"Verdan Zhou." Attendance was being checked and there was no response.
Midori barely saw him during the rest of their vacation days for he declined invitations to go out with their friends. If not for his occasional messages, Midori would think that there was a problem between them.
As classmates began to whisper, Midori looked down on her desk, pondering what happened to Dan. Since phones were not allowed at school, she cannot contact him for the time being.
When Miss Huang was about to start her class, Dan came rushing in.
"Mr. Zhou, it's a first for you to come in late." The teacher is not mad about this, rather curious as to the cause.
"Sorry, Miss Huang. It won't happen again." Dan bowed apologetically and took his seat next to Midori.
Come lunchtime, Midori tried to ask him what was bothering him, to the point of being late, but Dan seemed to be dodging the question.
"Hey, what's for lunch?" He was flashing his brightest smile and he seemed like a puppy wagging its tail.
Midori spread out the bento for them to eat. As they were having their meal, she tried to question him again.
"Dan, what happened..."
"Oh! This is so good! Did Aunty Lan help you prepare this? We should have it more often!" He cuts off her question with his enthusiasm over the food.
Midori sensed that he does not want to discuss it so she shut her mouth and observed him.
After classes, Dan was taking Midori home. Inside the car, she noted that they were going towards another route.
She furrowed her brows and turned to him. "Where are we going?"
Dan kept staring outside, not answering her.
After almost an hour of silence, the car went to a stop. As they arrived, the air was noted to be cooler.
Dan went out and opened the door for Midori. He held her hand and led her away.
The view and cool mountain breeze greeted Midori in a while. This brushed away some of her anxiety.
As she was appreciating the view, Dan moved to hug her from behind, burying his head between her neck and shoulder.
She held his arms which were hugging her waist, but she did not speak. She was waiting for him to tell her, to tell her everything.
"I will send my application to H International Business School. My choice of campus would be the one in City B. My father had already arranged accommodation. I will also work part-time in our company branch as additional training." He paused.
Midori was still bringing together the pieces in her mind. She also wanted to enroll in that school but she preferred the campus in City C. Though still in the same country, traveling in between these cities will not be easy.
"Midori..." he whispered to her ear.
Her shoulders shuddered a bit. He turned her so that she will look into his eyes.
"Come with me." Dan's voice sounded like a declaration rather than a request. However, his eyes were pleading her to agree.
She has already discussed with her mother regarding studying in City C. With this decision, Midori would have to negotiate with her all over again. 'But why does he look like he wants me to go with him so badly?' she thought. 'I get that we are together now and that distance may affect the relationship, but he looks so desperate that there might be a bigger picture into this.'
"Midori..." he repeated. This brought her back from her thoughts.
She looked into his eyes, searching for answers, but could not find any.
"Okay." she finally answered. She contemplated how she is going to tell her mom of this change of plans. "But you need to tell me what's bothering you, okay?"
Before she finished her sentence, he already embraced her tight. He nodded as he again buried his face on her shoulder.
Midori smiled and hugged him back. She already decided that she will be with him no matter what.