Chapter Forty-Eight

"Jocelyn!"

Samson Nan stood a few meters away from her.

"Um, are you feeling better now?"

"Ah, yeah."

Feeling better? Is he talking about being drunk? Though unsure, she still answered that way.

"That's good, then."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just a little dizzy still."

"Oh..."

He scratched his head and grinned.

"It's the first time I've seen you drink so much and get completely drunk."

"Is that so?"

Why? Why talk about trivial things?

"By the way, you also threw up all over the place. It was quite a mess to clean up."

"Oh."

Why? Why not mention what I did even though I did it?

Are you also running away?

A strange feeling rushed through her mind like an electric current. Was it disappointment or feeling lost? She didn't know.

"Um..."

"Um..."

...

Both of them spoke at the same time, but then there was silence.

She, who was usually straightforward, hated this feeling.

With their gazes avoiding each other, where should they look? It's funny, she used to worry about these things.

"Sigh..."

A light sigh broke the silence.

It wasn't just these two who felt uncomfortable because of this eerie atmosphere.

"Brother."

Raina Nan, who hadn't spoken since earlier, spoke up and looked at him.

She held out her right hand, palm open.

"I'm going to buy a cup of milk tea."

Her eyelids drooped, and her face showed little expression.

"Ah? Oh."

As if being awakened, he hesitated for a moment and took ten dollars out of his bag to give her.

Raina Nan took the money and walked towards the milk tea shop near the school gate.

She couldn't continue this charade anymore.

And then, only the two of them remained standing at the school gate.

"That day..."

After thinking for a while, Jocelyn York spoke first.

"I scared you, didn't I?"

She could feel her voice trembling, but nevertheless, she put on a smile to make herself appear less nervous.

"Not really, um, you were drunk, right..."

Samson Nan smiled and knew what she wanted to say.

"Yeah..."

She knew he was making excuses for her.

But unfortunately, she didn't need that kind of pity.

"But I don't regret it."

She looked up and stared into his eyes.

"..."

"It might sound strange if I say it out loud, but whether I'm shameless or behaving like a rogue, if I had another chance..."

She said, squinting her eyes, laughing without any restraint.

"I would still do the same thing."

"Luo..."

"And also!"

He wanted to speak, but she interrupted him with her voice.

Raising her volume slightly, she was afraid she might not finish saying what she wanted to say and retreat prematurely.

"I, well, I didn't know how Samson Nan felt, so I hesitated, hesitated, and even became afraid. As time went by, I started to think, is it okay to be able to see each other anytime, chat together, and go out together? I constantly convinced myself like that..."

She said, taking a small step closer to him.

"But in the end, I was just too greedy."

Stopping a distance away from him, she looked up, engaging in a staredown.

"Did my feelings get through this time?"

A moment of silence, but this time, she didn't wait too long.

"Yeah."

He nodded and took a deep breath.

"Jocelyn, I..."

"STOP!!!"

"Huh?"

The words he was about to say were choked back by her sudden reaction.

"I don't want to hear it right now!"

"Huh?"

He was dumbfounded, standing in place.

"I mean, I want to wait a little longer..."

Her eyes wandered, not knowing where to look. Where did that relentless Jocelyn York go just now?

"Your leg is shaking, you know."He couldn't help but remind her that something had been off with her since earlier.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Mhmm," he chuckled. The Jocelyn York he knew was not a timid girl.

"It's cold, isn't it?" She grumbled, not quite convinced.

"..."

"You don't have to answer about that right away, anyway..."

Her voice became quieter, her face slightly flushed, saying something.

"...What did you say?"

Her voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's, he intentionally moved closer, but still couldn't hear.

"Well, I mean, it's about my first... my first kiss... I've already given it to you... Do you just want to leave it at that..."

She pointed at her lips, saying it again, still very softly, but he could barely hear it.

"Why are you saying such serious things without any embarrassment?"

He knocked her head playfully, looking at her with a mischievous smile.

"Well, you made me say it!"

Her face turned as red as a monkey's butt, and she wished she could dig a hole and bury herself. After all, when had the great Jocelyn York ever experienced such humiliation?

"Seriously, I'm going home!"

She said, turning around to leave, but after a few steps, she ran back.

"Just think about it, okay?"

"Uh, sure."

...

Jocelyn York left, but left him with a difficult problem to solve. How should he respond? That was the question.

"Just let me know when you've figured it out..."

He looked up, glanced at the darkening sky, and muttered to himself.

Because they were so familiar with each other, there was actually a lack of authenticity. What kind of feeling was this? It would probably take some time to figure it out.

"What are you saying?"

"Wow!"

He was startled and took a step back.

"Little one, can't you make a sound? You scared me!"

"..."

Raina Nan held a cup of milk tea, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"You heard?"

"What?"

She tilted her head.

"Nothing, it's nothing..."

"..."

After a while, she finally spoke again.

"Let's go home."

"Uh..."

He hesitated for a moment before responding.

He thought she would ask what had just happened, but she didn't mention a word, which was unexpected.

...

But all the way home, she didn't say much.

The cold wind stirred her hair, and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. It turned out that her silence could be unsettling as well.

"Little one," he couldn't help but speak first.

"Yeah?"

"Want to eat something?"

"Whatever," she lowered her head and looked at her phone.

"Do you want to have Japanese food?"

"Uh? Okay..."

She was taken aback for a moment. When did he become so generous?

"By the way, you haven't bought clothes in a while, right?"

"Huh? Yeah."

"After we eat, let's go to the mall. Spring clothes just came out, you can pick a few things," he suggested.

"..."

What on earth? That's what she was thinking at the moment.

"Bro," she suddenly stopped in her tracks and stood still.

"What's wrong?"

He turned around and looked at her.

"You..."

Her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Did you do something to upset me?"

"What are you saying?"

He couldn't help but become nervous.

"Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?"

She looked at him with suspicion.

"Little one, I don't like it when you say things like that. When have I ever been mean to you? We should have a conscience as human beings."

"..."

"Don't overthink it."

"Really?"

She looked into his eyes, unwavering.

One second.

Two seconds.

"Uh, well..."

Unconsciously, he averted his gaze.

"Is that so?"

Her pupils flickered with a momentary dullness.

"Alright, let's go eat something delicious!"

He smiled lightly, wanting to touch her head with his hand.But she opened it with her hand.

"Don't touch me, fraud..."

"Rain, I..."

He suddenly had a pained expression on his face, struggling to explain something.

"Forget it, I don't want to listen to your nonsense."

She interrupted him, quickly stepping forward.

Is she angry?

After walking a few meters, she turned back.

The glaring sunset was a bit dazzling, and against the light, he couldn't see her expression clearly.

"Idiot."

She said this.

"..."

He slightly opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but he realized that he couldn't say a single word.