Chapter 245 The Boy Next Door
Willow listened to Lucy's story while trying hard to remember. That summer when she went to her grandmother's house should have been when she was eight or nine years old. Her mother had mentioned it before, and it left a slight impression on her. The grandson of Grandma W next door was around four or five years old at that time, probably too young for school. He was a skinny little boy who didn't like to get dirty like the other boys who would catch fish and play with mud in the countryside.
He seemed out of place. One time, a few naughty boys intentionally threw mud at him, dirtying his clothes. He fought back but was outnumbered and ended up being pinned down, his face covered in mud. Willow happened to pass by and ran over to tell their parents, scaring the mischievous boys away. Since then, he has followed her every day. Willow used to bring her summer homework to her grandmother's house and would do it in the yard every day. He would sit on a small stool nearby, sometimes pointing to words in the book and asking her how to read them.
Willow vaguely remembered some of the events. The following year, her grandmother passed away due to illness, and there was no one left in their ancestral home. Her mother arranged for someone to clean the house regularly, and she never went back there for summer vacation again. She didn't know why her mother suddenly brought this up. "What's the matter, Mom? I have some memories of that."
Lucy seemed visibly happy. "Grandma W's daughter used to play with your mother a lot when they were young. They used to walk to school hand in hand. I also know that she liked a boy from the neighboring class. Every day, she would drag me along to the restroom to pass by their classroom and catch a glimpse of the boy. But after everyone grew up and started their own families, and after your grandmother passed away, I visited less often, and everyone lost touch." Lucy reminisced and became a bit down when she mentioned their childhood playmates, with whom they no longer kept in contact. Willow patiently listened to her mother's stories from her childhood.
"Oh, I forgot the main point when I got all excited. I went back there a couple of days ago. Can you tell me who I ran into? Your Aunt and her son. That little boy who used to follow you around when you were kids. He has grown so tall now, over six feet, and still has such fair skin and good manners. By the way, he is also studying at A University. He's in the same major as you. You've been in Horizon City for so long, so please take care of him a bit. I'll send you his phone number so you can reach out to him."
Before Willow could gather her thoughts, Lucy hung up the phone, and she quickly received a string of phone numbers from Lucy on Facebook. She put her phone away. A neighbor's little brother, who was now in college and over six feet tall, felt a bit strange to her. Willow sighed deeply, propping one hand on the handle of her suitcase, and looked at Declan, who was still motionless and motionless, squatting by the roadside. "What do you want from me, after all?"
Declan was squatting there in his white sportswear, like a poodle wagging its tail, seeking a hug. He kept his eyes fixed on Willow, saying, "I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since morning. Can you please treat me to something like instant noodles?"
Willow looked at Declan, who was sitting at the bar in her apartment's kitchen, eating instant noodles. Her headache only worsened. She had initially taken him upstairs out of pity, not expecting him actually to have not eaten. He had wolfed down a bowl of instant noodles before it had even finished soaking, and then he had even gone ahead and finished off her remaining two cans of instant noodles.
"Take your time eating. I'll go pack my luggage," Willow said, carrying her suitcase and heading back to her room. She took out the clothes from the suitcase that needed to be washed and put them in the washing machine. She also returned the toiletries to their original positions and hung the clean clothes in the wardrobe. After Willow finished packing her suitcase, she came out of her room. Declan had already finished eating his instant noodles and had even cleaned up the noodle boxes. He was sitting on the couch in the living room watching TV.
Willow glanced at him, feeling both emotionally touched and annoyed. This person was really considerate, without any politeness at all!
"Now that you've eaten your instant noodles and watched TV, you can leave," Willow said straightforwardly. Declan turned his head to look at her, smiling in a sunny and handsome way. It's no wonder he could attract so many girls at school. Just as Willow was about to usher him out, her mother called.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Willow anxiously asked after answering the call, thinking that her mom had something urgent to tell her.
"Willow, have you contacted that person? Make sure to contact him for breakfast," Lucy called specifically to remind her.
Willow breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, it wasn't a serious matter with her parents. "I know, Mom. I'll contact him right away." Willow didn't expect her mother to be so concerned about this neighborhood's younger brother. It hadn't even been an hour, and she had already received two calls. It seemed like she had to contact this "brother" today.
After hanging up the phone, Willow took out her phone and found her mom's number on Facebook. She was about to dial it while saying to Declan, "Once you're done eating, hurry up and leave. I have things to do." But when she looked down, she saw that she had accidentally dialed the number with "Declan" displayed. She quickly hung up, thinking that she had pressed the wrong button. Then she redialed the number, and the call display showed "Declan" once more. Willow stood frozen in place, and then the Doraemon theme song ringtone started playing in the living room.
Why would her mom's phone number show up as Declan's number when she dialed it?
So, Declan was the little boy who used to follow her around and call her "sister" incessantly when they were younger!
Willow instantly felt uneasy, wondering how this guy knew about her. Did he recognize her from the beginning, which is why he added her on Facebook when they first met at the barbecue restaurant? Did he think it was funny to tease her like this?
Declan stood up with his phone in hand and walked over to Willow with a smile on his face. He asked, "Why did you call me senior?"
Willow held her phone tightly, her face stern and angry. Through gritted teeth, she questioned him, word by word, "What are you trying to say?"
Declan raised an innocent face, not understanding why Willow suddenly got angry. "Is it because of me?" he timidly asked.
His phone continued to ring with the lyrics, "If I have a magic wand to make things big or small and a home filled with cartoon chocolates and toys."
Under Willow's gaze, he hastily hung up the call, finally quieting the phone.
"I'll give you two boxes of instant noodles another day. Please don't be mad," Declan said after contemplating for a while, looking at the sulking Willow.
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