Evelyn finished her dessert and looked up. She met Alexander’s gaze. For a moment, she froze. Then she spoke awkwardly, “You said it’s in the past. It’s over. I won’t mind!”
“But your face says you’re sad,” Alexander replied.
Evelyn felt embarrassed. She muttered, “How could I be!”
“It’s okay to be a little jealous sometimes,” Alexander continued.
“Huh?” Evelyn looked up at him, confused. She thought she had misheard him.
“Don’t women like to show they care by getting jealous?” Alexander asked, a small smile playing on his lips.
“Well... no! That’s not true!” Evelyn stammered.
“So you’re saying you’re an exception?”
“No, it depends on the situation!” she mumbled.
“What situation?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been in one yet. I’ll tell you when I am!” Evelyn had to answer.
“Is it okay now?”
“It’s fine!” Evelyn lifted her head to meet his eyes. But the next second, she shrank back. “Actually... I do mind a little,” she admitted.
“What do you mind?” Alexander asked.
“Can I be honest?”
“Yes,” he nodded.
“I mind that all your friends know her. They know you two were together,” Evelyn said, her head low, her voice barely a whisper.
What she really meant was that she was jealous of their shared history. She didn’t know why they broke up. But they must have had unforgettable times together.
“All my friends know you’re my wife now,” Alexander said. “But your friends don’t even know we’re together.”
Evelyn was speechless. He was right. It was her own fault.
She bowed her head for a long time.
Alexander looked at her hair and said, “If you want to know, I can tell you about my past. But I don’t want it to affect us.”
Evelyn looked up and nodded.
“Can I have a cigarette?” he asked.
“Sure,” she agreed. But the next second, she pouted. “Actually, don’t smoke. You’ve been coughing lately. It’s fine if you don’t want to talk. I don’t really want to know that much anyway.”
She was afraid to know. She was afraid it would hurt more.
Alexander held a cigarette and a lighter in his hand. But he didn’t light it.
After a moment, he put the cigarette down. “Some things are better for you to understand. That way, you won’t overthink things in the future.”
“I won’t!” Evelyn said, but her voice sounded hollow.
“I’ve known Grace for a long time. We lived close to each other. We went to the same school. We often played ball games or went on trips together. Back then, I was young. I didn’t know what love was. We just had fun together. We didn’t think too much about it. We stayed close until after graduation. Grace went abroad the second year after I did. She was at the same university as me. We knew each other. Later, because of some harassment, she moved into my rented apartment. That’s why Gabriel said she lived with me. More precisely, we shared an apartment. After she moved in, we sometimes went on outings together. We went to the library to study. We naturally got together. Maybe because we were each other’s first love, we were both very simple. We thought being together meant forever. In my second year of graduate school, my brother had an accident. I was forced to stop my studies and go home to help. That’s when I brought Grace back home. After a while, we broke up.”
His tone was calm. Like he was describing something ordinary.
“Why?” Evelyn asked.
“The reason is simple. I couldn’t forgive her for a while. She suddenly told me she didn’t love me. She said my family was too complicated. She said we weren’t right for each other. After we broke up, she went straight back to school. She moved out of our apartment. Not long after, I heard she had a new boyfriend. That was the end of us,” Alexander said with a bitter smile.
“You got dumped?” Evelyn blurted out.
Alexander looked at her.
Evelyn covered her mouth, embarrassed. At the same time, she felt sorry for him. She never thought such an amazing man could be dumped.
“You’re right. I got dumped. And there was no warning. We were even planning to get married after everything was over,” Alexander admitted.
“So that’s why you don’t pay much attention to Grace now? Because you still hate her?” Evelyn asked.
“Little girl, you’re trying to trap me,” Alexander said, raising an eyebrow.
“No, I’m just curious!” Evelyn denied.
“It’s a lie to say I don’t mind. My life has been pretty smooth since I was a kid. My brother’s accident and getting dumped were the biggest blows I ever took. I was depressed for a while,” Alexander answered honestly.
“Oh. Do you still hate her now?”
“It’s not hate. But I’m not completely over it either.”
“Oh.”
“Next, are you going to ask if I would get back together with her if I had the chance?” Alexander laughed.
“How did you know what I was going to ask?” Evelyn asked, surprised.
“It’s written all over your face.”
“No, it’s not!” Evelyn touched her face and refused to admit it.
“The past is the past. Even if there was a chance to start over, many things can’t go back. It’s the same place, but the wrong person. Besides, I have a little fool now. Dealing with her is exhausting enough. I don’t have the energy for anything else.”
“I’m not a little fool!” Evelyn protested.
“Yes, you are. You’re a big fool,” Alexander said with a smile.
“Hmph. I’m ignoring you!” Evelyn turned her head to look out the window. Suddenly, she got excited. “Alexander, look! A shooting star!”
“That might be astronaut poop.”
“Ugh, you’re disgusting!” Evelyn glared at him.
Alexander burst out laughing.
The heavy memory from just a moment ago was suddenly lightened by Evelyn’s silliness. Something that had weighed on him was now brushed aside.
After dessert, they talked for a long time. Now, it was almost time to go home.
Alexander stood up and led Evelyn out of the private room. They didn’t stop in the lobby. He just nodded to the waiter.
“We haven’t paid yet!” Evelyn whispered.
“We don’t have to,” Alexander said calmly.
“Huh?” Evelyn looked at him, confused.
Alexander leaned close to her ear. “Let’s run. That way, we can skip the bill,” he said in a low voice. Then he grabbed her hand and ran.
Evelyn ran with him. She knew he was joking. But she still felt nervous and excited.
In another private room, Grace O’Sullivan stared out the window. Her thoughts drifted far away.