"Hey, can you tell me exactly what happened?" I asked one of the guys, Aaron, while biting into my skewer and shifting closer to him."Come back here. Don't talk while you eat." Colin reached out to pull me back to my seat.Colin didn't eat much, spending most of the time looking after me. He handed me tissues and sliced the pizza for me—taking care of me in every way."No, I want to hear Colin's romantic tales. Come on, tell me, Aaron. I'm all ears." I pouted, getting Aaron to spill the beans. Colin shot me a glance of indulgence but didn't say anything more."All right, let me tell you about Colt's charm. He's a really popular guy. There is hardly anyone in the whole university who doesn't know him. Let's not talk about the past. Just last year, there was a junior girl who was quite decent-looking. She was a bit shorter than you, and not as pretty. But she was okay."One day, when queuing for food in the cafeteria, she accidentally bumped into Colt. Without any hesitation, Colt
Fine. Since I was unable to get the answer from the others, I decided to ask the person involved."Colin, why did you kick that girl? Tell me what you were thinking at that time." I smiled and approached Colin, getting close enough to smell his scent.Aaron, seemingly fearless after a few drinks, took the opportunity when everyone noticed Colin's changing mood. He provocatively teased him, "Maybe he found her smell unpleasant, haha.""What? Does that girl not take showers? How could she smell that bad? But Colin, that's still not right. If she smelled unpleasant, you should keep your distance. Kicking her out is too much. It's not very gentlemanly.""So, are you saying I should hug her and give her a couple of kisses to be a gentleman?" Colin's face turned gloomier, making it unbearable to look at.I felt helpless at how he misunderstood my simple words.Colin's remark caused a few of the guys, who were in the middle of chugging beer, to choke and spit their drinks out.Colin gl
Felix called to inform me that, due to certain circumstances, Lilac's exchange program ended a week earlier. During the phone call, I could tell he was very happy, and honestly, I was happy too.After all, I no longer had to see her or think about her. Lilac's absolute absence allowed me to finally be at peace. She was like a ticking time bomb placed beside me, bound to cause trouble sooner or later.Somehow, I found myself comparing Felix and Colin. Whenever I was in trouble, Felix either wasn't aware or left me to my own devices. On the other hand, whether intentionally or coincidentally, Colin always protected me.Looking from this perspective, I had to admit Dad was right about one thing. Colin was truly dependable, and it made me even more reliant on him.While I positioned myself as an independent person who avoided troubling others with things I could handle on my own, deep down, I was still a little princess who yearned to be loved.Colin, apart from my parents, was the pe
With most lecturers and students out of campus, only Colin and I were in the usually quiet studio. Apart from watching me eat, he kept reminding me to focus and put more effort into my work. It was so desolate that I felt like crying.Oh, Christmas. The holiday came just once a year, and yet I was forced to waste it. How heartbreaking! I wanted to cry!On the night of the 3rd, I was enslaved until 9:00 pm. Exhausted and sleepy, I snapped that it was bedtime and that I would finish the rest tomorrow.However, Colin adamantly refused, using both soft and hard tactics to drag me into completing the remaining work.At 10:45 pm, he escorted me back to the dormitory. After three consecutive days of working day and night, I was physically and mentally worn out. I was sound asleep as soon as I got into the bed.In my dream, Julia and Queenie were sitting in a restaurant, proudly showing off the photos they took in Verdantmont. The scenery was beautiful, making me want to cross through
"Are you satisfied with what you see?" Colin noticed my stare and glanced at me with a teasing smile.He loved to smile. Sometimes, it was as refreshing as a spring breeze, and at other times, it was warm and gentle. It always made me feel comfortable and relaxed. I would eagerly admire his smile, reluctant to part with it. On the other hand, Felix was always indifferent. Even when he smiled at me, it felt distant and seemingly impossible to gauge his true feelings. The point was that he rarely smiled at me.How should I put it? Felix was like a fragile piece of art that was more suitable to be displayed somewhere to be admired. Colin, however, was like the pillow by your bedside, making you want his company all the time.I remembered the day we first met; Colin teased me the same way he did now. What did I say back then? Oh, I remembered. I was deceived by his looks and foolishly said he was handsome.However, Colin was genuinely good-looking. It was the kind of clean, pure, and
Colin took two quick steps past me and then turned around, walking backward. He pulled out a phone from his pocket and pointed the camera at me. "Yes, and no. Lulu, look at me, smile.""I don't want to smile. Don't take pictures of me. I look ugly."Colin, abandoning his mature and steady demeanor, became lively and playful, with laughter filling the air.He continuously pressed the phone's camera button, paying no attention to whether I was ready or not, snapping candid photos however he liked.Imagining my unattractive appearance in the photos, I became infuriated, chasing after him and demanding that he delete them.Colin, always a step or two ahead, leisurely maintained a lead that I couldn't catch up to. At the same time, he made sure I wasn't left too far behind.This won't do! What if my ugly photos get leaked? That would be the end of me. They had to be deleted.Frowning, I came up with a plan."Ouch!" I pretended to be hurt, stopping and refusing to move forward while
Colin walked with me hand in hand, strolling along the mountain paths just like when we were kids. He shared stories about skilled folk artists I had never heard of, talked about his different interpretations of watercolor paintings, and reminisced about the paths we walked together in our childhood.Under the blue sky and bright sun, surrounded by picturesque scenery, we were like characters from a painting.In the park, there were tandem bicycles. Upon noticing my longing gaze, Colin rented one and took me on a ride, freely traversing the enchanting nature.We collaborated wholeheartedly, struggling to pedal for a long time until my legs were unbearably sore. It was only then we gave up and lay down on the grass to rest.Following that, we stumbled upon a narrow stream. Its water was a clear mirror, reflecting every grain of sand at the bottom. Several rounded stones, some dark red and others pure white, discreetly divided the stream.I naughtily took off my shoes, held them i
Colin soon found a local inn. The owner, upon hearing the sound of the car, came out to give us a warm welcome. He engaged in a friendly conversation with Colin as though they had been friends for many years."Colin, it's been a long time since you've come. Did you finally have a girlfriend? That's great; now I don't have to worry about you.""No, mister. That's not it. I'm Luna, and he's my older brother," I quickly replied before Colin could say anything, feeling a bit embarrassed about being mistaken for his girlfriend."A sister from another mother? Colin, she's even more beautiful than the scenery here. Keep it up!" The owner's eyes contained a hint of encouragement.When Colin shook hands with the owner, his grip was strong—as if they had made some kind of agreement.The owner laughed heartily, telling us to make ourselves at home and that he would take care of our meals and accommodations.For dinner, we had typical northern farmhouse dishes. It was surprisingly delicious,