10 Chapter 10
For the next few days, we could see Garrison at sunset.
He stood motionless under the cedar tree like a scarecrow.
Dane took the soda from my hand and scolded,
“That’s enough, you’ve already had your second one today.”
“How come you still haven’t kicked that habit of guzzling cold drinks from seven years ago?”
I pouted and teased him,
“Because no one was there to stop me for those seven years.”
“Whenever I think of you, my heart burns up, so I can only cool down with cold drinks.”
Dane ruffled my hair and said,
“Well, I’m back to take care of you now, aren’t I?”
“Then you’d better take care of me for life.”
“Of course, I’ll look after you for a lifetime.” With that, he got up to take my drink inside.
I stood up to follow him in, but he stopped me.
Dane nodded in Garrison’s direction and said,
“He’s been standing there for days now. Are you really not going to talk to him?”
I said somewhat plaintively,
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“You actually want me to go talk to him?”
Dane chuckled and joked,
“If you don’t go, I will. But I’m not as kind–hearted as you.”
“Every time I see him, I can barely resist the urge to go over there and punch him for getting you hurt!“Hearing this, I quickly tried to stop him, saying,
“Don’t! What are you joking about?”
“If you get hurt, the company will nag and take you back for repairs. Then I won’t be able to see you anymore.”
Dane pushed the door open slightly, stepping one foot in, then left with a parting remark,
“Valentine’s Day is coming up in a couple days. I don’t want a third wheel hanging around here, so darling, please do me a favor and chase him away!”
Hearing the word “darling,” I couldn’t help but blush.
While grumbling that I never agreed to anything, I obediently walked towards Garrison.
Seeing me approach, the person who had been leaning against the tree trunk immediately stood up straight.
“Jolene, I……”
I cut him off abruptly, asking bluntly,
“What else do you want? Is there anything else that’s unclear? You’d better ask everything now, so I can answer it all at once.”
I shook my head, pointing at the ashtray on the table, saying,
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“Goodbye.” Garrison seemed to want to say something but hesitated, after a long while he finally murmured,
“Do you remember? No matter how late I came home, you would always leave a light on for me, and keep a bowl of chicken soup warm. And that watch I really liked before, when we went sailing I accidentally dropped it in the water, and as soon as you found out, you immediately jumped in to retrieve it……“I cut him off with a stone–faced expression.
“Are you trying to help me remember all the shitty things you’ve done?”
“As I recall, you threw out chicken soup and told me not to do these mushy things. I remember coming out of the water soaking wet, and then you said the watch was dirty and you didn’t want it anymore.”
Garrison looked embarrassed, then apologized,
“I did say those awful things and hurt you, but I’ve realized now that I probably fell in love with you long ago. I just didn’t dare admit it.”
“I’m telling you this because I want you to be clear about your
feelings. Maybe what you feel for my brother is just nostalgia, but with me, those seven years were real emotions, weren’t they?”
I looked at him coldly and said,
“Garrison, you’re really nothing like your brother.”
“Sometimes I wonder how I managed to get through those long seven years with you.”
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“Listen carefully. I made chicken soup because that was the first dish Dane taught me. When we were abroad, we used to make it every day. It became a habit.”
“As for that watch, have you forgotten? It was Dane’s memento. Even in the moment I jumped, the name I was thinking of was Dane’s.““You’re not in love with me either. You just miss the feeling of having someone fawning over you.”
“But I’m different from you. I know exactly how deeply I love Dane.”
“You’ve had your own unattainable pure love before, haven’t you? Melody is a perfect example. But in the end, it all fell apart.”
“What’s out of reach always stirs desire, but once obtained, it’s taken for granted. Garrison, you’re quite despicable.”
“Anything else you want to say?”
Garrison lowered his head before me, his expression hidden in the shadowy backlight. I couldn’t see it clearly, nor did I care to.
Seeing his prolonged silence, I turned and left.
As I turned back to close the door, he had already started walking back the way he came.
This time, I’m sure we’ll never see each other again.
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