Chapter 223
I tried calling Colin after the lecture, but his phone was off, so I sent a message instead. Still, I didn’t receive a response.
It was the first time he turned off his phone and failed to respond to my messages in time. I couldn’t help but worry about his safety.
I tried calling multiple times, but his phone was still unreachable.
While waiting for my meal in the cafeteria, I realized how Colin must have felt when I didn’t respond to his messages or calls yesterday.
It turned out it was uncomfortable to wait for someone’s reply. But he had patiently waited for me many times, never once complaining.
He doted on me a lot, which made me feel touched.
As he still hadn’t responded to my messages, I became so absent–minded during the afternoon lecture that I wasn’t even in the mood to attend the rehearsal.
It was also at this time that I began to feel more concerned about Colin. I could feel him. becoming more important to me.
After the lecture, I went to the classroom to rehearse.
My childhood friend, Felix, knew me so well that he could sense my bad mood. Instead of asking questions, he opened the balcony window to let fresh air in. Then, he handed me a long, large box.
“What’s this?“. I looked at the shape of the box and could already guess what was inside.
He didn’t answer my question but opened the box instead.
A brand new guitar appeared before me. It was in a light gold color with elegant lines, making it look simple yet delicate. It was my favorite style.
As I admired the guitar, Felix smiled and looked at me with clear eyes. “Give it a try. It sounds good.”
“How did you know?” I asked him curiously.
He laughed and said in a teasing tone, “We grew up together. How could I not know what you were thinking? You were staring at my guitar yesterday.”
+35 BONUS
Looking at the silver knob on the headstock, I smiled knowingly. Indeed, I liked his guitar so much that I was eager to try and play it.
I strummed the guitar softly. The sound gently rippled across my heart, transporting me through time.
“I haven’t seen you touch the guitar in years. Get familiar with it first. If possible, we can perform together.”
After spending all night thinking about it, I couldn’t wait any longer to play the guitar. I eagerly picked it up, tuned it, and plucked the strings.
As soon as my fingers touched the strings, a familiar sensation washed over me. However, the music came out in stutters.
After five years, I was no longer familiar with many things. Even my fingers were so unfamiliar with the guitar that they were stiff.
Felix sat beside me and patiently corrected my hand placement while explaining the playing techniques.
After one hour, I finally became proficient and played a complete tune successfully. I high- fived Felix in surprise. “I did it! Maybe we can play the guitar together in the performance!”
He rubbed my head with a smile. “Of course. As long as you want to, you’ll surely do your best in anything.”
I wasn’t sure if he was intentionally flattering me. But regardless, I was happy to be able to pick up the guitar again without suffering from any negative emotions.
It was a sign that I had moved on from the past and wasn’t bothered by unworthy things. After so many years, I never expected that I would be able to discover the joy of the past:
I first learned how to play guitar to keep up with Felix. However, as I got more involved, I realized I actually enjoyed it. Specifically, I was drawn to the image of a long–haired woman standing in the wind while stepping on rocks and swaying in the breeze.
Ever since I had that thought, my initial motivation appeared trivial.
When Felix and I successfully played the piece to be performed at the orientation party, I was happier than I imagined.
Despite my performance being imperfect, I still had two days to practice and improve my playing.