Chapter 3
Mack Washington didn’t like the exchanges between Pearl Forbs and me.
She would say there was nothing between them.
I would say we had already broken up.
Every time, Mack would interject irritably;
“Feelings that can be forgotten weren’t that deep to begin with. Even if the memories come back, we won’t get back together.”
e, once forgotten, it’s forgotten. It just means the feelings weren’t strong enough.
The past, like smoke, scatters with the wind–there’s nothing you can’t let go of.
I wasn’t interested in the development of their relationship, yet I somehow kept running into them nearly every day.
Junior year came with a packed course load. Though Mack wasn’t in the same department as us, he skipped his own classes daily to accompany Pea to hers.
I doubted Mack had ever done such a thing for me, because soon, one of the girls in our class asked Pearl,
“Wow, is that your boyfriend? He’s so handsome~”
Pearl immediately waved her hands in denial, smiling as Mack’s expression dimmed.
“No, no, we’re just friends.”
The other girl gave an ambiguous “Oh~,” her gaze darting back and forth between them before adding:
“Friends, huh…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but the implication was clear.
She was probably wondering what kind of “friend” would attend classes together every day, buy Pearl her favorite bubble tea, join her for meals afterward, and deliberately sit between her and other male classmates.
Even on rainy days, Mack would ensure Pearl didn’t get wet, letting himself get soaked in the process.
It once led to him catching a fever and coming to class the next day visibly unwell, leaning on his desk, half–asleep.
During a break in the lecture, his hoarse voice suddenly broke the silence:
“Crystal, I feel awful…”
It wasn’t loud, but it was abrupt enough to draw attention.
People around us turned to look at me, seated further back.
Even Pearl anxiously asked him,
“Mack, did… did you remember something?”
My pen froze mid–stroke. I glanced up briefly before lowering my gaze again.
It took a while before I heard him mumble faintly:
“Dizzy my head’s all foggy.”
Maybe it really was the fever clouding his mind.
Later that afternoon, when I went to the infirmary to buy vitamin C tablets, I ran into Mack getting an IV drip.
10.39
Chapter 3
As soon as he saw me, fatigued as he was, the first thing he said was,
“Shrimp and vegetable congee again this time?”
We both froze at his words.
I instantly understood why he said that.
It was written in my journal.
Whenever Mack got sick in the past, I would bring him shrimp and vegetable congee to eat with him.
He used to frown and grumble,
we switch to a different flavor next time?”
I’d smile softly and agree, only to bring the same congee again.
Over time, he got used to it.
Yet now, in his amnesiac state, those words had slipped out of him without thinking.
As we stared silently at each other, his gaze dropped to my empty hands. Only then did he seem to realize what he’d said. Under my slightly startled look, he quickly clarified,
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I haven’t recovered my memory. It’s just… just muscle memory, yeah, probably something that happened before.”
I didn’t pay much attention to his stammered explanation. Smiling faintly, I replied, “I didn’t misunderstand,” and left the infirmary with the vitamín C tablets.
His gaze lingered on me for a long time as I walked away.
I didn’t look back.
The phone in my pocket buzzed softly with a reminder for my part–time tutoring session: a math and science lesson for a high schooler.
I headed straight there with my prepared materials. The moment I walked through the door, the student came running out of the study excitedly, calling,
“Ms. Crystal!”
A second figure emerged from the study–poised, clean–cut, and holding a test paper between his fingers. His eyes met mine without hesitation.
Our gazes locked, and my smile froze.
The student beamed and introduced,
“Ms. Crystal, this is my cousin Brain Warrick, the one I told you about whose grades are just as bad as mine. He just got back today.”
Then, turning to Brain with a hint of pride, the student added,
“This is Ms. Crystal Lenna, the teacher,
mentioned. She’s amazing–she goes to Capital University, my dream school!”
“Ms. Lenna.”
Brain, hands in his pockets, leaned casually against the doorframe. After hearing the introduction, he looked at me with a faint, knowing smile and said,
“Long time no see.”
