Half-asleep, I heard a loud door slam outside.
The next morning, Henry was nowhere to be seen. When I arrived at the office, Karina pulled me aside mysteriously.
“Jeanne, didn’t you say you were going to France last time?”
“What a coincidence! My nephew is heading there around the same time. You two could travel together.”
I instinctively refused, but Karina was very enthusiastic.
“He’s a travel blogger. His guides are excellent. With him leading the way, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble.”
“It’s settled then. I’ll send your WhatsApp to my brother.”
I hesitated, but the idea won me over. Planning the trip had worn me out and after so many years without travelling, I was honestly a little nervous.
That afternoon, I took leave to attend my alma mater’s anniversary celebration. In front of the library, a group of young students were laughing and taking photos.
In the crowd, a girl with a bright smile and a man in a suit and leather shoes on her arm stood out. “Smiling at the camera! We’re putting it on the campus couple photo wall!”
The girl gave a shy smile and bravely stood on tiptoe. Sunlight bathed them, like a distant memory of youth.
“Hey, isn’t that Henry, the heartthrob from our class? Is he going after a younger girl?”
A classmate beside me spoke a bit too loudly. Henry glanced in our direction. Our eyes met and a flicker of panic crossed his face.
He instinctively pushed Inez away and started walking toward me, but she grabbed his arm tightly. She must have said something, because Henry stopped in his tracks.
My phone buzzed with a message from Henry.
[Don’t misunderstand! That was just youthful fun. I didn’t want to spoil the mood!]
I didn’t even bother replying with a “Okay.”
I followed the group to our old haunt, the coffee shop, listening to their idle chatter.
“Jeanne, what’s your status now?”
I held my coffee and said calmly, “Single!”
Someone immediately picked up the thread.
“Honestly, you have to learn from Henry. If you can’t find someone your own age, why not consider a younger junior? Do you think Henry and his little girlfriend are a good match?”
I smiled and said, “Yes, the man and the woman are a perfect match!”
As soon as I finished speaking, everyone looked behind me in embarrassment.
Henry had entered unnoticed, his face darkening as he stared at me. “Jeanne, come out with me for a moment.”
I was completely confused. We’d been together six years, but Henry never acknowledged me to his friends.
One year, he could bring his family members to his company’s annual party, so I dressed up carefully to surprise him. When I went to find him, he introduced me in front of his colleagues as just a college classmate.
Now that I’d done exactly as he wished, he was upset?
“Mr. Walpole, is there something you need? Today is our class reunion. It seems a bit inconvenient.”
He wanted to say something else, but Inez’s coquettish voice came from behind him.
“Henry, everyone’s waiting for you!”
Henry took a deep breath, shot me a fierce glare and was ultimately pulled away by Inez.
At the end of the campus celebration in the evening, my classmates and I said goodbye at the campus gate. Just as I was about to hail a cab, a familiar car pulled up beside me. The window rolled down, revealing Henry’s tense profile.
“Get in the car right now!”
Exhausted after a long day, I didn’t want to draw attention by arguing on the street. I silently opened the door and got in.
The car was very quiet. In the past, I’d desperately try to find topics to liven things up, but every time I did, Henry would furrow his brow.
“Jeanne, could you just be quiet for a bit?”
Today, I pulled out my phone and absentmindedly admired the newly posted couple of photos of him and Inez on the campus forum. Suddenly, a sharp brake screeched as Henry pulled the car to the side of the road.
