Chapter 65 First Time Going Home in Six Years
Camilla grinned and defended her pick. "Now it really looks more like you."
She shook the little figurine, and Sebastian laughed.
"Now it doesn't look much like you."
In the end, Sebastian took it and thanked her.
Camilla said, "No problem. The light's green."
When she got home, it was already midnight.
Before leaving, Camilla had cleaned the house top to bottom and even booked a cleaning service for her return. It was spotless, like she hadn't been gone for days.
She took a shower, flopped onto her soft bed, and breathed in the scent of her body wash, squinting in satisfaction.
No matter where she went, home was always the best.
Meanwhile, Sebastian was still up.
His experiment was wrapping up its first phase, and he'd been crazy busy lately, barely finding time to hit the airport.
So, he planned to take a shower, change clothes, and head back to the lab.
While putting on his shoes in the hallway, he glanced up and saw the figurine Camilla had given him.
He'd placed it on the bookshelf above the shoe cabinet, in a little nook surrounded by books.
He couldn't help but smile; it really did look like him.
A heavy snow had blanketed the city, and when Camilla opened the window, the world looked like it was wearing a new white coat.
Just past eight, the neighborhood kids were already out in groups, building snowmen downstairs.
Their laughter mixed with the calls of street vendors, creating a lively vibe.
When Camilla went downstairs to grab some groceries, she saw snowmen of all shapes and sizes lined up neatly.
The biggest one had two fruit pits for eyes and a pink plastic pinwheel on its head, looking a bit like Doraemon at first glance.
Camilla had already walked past but then turned back, sticking a small tomato from her basket as its nose.
She stepped back, admired her work, and nodded in satisfaction.
She bought some beef, planning to make spicy beef strips and use the rest for soup with some fresh, crisp radishes.
Camilla heard a knock on the door, took off her apron, and went to open it.
It was her neighbor from the third floor, a middle-aged woman who smiled, deepening the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. "Camilla, so you're back. My daughter-in-law just had a baby girl a few days ago. These are some eggs we cooked ourselves, and everyone in the building gets some. Here, these are for you."
She had always looked out for Camilla, knowing she lived alone.
Hearing the good news, Camilla was genuinely happy for her.
She thanked her and brought out some of her homemade desserts and beef sauce.
The neighbor was surprised and tried to refuse, "Oh, you shouldn't have! I didn't give you the eggs expecting anything in return."
Camilla replied, "I made it myself. I just want you to try it and see if it's any good."
Then the neighbor didn't refuse further.
"By the way, your neighbor Sebastian is usually out early and back late. I've come by several times, but no one answered. Could you give him these eggs for me?"
With that, she remembered she had to take chicken soup to her daughter-in-law at the hospital and went back home.
Camilla looked down at the eggs in her hand, a bit puzzled. If she remembered correctly, Sebastian didn't seem to like boiled eggs much?
At ten o'clock in the evening, the snow began to fall silently again.
Sebastian shook off his umbrella, and the snow fell off, quickly turning into water.
There had been some issues with the experiment, and the constant problems had left even him a bit wiped out.
He hadn't had a good night's sleep in days, and today, the experimental data had finally been corrected to safe values, so he decided to give everyone a two-day break.
Sebastian took out his keys and was about to turn the doorknob when he heard a sound behind him.
Warm yellow light spilled out from the door crack, lighting up the floor and him, brightening the dim hallway. Camilla's voice, like a warm source in the cold winter, followed.
"Sebastian, you're back early today. The neighbor on the third floor had a granddaughter recently, and she brought some eggs over this afternoon. Your share is with me. Wait a moment, and I'll get it for you."
Sebastian's senses were sharper than most, and hearing Camilla's clear and gentle voice, his mind slowed a beat. It wasn't until a small basket was placed in his hands, containing several round eggs and the beef bone soup she had made today, that he snapped back to reality.
After a moment, Sebastian finally responded with a low, hoarse "Thanks."
A cold wind blew through the hallway, and Camilla shivered. "I've reheated the soup and eggs. Eat them while they're warm. I'll close the door now."
"Okay."
The brief light went out, and the door closed again.
Sebastian entered his apartment, turned on the light, and the empty room seemed especially cold today.
He rubbed his tired forehead, unscrewed the lid, and saw a few scallions floating on the hot soup. The radishes were soft and flavorful. He took a bite, and the seasoning was just right.
Sebastian glanced at the eggs beside him, looking a bit conflicted, but eventually peeled one and ate it with the beef bone soup. He thought, 'It isn't so bad after all.'
Soon, his body warmed up.
He lazily leaned back on the sofa, letting his thoughts wander, feeling more relaxed.
His phone buzzed on the table. Without looking, he knew who it was.
In recent years, he had been abroad, always missing family gatherings.
This year, he planned to stay in Imperial City long-term, so family gatherings were inevitable.
Sure enough, having ignored the call in the morning, messages came flooding in.
Sebastian picked up his phone. As expected, most were from his mother, Paloma Dixon, expressing concern and probing questions, while a few were from his siblings, asking about his well-being.
Only one message was from his father, Cedric Russell, urging him to come home.
Sebastian replied to each one, saying he would finish his work soon.
Putting down his phone, Sebastian's gaze fell on the thermos. The soup was almost gone, with only two pieces of radish left.
He suddenly thought that by the time he returned from the gathering, it would be after Christmas.
He wondered, 'Would Camilla stay in Imperial City for Christmas?'
Sebastian had tried several times to return the thermos but never managed to catch Camilla at home.
Meanwhile, Camilla had already packed her bags and headed to the train station.
She hadn't been home in six years.
After hesitating for a long time on the ticket purchase page, exiting and re-entering several times, she finally pressed the buy button.
Some things couldn't be avoided forever; they must be faced eventually.
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