Is it just because someone said that my letting down my guard with Blake is the suspension bridge effect, that I think Blake's feelings for me are the same?
"In that case, it would seem like I like Blake."
"It's not just seeming, you do like him!"
I blinked and murmured softly, "How is that possible?" Carl's annoyed voice echoed in the store. The customers in the store all turned their eyes to this side, but the clerks just glanced and continued working. The customers also seemed to lose interest and continued their conversations.
"Ah, really. If you don't understand so much, just keep your distance for now. If you don't see each other for a while, you will know how much you care about the other person."
"Hey, do you really think I like Blake?"
"Don't ask me!"
Carl yelled at my question, his face turning red, and suddenly turned his back and gulped down his beer. I looked at his back, still unable to understand, and tilted my head in confusion.
What kind of feeling is liking, after all? I feel like I have forgotten this feeling for a long time. I don't understand at all what this vague feeling in my heart is now, and instead, I feel more and more uneasy.
When will I like someone? I can't even find such a simple answer.
That day, until the date changed, I was pestered by Carl. When I woke up in the morning, I only felt an incomparable annoyed in my chest. This was not because of my troubled heart, but obviously - a hangover. At some point last night, the drink in my cup was changed to an alcoholic one, and I usher in a morning without any freshness.
"That guy Carl, I must make him treat me next time."
When I went to work with a headache from the hangover, I received an email from Carl early in the morning.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember."
That guy who can drink twenty large glasses of draft beer without getting drunk is simply not human. I thought he finally looked a bit like a normal person, but Carl showed no signs of a hangover the next day. His alcohol decomposition ability is beyond ordinary people. And he hardly shows any signs of being drunk when drinking, so we are often surprised by how much he has drunk when it comes to paying the bill.
Since I can't drink, there is no going Dutch when eating with Carl. I don't eat much and don't drink, so I probably pay one-third of the bill. But sometimes I still feel it's too much.
"Really, what's there to be sorry about. Idiot."
I tried my best to express my resentment and dissatisfaction in the email and sent it out.
Seeing the words "Sent Successfully," I closed my phone and suddenly heard a commotion outside. I looked out the window following the sound and saw a familiar face in the crowd of students. But the unusual scene confused me for a moment, and I tilted my head.
"... Huh? He's not here."
From the window of the preparation room, I can clearly see the school gate. Sitting at the desk, I can see the students coming to school. At this time usually, Zoe, Abel, and Blake would walk over together. But today Blake was not there.
"Is he taking a break, or..."
I couldn't help frowning when I didn't see Blake's figure.
"It would have been nice to send an email."
Thinking of what happened yesterday, I felt annoyed.
Blake's face was distorted from crying, and he kept his head down until he went home without looking back at me. As a result, we parted in an uncomfortable atmosphere, and we haven't contacted each other until this morning.
"Come to think of it, I've never taken the initiative to contact him."
The day Blake confessed his love to me, we exchanged contact information, and it was always my phone that rang, and I received his emails every day. There was nothing special, just "Good morning," "Good work," "Good night" - all trivial things.
So I didn't feel particularly burdened and just replied briefly.
"Speaking of which, it hasn't been that long."
I looked at the name on the contact list inadvertently and couldn't help tilting my head.
It was at the beginning of the new semester when Blake confessed his love, and it has been less than two weeks until now. But I feel like we have been together for a longer time.
"I don't feel tired when I'm with him."
He always thinks things through before I have to worry, which is really not suitable. And for some reason, I feel at ease as long as he is by my side.
"I will" - feel uneasy when I don't see his face, I almost blurted out, and my face couldn't help getting hot.
"Is it that serious?"
I just said I wanted to keep a little distance. But now I already feel unsatisfied. What's going on? I felt helpless at my short-sighted mind.
The forgotten headache struck again.
"I really want to go home today."
I pressed my aching head and naturally sighed.
"Well, I'll ask Zoe or Abel later anyway."
After worrying for a long time, I held my phone and left the preparation room dejectedly.
"Good morning -"
"Good morning"
To get from the preparation room on the second floor of the old school building to the staff room on the first floor of the main school building, one must pass through the corridor connecting the two. One end of the corridor is connected to the terrace on the mezzanine floor of the main school building. Usually when walking here, students who rush in will greet me as they pass by.
The students suddenly became flustered, probably because the preparatory bell was about to ring. I glanced at the clock on the wall, and in the midst of the flustered crowd of students, my gaze suddenly stopped.
"Huh, Blake?"
I thought he was taking a break today, but unexpectedly, Blake was next to the shoe cabinet. He seemed to have just arrived and was changing his shoes.
He said he couldn't get up in the morning, but it was rare for him to come this late. I couldn't help frowning when I saw his bad complexion.
"Are you not feeling well?"
I stopped and stared closely at his figure. He seemed to notice my gaze and looked up. But his gaze only met mine for a moment before shifting away and looking down again.
"Just now, we made eye contact, right? Was it my illusion?"
Looking at Blake's back as he walked towards the classroom, I couldn't help tilting my head. I stood there for a while until his back disappeared, and at this moment, a loud call for my name came from the staff room not far away.
"Oops, I'm going to be late for the staff meeting."
Hearing the preparatory bell ring, I hurriedly trotted into the staff room.
And then, I regretted not calling out to Blake's back.