“No, but that doesn’t rule out special circumstances!” Charlie hesitated.
“I won’t. Even if she takes off those smoky glasses and puts on makeup, I’d recognize her in a second. Back then, I thought the same as you. I figured I misread it, or it was just some ad photo. But it wasn’t. Those were Anjou and Gu Mo’s wedding pictures. Their wedding was held at the end of last year. My classmate’s older brother was there too. He was their wedding photographer.” Noah answered.
Charlie was completely stunned.
Just then, Evelyn and Alexander walked out of the hall.
Alexander wrapped his arm around Evelyn’s shoulder.
Evelyn looked up at him, not knowing what to say. A sweet smile spread across her face.
They got into the car. The vehicle slowly pulled away from the hotel entrance.
Charlie stared in disbelief until the taillights vanished.
She finally turned to Noah, her face still frozen in shock.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you home.” Noah was much calmer than Charlie. He looked like someone who had accepted reality long ago, someone numb to any kind of blow.
“So that’s why you told Anjou to be your sister tonight, instead of your girlfriend?” Charlie stared at Noah and finally asked.
“Do you think I ever had a chance?” Noah looked down at her and asked.
“You had a chance. But you missed it. You’ve been missing it all along!” Charlie shouted, her voice shaking.
Noah didn’t argue. He just looked at her quietly.
Charlie felt like a fool.
It hurt to be deceived by her best friend. And now, the guy she liked had been rejected too. She was just as pathetic.
Finally, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She grabbed Noah and sobbed.
Noah let her cry. After a long time, he patted her back and comforted her. “Charlie, maybe things aren’t as bad as you think.”
“How can they not be bad? Look at this!”
“Anjou isn’t the type to play games. She must have had some reason to hide it from you.” Noah kept trying to soothe her.
“And you’re still defending her at a time like this?”
“I know Anjou. She’s not that kind of person. I believe her.” Noah’s voice was soft.
“Believe my ass. You’ve been dumped!”
Noah gave a bitter smile.
Charlie cried for a long time. She wiped her nose on Noah’s sweater. Then she let him go and warned him, “Don’t tell anyone I cried like this. It’s ugly.”
“I won’t.” Noah shook his head with a smile.
“Forget it. Let’s not go back. Let’s find a place to drink. Maybe we’ll sleep better tonight.”
“No more drinking. You’ll just get drunk again.”
“Getting drunk is better than feeling like this.”
“Getting drunk won’t solve anything.”
“Noah, you know what I hate most about you? No matter what happens, you always act like you don’t care. You pretend to be indifferent. If you really didn’t care, you wouldn’t have come back for Anjou’s birthday. She forgot her own birthday, but you remembered it so clearly. Was it worth it?”
“I don’t know if it was worth it. If you feel bad, I’ll go shopping with you.” Noah answered patiently.
“I must have been cursed in eight past lives to fall for someone like you.” Charlie finally said angrily, her voice insincere.
“I’m sorry.” Noah said.
“It’s not your fault!” Charlie snapped.
He just laughed.
The two of them walked away from the hotel. Behind them, their shadows stretched longer and longer, growing fainter. Just like their mood at that moment.
Evelyn sat on the sofa in the lounge area, quietly waiting for Alexander to pick her up.
In the private room earlier, her sister Victoria had called. She said she was going to Hong Kong on business tomorrow and asked if Evelyn wanted anything.
Evelyn thought for a moment and asked her to bring back a platinum bracelet from the counter.
She had seen the design in a brochure before and really liked it, but it hadn’t arrived at the local stores yet.
After Noah and Charlie went downstairs, Evelyn sat alone in the lounge. She called Alexander and told him the celebration was over and they were heading back.
Alexander said he was nearby and asked her to wait for him in the lobby.
Evelyn fiddled with her phone, lost in thought.
Tonight, everyone had helped her celebrate her birthday. She was truly moved.
Over the years, she had never made a habit of celebrating her Gregorian birthday. But Noah always sent her a birthday wish every year on that date.
Not this year, though. So she had forgotten.
She hadn’t expected that tonight, a few classmates would specially celebrate her Gregorian birthday.
She knew the evening must have been organized by Noah. Otherwise, with Charlie’s careless nature, she wouldn’t have remembered Evelyn’s birthday, let alone her own.
And Noah had arrived late, clearly just getting off the plane.
Some people, some moments, were once beautiful. But once missed, they stayed frozen at that point in time, unable to move forward.
So when they played games tonight, Noah had told her—
“Anjou, be my sister. If anyone bullies you in the future, I’ll teach them a lesson for you.”
In truth, she wanted to cry.
The moment she met Noah’s eyes, she suddenly understood. He might already know.
Years ago, they had been called to the dean’s office for being accused of puppy love. When they came out, he had joked, half-seriously, “Maybe we should just pretend it’s real. Wouldn’t that be something?”
But it was over now.
In the end, it was all missed.
As Evelyn drifted off, a slender figure caught her eye.
She looked up and saw Grace O’Sullivan, the busy lobby manager, not far away.
Maybe she was never meant to be with Noah. Just like Grace and Alexander, all she could do was sigh after missing her chance.
Evelyn remembered Alexander’s words: Don’t dwell on the past. Cherish the present and the future.
She let out a sigh. Forget it. No more dwelling.
Even if they didn’t end up together, it didn’t mean the next person they met wouldn’t be a better fit.
So if it was missed, just wish each other well.
Just as Evelyn was thinking this, she saw Alexander walk into the lobby.
He wore a smoky gray suit. He had clearly been at a dinner party tonight, but there was no sign of drunkenness.
He walked straight toward her.
She hadn’t even told him she was waiting in this lounge area.
Evelyn smiled for a long time.
Maybe they had been missing each other all along, just so they could wait for the right person.
Alexander walked over and looked down at Evelyn. He frowned and asked, “Whose lost child is this?”
“Yours.” Evelyn replied with a smile.
“Are you sure?” Alexander asked, smiling as he reached out his hand.
“Sure and certain.” Evelyn took his hand and stood up.
“How did you end up like this?” Alexander wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her toward the door.
“A few classmates got carried away and started a cake fight. Lucky for me, I was smart enough to hide under the table. Otherwise, I’d look even worse right now.” Evelyn said triumphantly.