Chapter 20
Jennie was grinning like a Cheshire cat, clearly enjoying her conversation.
Isabella playfully nudged her with her shoulder.
Jennie wasn’t shy about it and held her phone up to show Isabella. “They went to Cloud City.”
The screen displayed a slightly dimly lit photo. In it, a group of men and women were sitting around an outdoor bar, lights flashing all around The table was full of drinks and grilled skewers–clearly a laid–back party.
Isabella took one glance and froze.
In the middle of the group, surrounded by others, was Xavier. The purple lights illuminated half of his face, and there was a faint smile on his lips as he listened to someone next to him. He lounged back against the cushion behind him, holding a half–tilted beer bottle.
He looked completely at ease.
Jennie kept talking. “My boyfriend said Xavier won first place in the race today. Isn’t that impressive?” She poked Isabella playfully.
Jennie’s boyfriend was part of the same crowd as Xavier. Whenever he posted anything on social media, Xavier was often in the background, almost like a little fanboy.
But Isabella couldn’t bring herself to smile. Xavier had gone to Cloud City without telling her. Deep down, she was starting to piece it together. That morning, when he asked if she had plans for the evening, it was likely that he had been thinking about taking her with him to Cloud City.
But why hadn’t he said anything directly?
Isabella pulled out her phone and sent him a message. “Where are you?”
The message seemed to disappear into a void. She didn’t get a response–not even by: midnight.
After a whole day of bottled–up feelings, she was starting to feel upset. Out of sheer frustration, she switched her phone off before going to bed.
The next morning, she had a class that she shared with Xavier. When she walked into the classroom, Xavier wasn’t there yet, but she did see one of his friends–an attractive guy often saved seats for them.
He had two books on the seat behind him, clearly reserving spots for both her and Xavier.
Acting like she hadn’t noticed, she went to find another seat.
The guy thought she hadn’t seen and waved at her. “Hey, over here!”
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“I’m good,” she replied and went to sit with her roommate instead.
A couple of minutes before class started, Xavier walked in with a few friends. Isabella didn’t even glance in his direction, focusing on the book in front of her. Soon, a shadow fell over her
desk.
“Excuse me. Could I switch seats with you?” The familiar voice came from overhead. He wasn’t speaking to her, though, but to her roommate.
Her roommate glanced at Isabella’s blank expression and immediately understood, offering him an “OK” hand gesture before gathering her things and moving. She could feel someone sit down beside her, bringing with him the faint scent of men’s body wash.
Then, the book she was holding was pulled from her hands.
Annoyance flared up inside her, and she turned, ready to snap at him, only to find him casually flipping through her book, legs crossed. He clicked his tongue a few times. “Not paying attention in class, huh? These notes are pretty sparse.
His nonchalant attitude made it impossible to stay mad at him.
She felt both exasperated and helpless. How could she be so weak? And yet… how much did she like him?
Lost in her thoughts, she was startled when Xavier propped his head up on one hand and turned to look at her as if he’d figured her out completely. His eyes were full of a playful smile -the kind that made her heart soften. “I think it’s time to turn your phone back on, don’t you?”
Later, she’d come to realize that he was like the wind–impossible to catch or hold on to. He could easily make her happy after making her upset. But when he couldn’t be bothered, there wasn’t a single crack through which she could enter his world.
“Isabella, make sure you come back early this afternoon. You remember you’re supposed to attend the banquet with me tonight, right?”
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Chapter 21
Chapter 21
