My heart ached. Flynn had suffered the ordeal once and didn't want Colin and me to suffer it. His words also made me believe that he was still the arrogant lad who was in love with Queenie. Yet amidst the vicissitudes of life and the various temptations, he lost himself."Thank you.""Hang in there. If you need me, call me. I'm available 24/7.""Okay."It felt assuring to know that many people wanted to help me in this predicament. We'd all face a bumpy journey here and there. But by persevering and clinging to our roots, we would survive it no matter how daunting it looked.I fell asleep soundly, and the next morning, I felt revitalized. The sky outside was extra sunny too. My breakfast was on the table, alongside a small note, "Lulu, I've gone to my training. I'll let you know when it's over. Take care of yourself when I'm not around."If you encounter any danger, call the police or contact Winston. Also, you must do your squats for at least an hour every day!"I understood wh
Even if my calls or texts couldn't reach Colin, he might see my posts. If he saw that I was happy and not sad, he wouldn't have to worry about me. Then, he could focus on getting rid of Jasmine.After the lecture, I went to Crystal House to gather my painting tools. My Tudor-style mural project had been completed. It was a milestone in my career. After this, I would stop visiting Crystal House so that I could focus on my thesis.The question about pigments proved to be quite challenging, and it was time to work on it. If I wanted to score well, I had to work very hard. As soon as I arrived at Crystal House, Winston appeared behind me as if he had been tailing me.By right, he should be in a lecture. Why was he here? Even though we only started painting together recently, I was familiar with his timetable. Furthermore, I subbed for his lecture too, so I had his timetable memorized by heart. "Did you skip your lecture?" I asked him with a frown.He was about to talk to me, but my s
"So why are you throwing a fit here, then? I didn't do anything to you, did I? You don't have to help me if you don't want to. No one's forcing you."Winston gritted his teeth. He was visibly on the verge of a violent outburst. "What's wrong with you? If it weren't because—never mind. You won't understand anyway. Fine, I'm here to be your slave. Once we're done packing everything up, I'll send you back."Well, far be it from me to reject free labor. I accepted his gratuitous help. It took us two trips to finish moving everything. When we were done, it was already afternoon. Winston wanted to buy me lunch, but I turned him down. What Colin told me was ingrained in my mind.I then ran toward the cafeteria, praying that there would be a slice of pizza left for me. My hard work was rewarded because when I rushed to the cafeteria, the kitchen helper was wondering if she should keep the last slice to herself or sell it.The owner of the stall was a pizza expert. His dough was so fluffy,
Back then, I thought Colin was being dramatic. It was just pineapple. Did he have to make a philosophy lesson out of it? And now, I realized that he wasn't talking about pineapple. He was using it to allude to our relationship.He had already foreseen back then that I might have trouble accepting his feelings. So, he used his own way to tell me to get used to him and accept him. In exchange, I would have the best boyfriend in the world and lead a happy life.It was exactly like the feeling one had when eating pizza with pineapple. One's taste buds would be stimulated in such a different way that no other food could ever come close to it. That day, I had pizza with pineapple for the first time. The sweet and savory combo was addictive.Before I knew it, I already finished the whole pizza. Since then, I fell in love with it. When I was studying at Lincoln University, I had to eat it twice per month. Otherwise, my craving could not be quelled. Initially, I merely loved how it tasted. T
Hannah sat down, accepted the cutlery, and ate the pizza. After chewing it, she pouted. "It tastes weird."Weird? She was eating the best pizza there was. Had she not eaten pizza with pineapple before? How ignorant.She put down the cutlery and eyed the remaining pizza. Then, she mumbled, "Luna, the pizza will leave a bad breath in your mouth. Make sure you get a mint later."I chuckled out loud. Of course, Hannah couldn't take it. No one could understand the love and bond between Colin and me. Regardless, I would make sure that I bought mints later. I couldn't possibly ask others to put up with my stinky breath because of my alimentary preferences.Hannah ordered a plate of penne with arrabbiata sauce. She added extra chili flakes on top. As she ate, her eyes turned watery from the spiciness, but she never stopped eating. It was as if she was doing it to vent something."Hannah, your face is going to break out with the amount of chili flakes you just ingested. Don't do that to yo
I gave a wry smile. What a corny line in the 21st century! But the sincerity with which she uttered that statement was commendable. "I can give you a tip." I winked at her."Yes, please!" Hannah pressed down her stained sweater and leaned closer to the table as if I were about to tell her a national secret. She whispered, "Please give me some tips, Luna.""You know how we hate clingy guys? The same doesn't apply to men." I hinted at a clue.Hannah took some time to process what I had just said. Her eyes rolled around her orbital sockets until she reached an epiphany. Then, her ruby lips curled into a smile as her eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! Once he returns, I'll buzz around him non-stop like a honey bee."I'll charm him with my allure. And when push comes to shove, I shall baby-trap him. He won't run away. There's no way I can't win his heart like that."Atta girl! However, what did she mean by "once Felix returns"? Was he away? What about the three-day promise he had with
Did I piss Jasmine off so much that she harmed Colin out of spite? Was that why Professor King and Felix had to intervene? To save him? For a second, millions of scenarios assaulted my mind.My senior laughed out loud. "You should see how pale you are now. You're reading too much into this. Relax. Professor King is needed elsewhere, so he won't be back this afternoon. Before he left, he knew that you'd panic and come here, so he asked me to wait for you here."Urgh. There were many means to communicate right now, but the wise Professor King picked the most inefficient one."Did Professor King leave a message?" Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked someone to wait for me in his office."Yes. He said and I quote, 'Luna, let's stick to the original plan. Don't do anything reckless. Wait for me to come back.'" My senior imitated Professor King's expression and tone as he relayed the message to me. He made it look goofy. I knew he wanted to cheer me up, but I couldn't feel any happiness.P
The call went through. The regular, robotic beep sent chills down my spine. I prayed and prayed that Xavier would pick up. As Professor King's only son, surely he had to know where Professor King was. As the duration on my screen continued to increase, so did the dread I felt.Xavier was not picking up his phone either. Why? Right when my brain was scrambling for a solution for when he did not answer the call, the duration reached 51 seconds, and I thought I should give up. All of a sudden, Xavier picked up."Yes, Luna? What can I help with?" His hoarse voice was laced with surprise and exhaustion.I chuckled wryly. "You're my junior. Can't I just call you for a quick catch-up session?""Please. You must want something from me. Spill it now. I've been awake for 45 hours, and I'm exhausted. Please don't keep me away from my sweet bed."What the heck? Did he just order me around? However, since I needed something for him, I had to coddle him. "Professor King isn't at the college, an