Date?
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Andrei's POV
Hours had already passed, yet I still couldn't get everything out of my mind. With every page I turned in the book I was reading, the memories came rushing back—the moments in the car earlier, and even what had just happened a while ago.
I still couldn't erase those thoughts. Even if I wanted to forget and ignore everything we had shared, I just couldn't. It was far too difficult.
It wasn't that easy for me to simply let him go, but at the same time, I felt like such a fool for still waiting for him.
Because of my foolishness, so many unpleasant things kept happening to me. Perhaps this is the time, the moment, for me to finally let him go.
If he has truly forgotten me, then there's nothing more I can do.
I lowered my head toward the book I was reading.
"Haysss, damn it!"
I muttered to myself and heaved a deep sigh.
A few moments later, hunger began to creep in, so I quickly gathered my things, took the book, and slipped it inside my bag to borrow it.
After tidying up, I noticed Liam asleep on the table in front of me. I stared at him for a while, then slowly removed the earphones from his ears.
He was sleeping so deeply that he didn't even notice me taking them off.
I was about to quietly get up and head to the cafeteria, but I suddenly felt bad for him.
So I called out his name.
"Hey, Liam," I said as I tapped his shoulder.
In less than a second, he shot up and looked straight at me.
"Let's go!" I added flatly before walking away.
He scrambled to his feet, snatched his bag off the table, and hurried after me as if he were being chased by a lion.
I couldn't help but think—he was like a little kid, overly excited.
"Wait up!" he called after me, half running.
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– At the Cafeteria –
We finally arrived at the cafeteria. Hunger hit me hard, so I decided to head straight there for food.
I scanned through the choices. There were so many dishes, I didn't even know what to pick. Honestly, I wanted to eat them all.
Then someone tapped me from behind.
"Why'd you wake me up anyway? Are you treating me?" Liam teased with a grin.
"As if!" I shot back, scowling, and walked away.
"Aww!" he replied in disappointment, scratching his head.
After a while, I finally settled on a blueberry cheesecake and a matcha latte. Once I got my order, I looked for an empty seat.
I quickly walked to a vacant table, set my bag on the chair, and sat down. Hunger had already taken over, so I immediately started eating.
Liam soon arrived and sat across from me. I ignored him and just kept eating.
Then he asked, "How's that taste? Is it good?" He sipped his milk tea while keeping his eyes on me.
I glanced at him. My mouth was so full that I just nodded in response and returned my focus to my food.
Suddenly, he reached over and took a piece of my cheesecake. I froze and gave him a sharp glare.
"Just wanna taste if it's good!" he said with a mischievous smile.
I was really annoyed but let it slide.
"Yup, it's good!" he said after taking a bite, then drank from his cup.
A moment later, he scooped up some of his own food and offered it to me.
"Here, try this. Vanilla!" he said, smiling as he held it out toward me.
"Come on!" he insisted while staring at me.
I refused, pushing his hand away from my mouth.
"Fine then!" he muttered under his breath before eating it himself.
Moments later, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to see who it was.
To my surprise, it was Justin.
"So this is where you are. I've been knocking at your dorm forever, but no one was answering," he said as he slid into the seat beside me.
"I went to the library earlier. I was so bored at the dorm, so I thought of doing some advance reading," I explained.
"Then I got hungry, so I came straight here," I added, sipping my drink.
"I was going to message you on IG, but then I remembered we're not mutuals yet. So I just went for a walk. Luckily, I found you here," he said.
"Oh, is that so?" I replied, still busy eating, until he suddenly handed me his phone.
"Why?" I asked, glancing at it.
"Your IG—so we can follow each other," he said as he held his phone toward me.
I didn't know what to say. Truth is, I deactivated my account years ago and never planned on opening it again.
So I simply told him the truth.
"I don't have an IG account," I answered bluntly.
"Oh… okay," he said in disappointment.
"Who's that, by the way? Your date? You didn't tell me you had one. If you had, I wouldn't have bothered you two," he teased, pointing at Liam and me.
"What nonsense are you saying?!" I immediately shot back.
"Sure, sure," he said, smirking.
"So what's the real reason you were looking for me?" I asked seriously.
"I was going to ask for your help, but since you're busy, never mind!" he teased again before bursting into laughter.
"Idiot!" I muttered, glaring at him.
"Justin! Let's go, basketball!" someone from a distance called out to him.
"I'll leave you two then. Enjoy!" he said with a mischievous grin before hurrying away.
I sighed deeply. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Liam smiling secretly, so I kicked him under the table.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed, rubbing his leg.
"What are you smiling at?" I asked sharply, still wearing a serious expression.
"Nothing," he replied.
"…Cute. Especially when you're mad," he whispered softly before taking a sip of his drink.
---
.
.
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"I was learning how to let go, but the universe kept placing reminders of what I used to hold."