Chapter 126 The Bold Underclassman
Coming back to reality, Willow was about to decline when Daniel grabbed her phone, flashed the QR code with a beaming smile, and said, “Of course, little bro.”
Before Willow could intervene, her phone was back in her hands, and the underclassman had already nestled into her list of friends. Deleting him now would seem pretentious.
“I’m Luke. Don’t forget me,” said the underclassman after adding her on Facebook, then turned and walked away with an effortless cool.
Willow was left confused.
‘ How did he even know she studied here?’
"Do you know him?"
"Do we look like we know each other?" Willow Nelson asked as she popped a piece of bacon-wrapped potato into her mouth.
"For sure." Daniel nodded emphatically.
"If I had a younger brother as good-looking as yours, would I even be bothering with your brother."
Seeing Daniel's face light up with eagerness for gossip, Willow sighed. Great, just like a real sister.
"Forget it. We don't know each other."
"Yeah, but now we do. Let's swoon over your younger brother and kick mine to the curb," Daniel said with feigned righteousness.
Willow just lowered her head and continued nibbling on her kabob, intentionally avoiding any further talk about brothers. After all, she hadn't given it much thought. Today's students really were different from their times.
As they were finishing up their meal, Daniel's phone rang.
"Hey, bro." Daniel glanced at Willow's face while answering the call.
Willow flinched slightly upon hearing Daniel call the person "bro," but she quickly went back to eating her grilled eggplant as if nothing was amiss.
"Yeah, I'm out at a barbecue. With whom?" Daniel cast a nervous glance at Willow before continuing the conversation with her brother.
"Just a friend."
Mitchell couldn't resist outing them, "With Willow, aren't you?"
"How did you know?" Daniel blurted out, realizing too late that she had inadvertently confessed.
"I'll come pick you guys up. Send me the address."
After hanging up, Daniel hoped that Willow would still enjoy her meal after learning her company was about to change.
"It's my brother," Daniel said.
"I figured," Willow admitted, having guessed as much when Daniel first took the call.
"He said he's coming to pick us up." Daniel hesitated but shared the news, unsure if Willow was comfortable with being around her brother.
‘Let him come,’ Willow thought. They both worked in the same place, so they were bound to run into each other, so why avoid it? Besides, she was part of his team.
"You okay with that?"
"Of course. We can't avoid each other forever. He's still 'Big Bro.'"
Daniel felt relieved seeing Willow's reaction. He pondered her recent choice to stay at her mother's place. Her mom had expressed missing her and urged her to come home every day. Lately, her brother had been frequenting the house as well. Her mother must have been worried, explaining why her brother was picking them up.
About half an hour later, Mitchell arrived at the barbecue joint. The table was almost cleared of the grilled bites they had ordered. Seeing someone walk in, Willow Nelson greeted him with a polite smile, "Hey, big brother, want something to eat? We can order more if you'd like."
Mitchell stared at Willow as if trying to read her mind before finally sitting down and responding curtly, "I'm good, thanks."
Willow didn't push the conversation further and quietly sipped her water. Daniel sensed the awkwardness in the air and chuckled nervously, "It's getting late. Perhaps we should call it a night?"
"Sure," Willow replied with a nod.
"I'll settle the check. Just wait for me," Daniel said as he stood up and walked to the cashier. Mitchell and Willow headed outside, standing curbside to wait for him.
Neither of them spoke. They just stood there beside the busy street. Willow felt a tightness in her chest when she thought about running into him shopping with his blind date yesterday and today. He was dining on dishes he didn't even like— it was incredibly frustrating.
She pondered, then made a quick escape, letting her siblings find their own way home while she took a cab.
Just as she was about to speak, the man beside her broke the silence, "I'll drop Tiffany off at my mom's first, then you."
Willow turned to him, gesturing dismissively, "No need to go out of your way. You're heading back to stay with Tiffany and Auntie. I can grab a taxi. We're not even on the way."
"I'm not staying at my mom's tonight. I'm at my apartment," Mitchell said, his voice showing an unaccustomed edge to her rejection. She had always been tailing him, and now she seemed to be avoiding him.
He'd overheard her planning a date after work and guessed it was with Tiffany. He had only called to confirm before saying he would come over.
Willow was about to respond when she heard from behind, "Hey, senior!"
She turned to see a familiar underclassman, who had recently sent a friend request, pull up on his motorcycle.
"Senior, heading home? Need a ride?" The underclassman's familiar enthusiasm bounced off every word.
"No, thanks," Willow began, but she was cut off by the man beside her, who flatly declined on her behalf with an icy face.
By this time, Daniel had returned, "Let's go, bro, Willow."
Noticing no reaction from them and the underclassman's sudden appearance, Daniel approached with surprise, "Small world, you here again?"
Mitchell, wearing a steely expression, unlocked his car parked by the curb, "Get in," he commanded, leaving no room for discussion as he climbed into the driver's seat.
The underclassman, leaning against his motorcycle, took off his helmet but didn't seem offended. He continued to coax Willow with a smile, "Come on, senior, let me take you. Have you never been on a bike before? Give it a try?"
Willow Nelson had no intention of getting on his motorcycle. After all, it was only their first meeting, and she couldn't simply ride off with him. Her plan was merely to hail a cab and leave on her own, but now, observing Mitchell's darkened expression as he sat behind the wheel, she sensed an ominous air. His countenance seemed to warn that if she didn't get into the car, or worse, if she left with that other guy on his bike, she might not live to see another sunrise.
Growing up alongside her brother Matthew, Willow had only ever felt unafraid of "Brother Four" and "Brother Five." The rest gave her the creeps when angered, leaving her with some serious phobias.
Even Daniel noticed something off about his brother Matthew. Just moments ago, at the barbecue place, he was fine, but now his face had turned ashen within minutes.
Quickly, he rushed Willow into the back seat so suddenly that she could barely understand what was going on. She had just opened the window to greet someone, thinking it was polite, but in an instant, the car was moving away, and all she heard was a scream about "Facebook chat."
Both sat in silence, acutely aware of Mitchell's palpable fury. Upon their arrival, all Daniel managed to say was, "Take care of yourself. Tomorrow is another day," before quickly exiting the car.
Exiting the car, Willow noticed Mitchell's ongoing silence, which made her feel more and more uneasy in her seat. She debated whether she should also leave the car.
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