Chapter 380 A Family
To keep my spirits up, I decided to focus on what really mattered. I had zero interest in chit-chatting with Adam or talking at all. I bent down, picked the stuff up from the ground, handed it to him, and then quietly walked over to my easel. I lifted the canvas cover and sat down, trying to calm my nerves.
"You don't look so hot. What's going on?" Adam must had noticed I was down. He followed me inside, stood next to me as I grabbed my paintbrush, and asked with a confused look.
I guess everyone was used to seeing me upbeat, so my sudden gloominess caught him off guard.
My hand holding the brush froze. I had just thrown my hair up in a messy bun before leaving and hadn't even washed my face. The signs of crying were probably too obvious for Adam to miss.
I rubbed my face with my left hand and then massaged the back of my head, trying to look more normal. "Nothing, just hungry."
"Hungry?" Adam leaned in closer, clearly not buying it, and studied my face. "Your eyes are red. Did you cry because you were hungry? That can't be it. There's plenty of takeout. If you're broke, I can buy you a meal. Where's Mr. Pitt? How could he let you cry from hunger?"
Was Adam trying to make me cry again or what?
I blinked my dry eyes, avoiding his gaze, and pushed him away. "No, you got it wrong. I need to paint for a bit. Go do your thing and leave me alone."
Adam didn't push it. He just reminded me to head back early and then left with his stuff.
I straightened up and waited until his footsteps faded down the hallway before slumping my shoulders.
I stared at the bright woman on the rice paper, dancing gracefully by the pond under the moonlight. Her half-floating jade foot needed my touch to be complete.
But holding the brush, I just couldn't get into it.
It took me about half an hour to calm down and lose myself in the painting, imagining I was the woman dancing joyfully for her beloved.
When I finally put away my brush and left Crystal House, it was already 10:30 PM.
Walking alone in the empty hallway, the dim light and the echo of my footsteps made me miss Brad so much. I felt incredibly lonely.
This was the first time I walked back to my apartment so late at night.
As I stepped out of the small courtyard, I saw a tall, thin figure standing a few steps away from the gate with his back to me.
Daniel? What was he doing here so late? What did he want?
Maybe my past memories of him were too painful; the moment I saw him, a deep-seated aversion welled up, and every pore of my body went on high alert.
My footsteps startled him. He turned around, his eyes locking onto mine. Daniel's brows and eyes were just as I remembered.
Daniel frowned slightly and took a step toward me. "So late?"
"Yeah," I replied calmly, "Did you come here specifically to find me? What's up?"
"I'll walk you back. We can chat on the way," Daniel said, taking the lead with his hands casually in his pockets, looking all relaxed.
"No thanks, I can manage on my own," I shot back without a second thought.
Sure, walking alone this late wasn't the safest, but Daniel himself was the real danger. I'd rather sprint back solo than have him tag along. To me, he was scarier than any unknown threat.
Daniel stopped, half-turned, and gave me a faint smile. "You can't forget those things, can you?"
Could he forget if he were in my shoes?
I took a step back, planning to walk around him. "I've got a good memory, can't help it."
He pinched his brow, stared at me for a solid three seconds, and then said, "I really just want to walk you back. Don't overthink it. You're going to be my brother's future wife, and we'll be family. So, are you planning to treat me like this forever?"
I was floored; his words seemed genuinely sincere—like, for real?
Daniel continued, "I heard at the cafeteria that Brad is on a business trip, and caught wind of some stuff about Jenny. I was just taking a walk on campus when I saw you heading this way. I figured no one would walk you back, so I came here to wait for you."
Daniel being kind? I eyed him suspiciously.
He shrugged, saying, "Even though Brad doesn't like me either, and neither of you will appreciate me walking you back, we will be family in the future. Knowing that no one else is here to walk you back, I thought I'd fulfill my duty as family. Trust me one last time; what happened before won't happen again, I promise."
With no other choice, I reluctantly followed him back, mentally noting to sign up for martial arts classes ASAP.
The men I trust most in the world were my dad and Brad. When they were not around, I needed to rely on myself to feel safe. So, martial arts it was.
We walked in silence. As we reached the apartment entrance, he stepped aside, and I hurried past him into the building. The motion-sensor light flickered on, wrapping me in its warm glow. Only when I saw the dorm staff greeting me did I finally relax.
"If it's this late again tomorrow, shoot me a message. I'll walk you back," Daniel's amused voice came from behind.
Tomorrow? Amelia would be here tomorrow. She was a martial arts pro and would have my back, so I didn't need him.
It was not that I was ungrateful. Daniel walked me back and said all the right things. It was just that his past actions made it hard to trust him.
With Daniel's interruption and Amelia coming tomorrow, my mood finally lifted a bit.
Of course, the main reason was that Brad sent me a Facebook voice message while I was showering. Though it was choppy, I could hear it clearly. He told me that due to network issues, he couldn't use his phone properly. He wasn't sure when he could leave, but he promised to stay safe and faithful to me. At the end of the message, he told me to behave and stay away from other guys.
I hadn't heard Brad's voice properly for two days. Hearing it suddenly felt almost surreal.
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