Chapter 105
When I left all the fun reluctantly and returned to my room, it was already 9:00 pm, Looking at the
fireworks and festive lights outside the ceiling–to–floor windows, I felt oddly at peace.
Suddenly, I received a video call. Needless to say, it was from Colin. He was lying on his bed gloomily,
one hand cushioning his head while the other holding the phone to talk to me.
He wished me Merry Christmas and asked if I had any wishes. I told him that I wanted everyone to be happy, to attend a concert for once, to earn more money for my parents, and that he would become more
and more handsome next year.
Colin chuckled and doted on me. He then told me to come back as soon as possible because Lilac was such an eyesore. He even said that if we didn’t come back sooner, he would move out and sleep on the
street.
It was a joke, of course. And I laughed out loud. He then lamented how dull the Christmas dinner was. Lilac was rude during the dinner. Other than Felix, no one wanted to talk to her.
He also said that he came back to celebrate a festive occasion with everyone, but everything felt boring because my family wasn’t there. If he had known that we’d be traveling, he wouldn’t have come back at
all.
We talked and talked for an hour. He only let me go once I promised him that I’d return as soon as possible. I wasn’t sure if it was me, but before we hung up, Colin looked like he missed me a lot. It even seemed that he resented me a bit for neglecting him.
At midnight, Felix posted on his social media. It was a photo of Lilac’s sleeping face and a shoulder with a triangle birthmark–Felix’s, no doubt. The caption read, “Celebrating Christmas with a plus one.”
Instead of feeling sad, I smiled upon looking at Felix’s photo. Funny how the same occasion would invoke two opposite sentiments, depending on the person we were with. Felix found his happiness, and I could only give him my blessing.
Finally, as Colin continued to nag me on a daily basis, my family went home a week after Christmas. As usual, Aunt Mel and Uncle Austin invited us for a meal. They said they would cook instead of eating out this time. We didn’t have to do anything other than be there physically.
However, Mom turned Aunt Mel down by citing that she was tired. Something bad had almost always happened during the several get–togethers we had, so we weren’t too eager to have another one.
When I woke up, it was already dark. I heard laughter from the living room. When I went out, I saw Colin
and Dad playing chess. As usual, they were having a great time.
O.15 BONUS
Colin was as still dashing as ever after this brief period of separation. His eyes darted toward me when I
made an appearance.
After he went home, Mom whispered to Dad and said that Colin literally perked up when I came out. She
thought that he might be interested in me.
Dad was always supportive, regardless if Mom was right or wrong. He nodded and agreed to what Mom
said. But then he said something in a hushed voice that I couldn’t pick up.
Either way, I wasn’t convinced by what Mom said. Colin had always doted on me. I didn’t think that he
was into me at all. Adults tended to over–complicate things.