Chapter 27 The Coat
For Daniel, I probably missed out on a lot of guys.
"Don't spook her with your gibberish. If you do, you'll have to bring her back," Brad said while peeling shrimp for me and placing them on my plate. He'd smile gently as he watched me eat.
Brad had always been this way with me, ever since we were kids.
He didn't mind his friends joking around with me, but he always kept an eye on my feelings. If something might upset me, he'd step in right away.
Brad knew my likes and dislikes. He'd always serve me the dishes I loved but was too shy to devour in public.
Even Brad's classmates, despite their jokes, took good care of me. The table was full of laughter, which really helped me relax.
With Brad, I always felt at ease.
I really enjoyed that meal.
When we left, it was raining.
In September up North, the weather had cooled down, and you needed a jacket in the mornings and evenings.
I was still hot from some physical work earlier, so I wore a short T-shirt.
By the time we finished dinner, it was 9:30 PM, and the rain had made it much colder outside.
As soon as I stepped out, the autumn chill hit me, and I hugged my arms, shivering.
"Cold?" Brad asked, looking down at me.
I rubbed my arms and nodded.
Soon, his warm jacket was draped over my shoulders, with a faint smell of tobacco.
Wearing Brad's jacket felt like being held by him.
My face blushed, feeling overheated.
I wanted to give the jacket back because it felt too intimate.
Brad, guessing my thoughts, pressed my shoulders and said, "Keep it on. It's not the first time. A cold would delay the competition."
I reluctantly agreed.
Brad said we were a team, but really, it was just the two of us. The others were just helpers and wouldn't be on the competition list or involved in the creation.
The competition was tough, with all participants being top-notch. Standing out would be hard, so I took it seriously.
Brad said we had to break away from traditional oil painting and be innovative; otherwise, we had no chance.
I agreed and started thinking deeply about how to use oil painting techniques in a new way.
The competition was at the end of October, giving us less than two months, which was enough time to think.
Brad and I each had our own ideas about what to paint. We were both pretty stubborn.
Unable to convince each other, we decided to each create a small sample first and then decide after evaluating both.
This seemed fair, so I agreed.
After that, besides attending classes, I immersed myself in creating.
Brad, under the pretext of easier communication, reserved a special spot for me in the graduate studio, where I could go anytime.
Thanks to Brad, I became the first girl at the Northern Institute of the Arts who could freely enter the graduate school, making many girls who admired Brad envious.
Life was simple but not boring, and the bad feelings from the summer slowly faded.
In my spare time, I still thought of Daniel, remembering our nineteen years together and my silent crush.
But that's all it was.
Every time I thought of him, I felt a deep sadness. When it got too much, I forced myself to stop, reminding myself that Daniel and I were just neighbors, nothing more.
I believed my feelings for Daniel would fade over time, and one day they'd be gone completely, and my future would be better.
Brad made feeding me one of his daily tasks. No matter where I was or what I was doing, he'd rush over and take me to eat when mealtime rolled around.
Often, Brad's friends would join us, and over time, I got to know them well. Because of Brad, they all treated me like a sister. When Brad was too busy, any one of them would look after me.
With Brad around, I felt like a kid, happily enjoying his care.
But life wasn't meant to be easy. The day before I finished my sample, I got a video call from Daniel.
I had just finished showering and was drying my hair at my desk when his call came through.
Seeing the flashing icon, I felt a mix of emotions.
This was the first video call Daniel had made to me since I started college.
I didn't know why he was calling. Honestly, I was hesitant because of all the unpleasant incidents between us in the past two years.
I didn't want to answer, but it didn't feel right to ignore it. No matter what, we had grown up together.
Reluctantly, I swiped to answer, and Daniel's face appeared on my screen, still as handsome as ever.
My heart fluttered for a moment, but it was like a stone falling into water, creating a small ripple before disappearing.
"Jane, what are you doing?" He smiled happily.
"Drying my hair. What's up?" His face was as attractive as ever, but I wouldn't let my heart waver.
"Can't I just ring you up for no reason?" Daniel's lips curled up, his eyes filled with a gentle affection that could drown someone.
Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with me.
I smiled slightly and didn't respond. Such flirtatious words weren't suitable for us. Even when I was most infatuated with him, I never joked like this, and now it was even more impossible.
"I need a favor," he said.
"What is it?" My eyebrows twitched, sensing it would be unpleasant.
This was the first time Daniel had ever asked me for a favor.
I wasn't happy. If we were destined to have no future together, we should be like two parallel lines, each going our own way, never intersecting. It was pointless creating issues like this.
Daniel replied, "Zoe's department is setting up a swap with the Northern Institute of the Arts. She'll be there in two days. She's never been far from home or lived solo in a new spot. I'm worried she won't manage on her own and wanted to ask if you could look after her."
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