Chapter 49 Don't Think About Albert Anymore
Unable to bear it, Yvette turned around and quietly left.
Victor was right about one thing.
Albert wasn't the kind of person to pity others for being humble; Yvette had confirmed this over two years.
Love was a deeply personal emotion that defied logic. Despite her efforts to be humble, Albert's feelings for her remained unchanged—he simply didn't love her, and there was nothing she could do to make him fall for her.
Yvette walked down the long corridor and crossed the tarmac with shuttle buses coming and going, headlights casting beams of light on the ground, flickering on her face, capturing her solitude and desolation on this night.
Before Yvette could return to her office, her phone screen lit up, and she received a message on Facebook.
It was from Wyatt: [Would you like to hang out tonight? Our classmates have come to Luken, and I plan to host them.]
Yvette held her phone, thought for a moment, and replied:
[Sure.]
The place Wyatt chose was a well-known bar called Luken, where a resident singer who had once participated in a talent show performed. His singing was delightful, attracting many admirers to the venue.
Yvette took a taxi to the bar. As soon as she got out, she saw Wyatt waiting at the entrance. Upon spotting her, he waved from a distance.
"Over here."
The taxi swiftly departed, merging with and then diverging from the starting bus. Across the bar was a 24-hour convenience store, bustling with people buying food before returning home. Its bright sign flashed like the city's pulse, still strong late at night.
Yvette looked around as she crossed the street, meeting up with Wyatt.
Wyatt's bright pupils reflected the neon lights. He pursed his lips, smiling lightly, softening his seemingly stern demeanor.
"I thought you wouldn't agree," he said with a hint of self-deprecation in his eyes. "I rarely get nervous about being rejected in my life, Yvette. You truly live up to expectations."
Yvette awkwardly chuckled, "Come on, it's just a class reunion."
Wyatt didn't push further on the embarrassing topic. He simply smiled and said, "Let's go in. Everyone's already here."
Inside the bar's corridor, it was crowded with ambiguous lighting and youthful hormones, making Yvette feel slightly uncomfortable.
Perhaps due to the air conditioning or ventilation, there was a slight breeze in the corridor, gently brushing against Yvette's face like feathers, delicately teasing the stray strands of hair by her temples.
"You don't frequent bars much, do you?"
Seeing Yvette appearing somewhat uncomfortable, Wyatt moved closer to her, shielding her behind him and creating some distance from the passersby.
Yvette nodded, giving him a grateful glance.
"I don't come often either," Wyatt said. "Doctors are busy; when they finish work, they just want to go back home and sleep."
They walked through the corridor and entered the bar, weaving through the dense crowd of people.
Through the crowd, Yvette looked up, and a familiar figure caught her eye. Due to the dim lighting, she thought she might be mistaken, so she rubbed her eyes and looked up again, only to see Albert swiftly passing through the dance floor with another man.
Frowning, he looked around, and perhaps sensing Yvette's gaze, he unexpectedly turned back. They locked eyes across the room for a few seconds, two calm and composed gazes intersecting in the air.
Before Yvette could react, Wyatt called out to her, "Over here, in the innermost booth."
Seeing Yvette standing still, Wyatt naturally reached out and took her waist, guiding her towards the booth. His strong arm touched Yvette's lower back, subconsciously forcing her to take a step forward, but she accidentally bumped into Wyatt. Luckily, he caught her in time, his hand firmly holding her waist. In this setting, the posture felt somewhat ambiguous.
"Are you okay?" Wyatt asked, concerned as he checked on Yvette.
Yvette awkwardly distanced herself from him. "I'm fine."
She glanced back in the direction she had been looking earlier, but Albert had turned away and disappeared into the crowd. Yvette had to retract her gaze, put on a smile, and follow Wyatt inside.
She wondered if Wyatt had noticed her recent loss of composure.
She bit her lip self-deprecatingly. What was she afraid of? Was she afraid of Albert misunderstanding her relationship with Wyatt?
Their relationship had already become mundane; why would he care whom she socialized with?
Or perhaps he hadn't noticed her at all.
To him, she simply wasn't significant.
As Yvette entered the booth, a warm atmosphere instantly enveloped her.
Many classmates were seated around the booth, each with a glass of alcohol in front of them.
After graduating, Yvette hadn't seen anyone from her class, and now, several years later, everyone had changed to some extent. Their faces looked both familiar and unfamiliar. They chatted animatedly, their eyes expressing a vigor that seemed out of place with their current age and circumstances.
Upon seeing Yvette enter with Wyatt, someone immediately teased, "I was wondering why you just ran off without saying anything; it turns out you were going to pick up Yvette."
Another classmate chimed in, "Why didn't I notice how close you two were back in school?"
"Didn't you notice back then? Wyatt's group only had Yvette as the girl. Isn't that obvious? He can endure all the unexpected twists in life, which means Yvette is special to him."
Seeing the conversation veering off course, Yvette quickly intervened, "Stop it. We've just been training together recently, that's all."
Knowing that Yvette disliked being teased, Wyatt filled the glasses of those jokers with alcohol. "Drink up, enjoy yourselves."
As they drank, they discovered just how cunning Wyatt could be, outdrinking the other three classmates easily.
The atmosphere grew warmer and more lively under the influence of alcohol, with cheerful banter and laughter surrounding Yvette, lifting her previously downcast mood.
After consuming a fair amount and with the others getting drunk, the central topic of discussion finally shifted.
In the dim and ambiguous lighting, Wyatt leaned in, his handsome profile looking somewhat alluring in this environment. His looks were on par with Albert's, and anyone else would already be lost in his gaze. His gaze was clean and affectionate, evoking feelings that made Yvette feel like she was back in their school days, with his pure admiration for her.
He leaned in subtly, carrying the scent of vodka, and asked with a faint smile, "What are you thinking about? Why so lost in thought?"
Before Yvette could respond, he continued, "Thinking about Albert, are you?"
Yvette felt a bit embarrassed. "You've had too much to drink."
He chuckled, his expression somewhat disdainful. "Stop thinking about Albert; he's with another woman now."
