It was as if Frank’s soul finally returned to his body. He remembered. He remembered the year someone else confessed their feeli- ngs for me. Panicked, he’d gotten drunk, stolen the family heirloom bracelet, and showed up at my house in the middle of the night, crying, pleading, even kneeling, begging me to wear it.
He tugged at his collar, took a deep breath, and then smiled at me. “I’m just a little on edge. You’re right, you don’t take back a gift.
You should keep it.”
“It’s fine. I’ll give it back to you. I’ll go home and get it now,” I interrupted, my voice calm. “I’ll be right back. I won’t be long.”
Before anyone could react, I grabbed my bag and walked out.
When I returned with the bracelet and was about to knock, a chorus of cheers stopped me-
“Welcome…”
Frank’s smile froze the moment he saw me. “What are you doing here?”
He seemed shocked that I had come back, and even more shocked that I had actually brought the bracelet. When I held it out to
him, his face was a mask of disbelief. Finally, he took it and leaned in to whisper in my ear.
“Hannah, for the sake of our… partnership, don’t cause any trouble today.”
“Angela’s a sensitive girl. Don’t say anything to upset her.”
I didn’t want to engage with him. Angela was sensitive girl, and I wasn’t?
I looked at the boy I had loved for my entire youth, and a bone–deep chill threatened to swallow me whole.
Ten minutes later, Angela was escorted into the house by a family friend. The parents all chatted amiably. That was why my paren- ts were here–to subtly lay out our family’s background and future prospects for the go–between.
Throughout it all, Frank sat beside Angela, his every gesture radiating care. He was nearly thirty, but he acted like a nervous teena-
04:39
Throughout it all, Frank sat beside Angela, his every gesture radiating care. He was nearly thirty, but he acted like a nervous teena-
ger.
I had nothing to do, which suited me fine. I was just looking for a chance to slip away.
Unexpectedly, Angela turned to me, her gaze soft. “You must be Hannah. I’ve heard so much about you. The goddess of the art department, wasn’t it?”
Startled to be addressed, I waved my hands dismissively. “Oh, no, not at all. That was just everyone fooling around in school.”
I hoped the attention would quickly shift. But Angela persisted. “Not at all! After you performed that classical dance at the ball, the entire area under your dorm was filled with flowers the next day.”
Before I could speak, she tugged playfully at Frank’s arm. “You two were childhood sweethearts. How did you not end up together? I remember you were inseparable. Everyone thought you’d get married.”
Every eye in the room turned to me. I couldn’t explain it, but this seemingly harmless woman radiated a strange hostility towards
- me.
“Her?” Frank looked at Angela, handing her a peeled apple. “In your eyes, she might be a goddess or whatever. But to me, she’s just
a tomboy. The brother I grew up sharing pants with.”
As if recalling a memory, Frank let out a chuckle. “You have no idea. When Hannah cried as a kid, snot and tears would just stream down her face. If I didn’t wipe that huge glob of snot for her, it would have gone right into her mouth.”
“And when she was fifteen, she fainted during gym class and started talking nonsense, flailing her arms and legs around…”
“I have to go, I have something to do.” I stood up, barely containing my anger, and managed a tight smile for the adults. “You all
chat.”
Angela looked at Frank with a concerned expression. “Did I say something wrong to upset her?”
Frank glared at me, as if blaming me for ruining the mood. Before he could speak, I cut him off.
“I have a date with my boyfriend tonight. I’ll be late if I don’t leave now.”
“When did you get a boyfriend?” I had one foot out the door when Frank grabbed my arm. “How come I don’t know about it?”
In front of everyone, including Angela, my face flushed. I struggled to pull my arm free. “What business is it of yours whether I have
a boyfriend or not?” I snapped. “My own parents haven’t even asked. Why should you care?”
“Frank!” his father said in a low, stern voice. “Sit down! What kind of behavior is this?”
I used the opportunity to bow to the adults. “Goodbye, Uncle, Auntie.”
From behind me, I heard Angela’s sweet voice. “Hannah is so beautiful and performs on stage so often, she must have plenty of admirers… It’s only natural for her to be dating. I think I even saw a hickey under her scarf earlier.”
Realizing she might have overstepped, she paused, adding sheepishly, “Maybe it’s because we art students are different. We pain- ters are a bit quieter, whereas you dancers are more… open. But I respect every girl’s choice.”
I didn’t hear what they said about me after that. My style had always been bit bolder. It was a classic case of lifting one up by putting another down, using me as a foil to make her look better. And I could only imagine how Frank would join in on belittling me.
But they didn’t know. My claim about having a boyfriend was a lie, but my plan to leave this place and move to the coast was very,
very real.
I started researching houses and job opportunities there. I threw myself into the planning, busying myself so I wouldn’t have time to think about Frank.
We grew up together. He had always played the part of the warm, caring older brother next door, standing up for me whenever I
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