Melinda saw Colin and me move with great difficulty and noticed his inebriation. Her mouth was wide open in disbelief."Harper, what is this?" Melinda looked past me and asked my Mom behind me.Mom pressed her lips into a hard line and thought that she shouldn't be the one to tell her the news. Instead, she tossed the responsibility back to me. "Ask them. You know, young people nowadays.""What? What happened? Okay. Uhm, honey? Honey? Come and help me, please. Colin is drunk. Geez, how many drinks did he have?"Austin appeared in my view half-asleep. He, too, was taken aback when he looked at us. Shortly after, at Melinda's behest, he approached me to take the drunk Colin off me.But Colin refused to let go. He mumbled that he didn't want to leave me, and his left hand maintained a tight grip on my shoulder as if it was fused to my body.It was dark outside, and we couldn't stay by the entrance for too long.I had no other choice but to enter Colin's home.The three of us toile
"Stop this and sleep, Colin. Be nice," I coddled in a hushed voice, forgetting that we had company."No! I want kisses. Kisses!" His lips puckered up to kiss me. Scared, I mustered all my strength and pinned him back onto the bed."Be nice now, Colin. I don't like the smell of alcohol. I'll let you kiss me when you're sober, okay?"When I finally soothed Colin and remembered Felix, he had already left.Through the half-open door, I saw an orange light flicker in the dark on the balcony opposite us.When did Felix come back? Where was Lilac? Why was Felix here? Why did he care if Colin and I were dating? What did he want?I couldn't find an answer, and just like that, I fell asleep.I guessed I was an easygoing woman.I was roused by something warm in the middle of the night. As I opened my eyes, I realized that I was on the bed. Sleeping next to me was Colin, who had changed into his pajamas. His slender hand grabbed me by my waist so that I was sleeping in his embrace.Heat r
"I know, Mom. Don't worry, I'll think it through before deciding."It was already 2:00 am after the chat. I yawned and went to bed. Right when I climbed into my bed, my phone screen lit up.I opened my WhatsApp and saw a selfie from Colin. Still in his pajamas, he made a peace sign to the camera. "I hope I can see you whenever I open my eyes in the future. Goodnight and have a sweet dream."My heart was aflutter.I wanted to reply to his text but couldn't come up with anything. After an extended hesitation, I sent him a thumbs-up emoji.After I sent the text, I realized how ridiculous it might look. I thought about recalling the message, but I saw no point in doing that. Therefore, I left it be.I was free on Saturday. If I were still studying at my university, I would've spent the day shopping with Jade and Zara.However, we had all grown up, and we worked in different cities now. Unless it was planned beforehand, it'd be hard for us to meet up.On Sunday, Colin and I flew bac
"You're right, I should cherish what I have now. I'll help you and care for you like a good friend, but I'll save all my love for Lilac. She made a lot of mistakes for me. Therefore, I'd like to apologize to you once more."I'll keep her in check in the future, and I hope you can forgive her. You don't have to if you don't want to. She doesn't deserve your forgiveness, after all."Goodbye, Lulu. I wish you happiness."After reading the text messages, I felt so relieved.Happy days with Colin flew by in the blink of an eye. Soon, it was already New Year's Eve.My school gave us three days of holidays for New Year's Eve. Lilac said she needed to see her family, so she'd be returning to Northpool with her mum on the morning of December 31st. Felix drove her to the airport.During New Year's Eve, those who did not go home all dressed up for the special occasion.Colin and I agreed to have dinner before heading to a theme park. Then, we'd head to the square for the countdown.Before
But my plan didn't work. Felix froze mid-action, which meant he saw the cheating couple.I panicked and peered at Colin. "Oh, no. What do we do now?""Relax. Let's see how this unfolds," Colin hugged me and whispered into my ear.Felix looked at the cheating couple in disbelief for a while. Then, he hollered and charged at them.When Colin and I made our way to the scene, a fight had already broken out.Meek women were screaming and running away from the violence, while curious men stayed on the sidelines to see who would win in the end.Felix wasn't short, but he grew up in a pampered and protected environment. All he knew was studying and looking cool. He was by no means strong enough to overpower Shawn, who had been fighting since young.Over there, I saw Shawn landing blow after blow on Felix's head. He stomped on Felix's body with his leather shoes as he hurled nasty insults.Felix was curled up on the ground. He tried to get up to retaliate, only to be brought down again
Felix wiped away the bloody mess on his face and got up with Colin's assistance. He couldn't take his eyes off Lilac, who was crying while hugging Shawn.He didn't shed a tear when he was beaten to a pulp, yet his eyes turned wet when he saw the woman he loved weep for another man.Felix picked himself up groggily. There was no light in his beautiful eyes.Looking at the despondent Felix, I only had one word to describe him—dejected.Suddenly, he laughed as he looked at the hugging couple. His voice grew louder and louder until it turned maniacal. "Karma. This is karma."The area before the motel was filled with his hollow and soulless laughter.It was karma, indeed.When I still had feelings for him, he stomped on them. And when I gave up on him, he felt devastated. Now that he had decided to do Lilac right, Lilac tossed him aside and showed indifference toward his injuries.As usual, people took what they had for granted and only regretted it when it was gone.In my opinion,
Finding out the news himself must have shattered his heart completely.Colin was right. Perhaps finding out this soon was a blessing to him. Either way, Lilac and he were never going to have a happy ending."I had someone check the surveillance cameras yesterday. Shawn hit you first. I've notified the police and requested experts to perform an injury evaluation on you. Someone will come here to ask you questions later. All you have to do is to tell the truth.""Okay." That was the only response Felix gave.After a restless night, I was tired and sleepy. Colin felt bad for me and drove me back to my apartment. He told me to get some rest and that he'd come to accompany me once he was done settling everything at the hospital.But it was New Year's. I didn't want to spend it all alone in my apartment. Despite my reluctance, I knew it would be unreasonable to demand more of Colin, given Felix's current dire situation. I resigned and went back to my apartment glumly.Once I was home,
Felix smiled bitterly, followed by a prolonged silence.His parents came at night. When Melinda saw that Felix was bandaged from head to toe, she burst out in tears. She kept saying that she had known Lilac would break his heart one day and that Felix had it coming for choosing her. Meanwhile, Austin began chain-smoking in the corridor.Despite her discontent, I was sure Melinda must be upset that her son was in so much pain too. Her chastising was just a way of showing how much she cared.Colin and I went out to get some food and let Melinda and Felix have some time alone.As it was New Year's, restaurants were closed as many went home to spend time with their families. There were no take-out options either. Colin and I walked for a long while before we found a fancy restaurant and got some takeaway there.When we returned, we saw Melinda, with her back against the corridor, reproaching Felix."If only you saw what I saw in Lilac! Lulu is so nice. She loved you, yet you chose