Chapter 174

Matthew sat on the couch closest to me. He stared at me without blinking. A gentle smile graced his face. His dark eyes were brimming with anticipation.

His smile brought back memories of Matthew in high school.

We were both 17 or 18 back then, full of youth and carefreeness. Our days were filled with heavy coursework. It was hard to find time to play.

He always tried hard to follow behind me during the physically demanding laps in physical education class. Whenever I looked back, his beaming face was always there.

Back then, he was chubby. One lap would be enough to cover his forehead in sweat and leave him heavily panting. No matter how tired, he persisted in running behind me.

I was naive, always puzzled about why he insisted on following me despite barely keeping up.

I understood later, but we had gone our separate ways by then.

Watching him sit in the sunlight with a silly smile, memories of our youth halted the refusal on my lips. I found myself unable to speak.

My indeci