The cool misty air seeped in from the rain outside, and Ryan sat expressionless on the sofa, the diamond stud in his nose barely glinting. He seemed engulfed in shadow, his entire being weighed down by a gnawing bitterness. His fingers clenched tightly, and his lips pressed together, cold and hard like the marble floor beneath him.
He stood there, utterly alone.
Sunlight cast his shadow at a sharp angle on the ground.
He stared at her, cold and distant.
"If you leave with him, don't ever speak to me again."
His voice was colder than the sharp glint of a diamond.
Yet—
She left with that guy anyway.
There was no misunderstanding, no need for explanations. Right in front of him, she had walked away with another guy, without hesitation, without even looking back.
Ryan's face grew paler.
He took a deep breath. Fine, if she had chosen to be with that guy, then she didn't need to ever speak to him again. So why did she keep calling?
The phone rings.
Philip glanced down and couldn't help but chuckle. It's Emily calling once again.
"Turn it off!"
Ryan lunged to snatch the phone, his intent clear—he wanted to smash it to pieces!
In the dormitory, Emily stood frozen, listening to the persistent ringtone of her phone.
Is he still angry?
He hasn't replied to her texts or answered her calls—he must really be upset. She could still picture Ryan's furious and disappointed expression from that day when Howie had pulled her out of the classroom.
The phone continued to vibrate.
This was the thirty or fourty calls she had made in three days. She knew Ryan wouldn't pick up, but she just needed to call him, to hear the ringtone, to feel as if he were still there, even if it was just for the brief moment before he hung up.
"Hello?"
Suddenly, a pleasant male voice came through the line. Emily, accustomed to her calls being cut off, found herself momentarily speechless, stunned into silence.
"Hello, is this Emily?" The voice was gentle and patient. "I'm Ryan's friend."
It struck her like a bolt of lightning, a sudden explosion in her mind! That voice... She struggled to grasp the familiarity of it and dazedly replied, "Um, hello, I'm Emily."
"Is there something you need to talk to Ryan about?"
"He hasn't been to class for three days. I wanted to know..." Emily spoke somewhat vacantly, her thoughts scattered. The voice felt so familiar, almost like her own breath—so familiar that she couldn't forget it even in her dreams.
"Ryan is sick, so he hasn't been able to come." The voice carried a warmth, like the early summer sun filtering through fragrant leaves, softly illuminating everything. "I appreciate your concern for him."
"..."
"Hello?"
"..."
"Emily, are you still there?" The concern in the voice was palpable.
She shook her head vigorously, no, it couldn't be! It had to be a distortion on the line; she couldn't be hearing Young's voice. That was absolutely impossible!
Taking a deep breath, she said, "Yes, I'm here. I'm sorry, may I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Could you tell me Ryan's address?" She realized he was sick, and she wondered how serious it was and when he would return to school. If he wouldn't answer her calls, this was her only option left.
The voice continued with a smile, "Sure, I'll give you the details." He provided her with the address, then added, "But—"
"What is it?"
"You're not planning to come over right now, are you?"
"I..." Emily bit her lip, considering that she intended to go right after the call.
"It's raining outside. You should wait until it stops, or you might get sick yourself. Once the rain lets up, you can come, and I'll also try to convince Ryan to calm down. How does that sound?"
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it," came the soft laughter from the voice. "By the way, Ryan can be a bit awkward and shy. If there are any misunderstandings, you might need to communicate with him more. He really likes you and has mentioned that you're a very cute girl…"
Before the sentence could finish, a thunderous roar erupted from the phone—
"Shut up!!"
The volume was so loud that Emily winced, instantly knowing it was Ryan who was furious.
Amidst the muffled sounds of scuffling and swearing coming from the other end, she bit her lip, listening intently until it seemed someone had snatched the phone away.
"Is that you? It's Emily!" she said urgently, hoping Ryan wouldn't hang up immediately.
"Damn it!" came a low curse.
"Are you sick? Are you feeling any better?"
"Hell no!"
If he could curse and shout, then he must be feeling better. Emily breathed a sigh of relief. She then softly said, "I'm sorry, that day I didn't really want to leave with him."
"Shut up! I told you I never want to hear your voice again!"
"But you've already heard it, haven't you?"
"You—!"
She forced a smile and asked, "Are you still mad?"
"What can I do for you to stop being angry?" She was willing to do anything, as long as he was happy, as long as she could stay by his side.
"Are you deaf? I said I never want to hear your voice again!" After that, there was a loud crash, like the phone on the other end had been smashed to pieces, followed by the sound of a busy tone.