Chapter 68 Louis
It was still hot in late September in Regalia. I was sitting under a tree, fanning myself, waiting for my new roommate to head to the cafeteria when I heard someone call my name.
I turned and saw a guy in a white patterned shirt and gray trousers standing in the sunlight, smiling at me. The sun filtered through the leaves, casting dancing light spots on his face.
It was Louis.
"Louis, what are you doing here? What a coincidence." I stood up, happy to see an old friend in a new place.
We hadn't seen each other in over two years. When we last parted, he wondered if we'd ever meet again.
It was a small world. Just two years later, we ran into each other at National Capital University.
I remembered the tearful Louis who quietly expressed his feelings for me, regretting our parting.
Time had changed him. Louis had gone from a cheerful chubby boy to a handsome young man.
He was still Louis, but not the chubby boy I remembered.
Still, I was thrilled to see him.
"It's not a coincidence; I came here specifically to wait for you," Louis said, standing with me in the sunlight, looking at me deeply.
There was something in his eyes I couldn't quite grasp, and his gaze made my heart race.
I felt flustered and thought, 'If Daniel hadn't hidden those letters, and if I hadn't focused all my attention on Daniel, would I have liked the chubby Louis who always smiled beside me?'
I didn't know. There are no "ifs" in life. And the gap between us made any "if" even more distant.
"I didn't tell anyone I was coming here. How did you know?" I asked.
"By caring about you. It's been so long. Can I treat you to lunch?" He smiled, and I could faintly see the high school Louis in that smile.
"Sure, let me tell my roommate." I took out my phone to make a call, noticing the car behind him.
Louis had a new car. It was bright red, oddly shaped, but clearly expensive. His clothes, though low-key, were of a quality I couldn't afford.
Louis took me to a high-end restaurant in the city center, a place I'd never been to.
The restaurant was serene and quiet, with soft music floating gently in the air.
"Do you like it here?" Louis asked.
I nodded, "Yes, thank you."
"Order whatever you like." He handed me the electronic menu.
The menu was a thin touch screen. Clicking on a dish name brought up a picture and details about the ingredients, cooking method, and nutritional value.
I ordered a dish, and Louis added two more, also ordering dessert and fruit for me.
The dishes came quickly, and the ones Louis ordered were surprisingly to my taste. "Why aren't you eating?" I asked.
Louis picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it in his mouth, his eyes still focused on me with a barely noticeable intensity. "It's been almost two years, Jane, how have you been?"
I replied, "Good. If it weren't for my dad's health issues, I would have gone straight to Northern Institute of the Arts for grad school."
"How's Ronan doing now? What's the issue? I know some people in the hospitals here; maybe they can help."
After eating quite a bit, I felt full and started picking at the fruit with a small fork.
"His heart had some problems, but he's fine now, thank you," I replied.
We chatted about everything, eventually reminiscing about our high school days at Sunhaven, where we spent three years together.
Studying away from home for so long, I often thought about people and things from Sunhaven, especially my high school classmates.
Louis was very talkative, recounting things I barely remembered, but he spoke as if they happened just yesterday.
He seemed proud when talking about our senior year graduation.
Everyone was on the field taking graduation photos, and Louis had spent ten dollars to switch places with the boy behind me, getting a spot closest to me in the photo.
"Louis, I have the graduation photo on my phone. Want to see it?" I asked.
His eyes lit up, and he smiled gently, "Of course, let me see."
I found the photo and opened it, placing it on the table and pointing to his spot, "You had already slimmed down a lot by then, showing early signs of a handsome guy."
Louis ignored my teasing and stared at the photo, something flickering in his eyes.
The phone screen went black, and just as I was about to take it back, he suddenly grabbed my hand and held it in his palm.
My face blushed, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break free from his grip.
Louis looked up at me and said softly, "Jane, back then, I really thought we would never see each other again. I was sad and heartbroken for a long time. But today, meeting you again, I don't want to make myself suffer anymore. Jane, I want you to be my girlfriend, to get married and have children and spend our lives together. Will you?"
The question came so suddenly that I was at a loss for words.
"Did you read those letters I wrote? Every word in them was sincere and still holds true. Jane, can we give it a try? I want you to be my girlfriend, I've wanted it for many years. Please." This noble man was almost pleading with me.
I never thought there would be a day when a big boy would hold my hand in the sunlight and ask me to be his girlfriend.
I had never experienced anything like this and didn't know how to respond.
The deep affection in his eyes and the warmth in his palm made it hard for me to say no.
I thought, 'Should I agree? I was completely unprepared for this. But, Louis, I only read two lines of those letters before Bard, the culprit, threw them away. I don't know what they said.'
"Jane, please say yes. I know you don't like me yet, but we can give it a try, right? If you don't feel good or find someone you like, you can leave anytime. I won't make things difficult for you."
"Louis, give me some time to think about it," I replied.
"Okay, I'll wait for your answer."
I forcefully pulled my hand back, and Louis awkwardly placed his hand on his pants, clenching it tightly, not letting go even after we finished our meal and left.
The place was a bit far from school, at least a half-hour drive.
On the way there, we were just high school classmates who had met in the crowd, chatting happily.
On the way back, because of Louis's question, the atmosphere became awkward.
Louis kept trying to find topics to lighten the mood, and I pretended to go along with him, not daring to look up.
When the luxury car stopped in front of my apartment building, I awkwardly tried to open the door to escape, but I couldn't get it open.
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