He texted back fast, with a little sticker of a puppy wagging its tail.
I snorted a laugh before I could stop myself, and the next second my phone was pulled out of my hand.
Jerome tugged me off to an empty corner.
"Joanna, there's a limit to how long you can keep giving me the silent treatment."
"You lie like this, and when your parents find out, how are you going to cover it?"
"They're all heading back to make dinner. If I don't go, won't that put them in an awkward spot?"
"You could at least think about the older folks a little more..."
He said it, sighed, and took out a velvet box.
"Here. That necklace you said you liked last time, I bought it for you."
"Lola just broke up with someone and she was a wreck. I stayed with her all night. I wanted to explain yesterday, but there was never a chance."
"Don't be mad anymore, okay?"
I looked at the box and just found it funny.
Half a year ago I told him I wanted it, and he said he'd buy it for me next time.
Last night Lola posted that she loved this brand, and by today he'd bought it for me.
I took my phone back and scrolled to her post.
Three thirty in the morning, captioned:
【Maybe people only understand what real love is after they've lived through it.】
The photo showed a whole set of jewelry, with a large hand in the bottom right corner of the frame.
The watch on that hand, the familiar one, was the gift I'd saved three months' wages to give Jerome.
"This stuff, you gave it to her?"
Seeing the photo, Jerome's expression flickered, and he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You know how she is. The second Lola gets upset she hurts herself. I have to keep her calm."
"When did you get this cold-blooded?"
Right. Of course I knew.
Back then, who in our class didn't know about this pair of doomed lovers?
Fighting, slapping each other, living like a romance novel.
Jerome gave up his guaranteed college placement for Lola, and when Daisy found out, she tore the two of them apart.
Later, riddled with guilt, she couldn't do enough for Lola.
I gave a dry laugh and handed the necklace back to him.
Before I could say anything, that special ringtone of his went off.
Jerome's voice instantly warmed with a smile.
"Okay, okay, I'll go buy you breakfast right now, you little princess."
He stepped off to the side as he talked, motioning with his eyes for me to wait.
I glanced at the necklace lying there alone on the ground, the one I'd waited half a year for, and turned to leave.
I wasn't going to wait anymore.
By the time I got in the car, Kenneth had already sent a whole string of messages.
I answered them one by one, and a smile finally reached my eyes.
When Mom and Dad heard that the boyfriend I'd mentioned was Kenneth, they were thrilled.
"That young man is steady, dependable!"
Back then my dad was hauling more than a hundred pounds of flour into the store by himself, in and out.
He was drenched in sweat and worn out when he ran into Kenneth passing by.
After that, Kenneth started coming around to lend a hand.
One thing led to another, and the two of them became unlikely friends despite the age gap.
One weekend when I came home, I saw someone skulking around in front of the counter.
I thought he was a thief and threw him over my shoulder.
Only later did I find out he'd come to pay the supplier's order money for my dad.
That was how the two of us got connected too.
I was home cooking when the doorbell rang.
I ran to the door, bouncing on my feet, but the one standing there was Jerome.
Lola and Daisy were behind him, looking a little put out.
"Ken's here?"
Mom wiped her hands and came over, then froze for a second when she saw them.
"Huh? Jerome, weren't the three of you going to stay out another day?"
Jerome, holding Lola's hand, paused, and couldn't help asking,
"Ken is...?"
"My boyfriend."
His face changed, and Lola quickly explained to my mom,
"Sorry to intrude, ma'am. Jerome said you've been neighbors for years, so I thought it wouldn't be right not to come pay a visit."
Daisy nodded and handed over a gift.
"Yes, yes, this child is just so thoughtful!"
"You really shouldn't have."
Dad came out of the kitchen, but there was no warmth in his tone.
The Gilberts were well off, and their whole family looked down on us. I knew it, and so did my parents.
My dad's breakfast diner, Jerome had never once set foot in it.
As he came through the door, he ground out a whisper in my ear,
"And to think I worried you were too heartbroken and came back early. You really do put on a full performance, don't you!"
At the table, he kept showing off how in love he and Lola were.
Kenneth messaged to say he was stuck in traffic.
As it got later and later, a trace of contempt crept onto Jerome's face.
"Joanna, how come this boyfriend of yours still isn't here?"
Lola smacked him, but her voice was all mockery.
"Oh, come on, maybe he's just busy with work."
"Honestly, you. It's not like Joanna would lie to us, right?"
Daisy weighed in too, all earnest concern.
"Being on time really does matter. It also lets us help you keep an eye on him."
My parents looked a little uncomfortable, but I stayed perfectly calm.
Just as they were about to start in again, the doorbell rang.
