went to the toilet. Why are you shunning me now?" protested Felix.I chuckled. "You chose to forsake our past."Felix was stunned. The silence dragged on for a while until he decided to leave my house. I w
January 15th was a big day—it was my birthday. One day before my birthday, under my request, Dad reserved a table at the restaurant we went to previously. I simply loved their food and their garden decor.And for my big day, I put on the rose dress that I had bought in Oceanum and a beige jacket. Jade and Zara styled my hair into an elegant pompadour and applied plain makeup on me."Lulu, you're a flaming hot rose now," exclaimed Jade."The makeup gives your innocent face a hint of maturity and sexiness. Your fair skin brings out the red of your dress. Babe, you're going to turn some heads.""You're just saying that to make me happy." I took some time to admire myself before a mirror. I had to say that I did look good—my teeth were white, my skin was healthy, and my eyelashes could kill.Zara dragged me to the dressing mirror and shook her head in amazement. "Don't sell yourself short. You might just be more beautiful than Cleopatra."At the age of 20, I did look gorgeous. "That
It seemed like Felix was hellbent on tagging along. Urgh, whatever. I could just stay away from him later. After we arrived at the amusement park, I regrouped with those who were already there.They were all my friends from high school. We were close but got separated as we went to different universities. However, we kept in touch. Had I not celebrated Christmas abroad, I would have hung out with them.If I had to pick the purest thing in this world, I'd say it was the friends I made in high school. We disembarked from Colin's car as he went to find a parking spot. Jade, Zara, and I walked together. Felix was two steps away from me to my left.During the trip here, he was dead silent. He would check his phone from time to time, as if he dissociated from his environment. Even as he walked next to me, I could barely notice his presence.Someone teased us as soon as we showed our faces. "Oh, look at the lovebirds. Get a room!""Can I cut out your tongue?" Zara almost clawed at the te