I was stunned.
“What do you mean, waited so long?”
David and I had met on a blind date recently.
He was smitten with me and proposed after
only a couple of dates.
He was introduced by my parents‘ friends, so
they were naturally thrilled.
I wanted to escape my past, and he felt
strangely familiar, so I agreed.
He took out a picture.
“Look who this is.”
I took it, and it was a group photo from a
company outing at my first job.
Standing behind me in the picture was David!
Even in the photo, his gaze was fixed on me.
Could it be…?
“You were… the IT guy?”
I had been so focused on Josh that I hadn’t
even remembered his name.
And in his standard–issue programmer attire
of plaid shirt and glasses, he had blended in
with the crowd.
He nodded.
“I added you on WeChat several times before
you finally accepted. I tried to ask you out.
But you always seemed busy.”
く
“Then you changed jobs, and I quit to start
my own business. I couldn’t find a reason to
contact you again.”
“I followed your updates online, but they were
all about another guy.”
“When I found out my aunt knew your mom, |
immediately asked them to set us up.”
No wonder I always felt a gaze on me from
the opposite workstation, but when I looked,
there was nothing there.
My face flushed.
He was right. My online presence had been
filled with Josh.
I had forgotten that I could also shine when I
focused on my work.
“Sorry, I’ll delete all of that.”
He hugged me, his voice low and gentle.
“No need. Everyone has a past. As long as
your future is with me, that’s all that matters.”
“I just hope you can open your heart and
leave a little space for me.”
I hugged him back.
“Then you’ll have to work hard to fill my heart
completely!”
Under the bright moon, we laughed and
played in our new home, happy and content.
I saw Josh again at our post–wedding brunch.
He looked thin and lost.
His eyes lit up when he saw me, but the light
dimmed when he saw David beside me.
He avoided my gaze and left.
His friends followed, looking apologetically at
- me.
“Ashley, Josh hasn’t moved on. Don’t mind
him.”
Mike looked embarrassed.
“We were really out of line before. We hope
you can be the bigger person and not hold it
against us.”
I waved my hand, neither forgiving nor
condemning.
It was all in the past. Holding onto it would
only hurt me.
Later, I heard that Sarah went back to Josh.
She even offered herself to him to win him
back.
But Josh kicked her out before she could
even finish undressing.
It was a messy scene, and Sarah held a
grudge against him.
She then found a thug boyfriend who beat
Josh so badly he was hospitalized for months.
When I heard, I only felt that the world was a
giant circle.
People always regret what they’ve done, but
time moves on.
After that, I never heard anything about Josh
again.
Until a few years later, David and I returned to
our alma mater for an alumni event.
TUI all alu
- IL.
I excitedly dragged him to the cafeteria for
my favorite tomato noodles.
“Hey, can I get extra sauce, please?”
David chuckled, nuzzling my nose.
“You little foodie.”
The masked worker in the back of the
cafeteria paused.
He looked down, handing me a bowl piled
high with tomatoes and eggs.
I thanked him with a sweet smile, but he
looked away.
He looked familiar. David noticed my
hesitation.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just feels like I’ve seen him
somewhere before.”
Walking under the trees, David suddenly
asked,
“Do you think he regrets changing your
く
somewhere before.”
Walking under the trees, David suddenly
asked,
“Do you think he regrets changing your
college application?”
He had recognized him too. The cafeteria
worker was Josh.
I hugged David’s arm.
“Are you jealous?”
“Hardly. I should be thanking him. If he hadn’t
made that mistake, I would never have met
you.”
I nodded.
“You’re right. I’m grateful to him too.”
Grateful that he taught me to cherish the
present.
“Come on, let’s go see our old classrooms.”
