Chapter 162: Perspective
After college, Amelia didn't hit the books anymore; she jumped straight into a job. Word on the street was that Ryan worked there too, and Amelia just wanted to be close to her boyfriend.
Amelia barely ever mentioned her dude. I only heard Lillian talk about Ryan a few times, saying he and Amelia were tight and that she'd been into him since they were kids.
This was my first time meeting him, and honestly, I wasn't impressed.
Usually, meeting your girl's friends should be chill, but Ryan wasn't exactly Mr. Warm and Fuzzy. He had this aloof, "I-don't-care" vibe, like there was an invisible wall between us. No matter what we did, he just wouldn't click.
It felt like he didn't even want to be part of the group. The only reason he was here was probably 'cause Amelia dragged him along.
I've bumped into George a few times; he was in our high school, two grades up. I heard he and Lillian grew up together.
George was the total opposite of Ryan. He was tall, always smiling, and just radiated good vibes.
Ryan and Amelia barely interacted, and he hardly talked to us. It was Amelia who kept whispering to him and looking after him.
"Is he better looking than me?" Brad muttered in my ear, clearly annoyed 'cause he caught me staring at Ryan.
"No way, Brad, you're the hottest guy ever," I whispered back.
"Then why are you staring at him so hard? Aren't you worried Amelia will get jealous?"
"Brad, don't you think Ryan doesn't really dig Amelia?"
Brad glanced over at Amelia and Ryan, shook his head a bit, and turned back to me.
"Why are you so caught up in other people's drama? Just eat your food."
Even though Amelia seemed chill, there was this sadness she couldn't hide.
I couldn't wrap my head around why someone as awesome as Amelia would be so into such a cold dude. She was amazing; she deserved a guy who'd treat her like a queen.
From the way Ryan acted, I didn't see any love or care for Amelia.
It's true what they say: the one who loves more, hurts more.
Amelia was the one who loved more, so she was bound to get hurt.
Just like me at eighteen, when I went through hell 'cause I liked Daniel.
Years down the line, my bestie Amelia might be walking the same rough road I did.
And that was something I couldn't stand to see.
With all this on my mind, I was totally out of it, and even the food tasted like cardboard.
Just when I was feeling super down, someone suddenly showed up at the table. Everyone except Ryan was shocked.
When I saw who it was, I choked and started coughing like crazy.
Couldn't we just have one peaceful meal?
Brad suddenly grabbed my hand under the table, his face showing he was seriously ticked off.
"Daniel? What a surprise running into you here. If I didn't know better, I'd think you came with Brad," Amelia shot back, her sarcasm making Ryan raise an eyebrow.
Daniel managed to pull Ryan's attention away from his food and onto Amelia. What Amelia couldn't do, Daniel did!
The sarcasm was thick. It was like she was calling him a stalker.
Daniel, though, acted like he didn't catch it, speaking softly, "What a coincidence. I was just passing by and saw you all here. I was a bit hungry, so I came in. Hope I'm not crashing the party."
I glanced at the dark street outside, speechless.
There were tons of places to eat; if you're hungry, why here? What a load of crap.
I wanted to tell him he was definitely ruining our fun. But since he didn't come to see me, reacting too strongly would seem too obvious. So, I decided to ignore him.
"Since you're already here, if we say you are, wouldn't that make us seem petty?"
Daniel looked like he was about to get mad but held it in, calling the waiter to add a place setting, and sat down next to me.
His cool attitude made everyone take notice.
As soon as he sat down, a familiar scent hit me, making me zone out for a second.
It was the scent of the shampoo Daniel used in high school, the one I helped him pick out at the supermarket. Back then, he complained it was too strong and used it reluctantly. After that autumn, I never smelled it on him again.
Today, he suddenly showed up here, using that shampoo again, and deliberately sat next to me.
There was a time when just smelling that scent made me happy.
Years later, smelling it again, I felt nothing but nostalgia and indifference.
But why was he doing this?
The past is the past, Daniel. Have some dignity!
I was lost in thought for a moment. At that moment, Daniel shook his hair and smiled. "Do you remember? I searched a bunch of stores to find this. The sweet citrus scent, just like you."
I forced a smile. "Should I remember? By the way, I don't like citrus; I like grapefruit."
Daniel's hand froze as he was about to pick up some meat, his jaw tightening, showing his anger.
I thought my blunt words would make him leave, but his thick skin surprised me. He only paused for a few seconds before going back to eating like nothing happened.
After putting down his fork, he even reached out to touch my hair, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
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