Chapter 322
“When I was eight, Aunt Mel and her parents moved in next door to your grandma’s house. At that time, she was thin and small. She wore ill–fitting clothes and often sneaked a peek at me from the balcony.
“I’ve known her for over 40 years now, and I’ve been best friends with her for almost 30 years. She has really disappointed me. Lately, I’ve been feeling guilty for letting you be scolded by her in front of so many people.
“It was all because I was blind and mistook a bad person for a friend.”
Mom’s eyes reddened, so I quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe away her tears.
It was impossible not to blame Aunt Mel. After all, the things she said clearly showed that she couldn’t stand seeing Colin and me together. She was ready to break us apart.
But Mom had been friends with Aunt Mel for decades. They were like sisters. despite not being related by blood. Things had gotten to this point. Not only was Mom heartbroken and disappointed, but I was upset as well.
I wanted to comfort Mom, but after thinking for a while, I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t understand their friendship. I was not Mom, so our perspectives. and emotions were different. I couldn’t feel the love Mom had for her.
“By the way, Mom, I went to Colin’s house today. Uncle Austin and Aunt Mel were
out, but Felix came home later.
“Mom, have you noticed anything strange about Felix? The way he looks at me makes me feel like I’m being stared at by a devil. It’s so scary.”
“Yeah, he came over for a while yesterday. He didn’t seem different at first, but when we talked about you and Colin, his expression immediately changed. How should I put it? It felt like there was a wolf lurking around. It was quite terrifying.”
“My feelings exactly, Mom. Do you think he wants to kill me?”
“I don’t think so, but I can’t say for sure what’s going on with him. Regardless, you have to be careful when you go back to school. Try to avoid him as much as
possible.
“He spent so much time with Lilac at school, so his old feedings might be stirred up again after going back. He might do something foolish because of it.
“Your dad and I won’t be around you, so you have to protect yourself and not let him hurt you.”
“I will, Mom,”
The flight back to school was scheduled for three days later. Zara and I discussed meeting up before leaving. We could bring someone before we started packing again..
Zara chose the restaurant. We were planning to go to a Spanish restaurant, but due to Jade’s boyfriend’s allergy, we switched to barbecue,
Since we agreed that we could bring someone with us, both Zara and Jade brought their boyfriends. I asked Colin if he would go with me.
Colin was six years older than me, so I thought he wouldn’t want to join our gathering. But he agreed immediately and said that he would be the best. companion so as to not embarrass me.
While video–chatting with him, he went to the kitchen for some water. Somehow, Felix appeared expressionlessly behind him in the background. He lifted his gaze to glance at the phone without saying a word.
That glance gave me goosebumps,
Colin was dressed formally on the day of the gathering. He was in a dark suit with a tie. His dark pants were wrapped around his long legs, and his black shoes were polished to a shine.
His already outstanding facial features had a few more traces of maturity. His deep eyes were like stars, full of tenderness.
We agreed to meet up/at six in the evening, but when we arrived a quarter before six, everyone was already there.
In the private room for eight people, Jade and Zara were each arm–in–arm with
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their boyfriends as they chatted away happily. They waved at me when they saw me. “We’ve been waiting for you. Why are you so slow?”
“Colin, let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Chris Moyer, and this is Jade’s boyfriend, Drew Lewis. This is Lulu’s boyfriend, Colin White.”
The three men shook hands politely as they greeted each other formally.