When My Bamboo Horse Returns

1

On the day of our party, I lost the game Truth or Dare, so my childhood sweetheart, James Whitman, and I were forced to start the challenge of being a couple for a week.

My best friend, Karen Clark, laughed and said, "If anyone finds out, you'll both be punished."

James smiled, "Alright."

He took my hand and placed it on his abs. "How about checking it out now, my girlfriend? Are you satisfied?"

Through his thin shirt, I could clearly feel the strong and firm muscles under my hands.

I purposely squeezed it forcefully, and his muscles instantly tightened. I continued to move my hand down, and his body froze. Then, I subconsciously patted his side waist. "Eight-pack, not too bad. My boyfriend, keep it up."

Everyone roared with laughter. Seeing this, Karen complained, "This challenge was too easy for you guys, and it's as easy as pie!"

Indeed, everyone at the party felt that this challenge would be simple enough for James and I to accomplish.

After all, James and I had grown up together and had always been on intimate terms.

James and I could have physical contact as much as we wanted, and we were intimate as if we were lovers. Furthermore, he didn't mind eating my leftovers, and he even visited my house directly every Christmas and spent Christmas Eve with my family. My parents had no problem with this and took it for granted.

Before that, all my friends around me also agreed that he and I were dating by default.

James was cheerful and handsome, and he was the dream man for many girls in Arnold University. He treated girls courteously and was a great choice for their boyfriends. If someone asked me why I didn't take the opportunity to date James, I would say he was a real playboy.

James was not only well-known for his handsome appearance, but also for the frequency with which he changed his girlfriends.

James would even change girlfriends twice a month at the most frequent times.

Once when I curiously asked him why he dated different girls so frequently, he leaned on my knee lazily and played with my hair.

"Because women are horribly possessive. I don't like it when a girl loses her ego because she loves me."

James said, "You know about my family, right? My mom..."

James' mother, Laura, was madly in love with his father, Kevin, to the point where she finally became psychotic.

Laura suspected that Kevin was having an affair and no longer loved her, and she was even jealous that James would steal Kevin's attention and time. Her love was so twisted that it was suffocating.

In the end, this crazy woman stepped on the gas on a rainy night and left the man she loved in the cold river permanently.

From then on, James became an orphan.

This incident had a huge impact on James. For a long time, James just locked himself in the house in silence, not interacting with anyone, not willing to build new relationships with others. It wasn't until I went to high school with him that he slowly got better.

I rubbed the back of his neck soothingly, and he buried his entire body in my arms, his voice hushed.

"I obviously told them before we dated that I needed my own personal space, and that I didn't like being controlled and interfered with in my relations. If they didn't accept that, they shouldn't have agreed to it.

"We just made a pact, but they started interfering in my personal affairs after we were together. On top of that, they wanted me to cut you off!"

I stopped my hand on his shoulder.

James didn't notice my abnormality at all, and he continued to complain, "What kind of relationship are we in? You're my childhood sweetheart and my best friend. What makes them think I would cut you off for them?"