Chapter 240
After bowing several times, the applause gradually subsided.
As we left the stage, Felix took my hand.
The moment our fingers touched, I instinctively pulled back. It seemed Felix had anticipated my reaction as he immediately tightened his grip, solidifying this act of holding hands.
Since knowing Felix for 22 years, this was the first time we genuinely held hands. And this happened under the watchful eyes of thousands, in a manner where I was reluctant but he was forceful.
The Luna Lawson from before she turned 18 might have eagerly anticipated such an act of holding hands with the dream of her youth. But the Luna Lawson of today only felt resistant.
Yet, faced with so many onlookers, I couldn’t just pull my hand away. Doing so would not only damage Felix’s dignity but also lead to all sorts of speculation from those countless
eyes.
I simply accepted the situation after finding no way to withdraw my hand.
It was just a collaborative performance. It was pure, open, and honest. There was nothing shameful about it, so why avoid him and let people speculate?
Once we were backstage and the curtain had shielded us from the audience’s view, I quickly withdrew my hand. I shook it uncomfortably.
Felix, who had been smiling just moments ago, immediately turned frosty. He seemed to be gritting his teeth when he said, “It’s just holding hands. Do you need to make such a big deal
out of it?”
He’d always been presumptuous, thinking that everything he did was without fault. He never considered if his actions would put others in difficult positions or lead to
consequences.
He was like this five years ago and remained unchanged today.
Indeed, a leopard couldn’t change its spots. He was probably born with this personality and wouldn’t change no matter who the other party was.
I lost any desire to stay any longer after this hand–holding incident.
As I was leaving, I ran into Hannah.
Felix was following not too far behind me.
But she was blocking me, saying that everyone had agreed to celebrate after the successful performance. They wanted to have a big party as a reward for the many days of rehearsal.
My involvement in the performance was merely due to Hannah’s persistent coaxing, while Felix being my co–performer was just an accident.
Every time I thought about interacting with him, the scene from our senior year Thanksgiving would automatically come to mind.
I had always been resistant to be with him. I couldn’t understand why I felt this way, but I just didn’t want to face him.
This collaboration forcibly tied us together, and I had been feeling uncomfortable every day. More importantly, I was bothered by the high probability that Lilac would cause trouble for me. I’ve had enough of her antics over the years.
Now that the performance was over, our collaboration had ended. Naturally, there was no need for further interaction.
As for the celebration, I had no intention of joining.
I had made it a point to avoid being where Felix was in recent years. It wasn’t that I was afraid or worried about anything, and neither did I have any ulterior motives. I just simply didn’t want to have any contact with him. And I especially didn’t want to cause a fuss with Lilac over him as it would affect my mood.
After declining Hannah’s invitation, I returned to my apartment alone with my guitar. I’d rest tonight so that everything would return to normal tomorrow. I was me, he was him. We shouldn’t have anything to do with each other.
As I left the performance venue behind, I left the commotion as well.
Ladjusted the guitar on my shoulder as I looked back at the lively orientation party. Even though it was right in front of me, it felt like a different world.
I was better suited to silence.