“Go ahead and get busy. We don’t really have much in common,” Jimmy said with a genuine smile. “I was the only underachiever in our class, didn’t even finish college.” Now, he had tasted the bitterness of life.
Hearing this, Tom Fritz, who had always excelled academically, felt a bit awkward and didn’t know what to say. Middle age brought heavy burdens for everyone.
“Go ahead and get busy. If you need verification again, feel free to call me. Bye!” With that, he hung up the phone.
Tom Fritz held his phone, feeling uneasy. After a while, he took a deep breath to calm himself, set the phone aside, and began entering a new password.
His view on marriage remained unchanged-there was no right age to marry, only the right person to marry.
After successfully logging into his social media account, he ignored all notifications and opened his email. An account named Bubu caught his attention because it had sent him 478 unread emails!
This left Tom Fritz utterly shocked and bewildered. He double-checked to make sure he wasn’t mistaken.
Instead of looking for an important paper he had sent to his professor years ago, he opened the most recent email from Bubu-
“Hey, Kitty, I just finished work. How are things on your end? Is it raining?”
“I don’t know if you’re still alive or if you remember me, but ever since I first knew your name, you’ve stayed in my heart. I’ve really liked you for many years…”
“Kitty, I guess I won’t receive a reply from you anymore, so… I want to tell you all the feelings I’ve kept inside over these years. I like you very much. How are you?”
“Kitty, it’s raining tonight. Sitting by the window makes me feel inexplicably melancholic. It feels like I’ve lost something I’ve never had. This feeling is tormenting; I miss you again.”
“Kitty, I know you’re not my moon, but during that time, the moonlight from you shone on me. I’ve liked you always…”
Each email was short, just a few simple sentences, but they carried a girl’s endless longing and affection. He could almost feel her state of mind as she wrote them.
On this quiet and ordinary night, Tom Fritz sat at his desk reading through the emails, his hand trembling slightly as he held the mouse.
His brows furrowed slightly as memories took him back to that summer seven years ago.
He remembered the girl with the username Bubu; she was memorable-an excellent student with a lively personality who loved to draw.
She had even sent him a photo once, though he couldn’t recall her appearance anymore.
They had never met in person but had chatted on social media for about six months.
Good heavens, he had always treated her like a little sister or a friend while giving feedback on her work. She actually… liked him?
And she had liked him for so many years? The latest email was from this month.
Tom Fritz suddenly felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his heart.
Did that girl… get delayed because of him?
Seven years… She should have graduated from college by now?
Has she not dated anyone?
With these complex emotions, Tom continued to scroll through the emails. Almost every month there was one sent; he had never replied, yet she had never stopped liking him.
“Cat, I hope your brows are relaxed and free from sorrow. I hope everything is well with you.”
“It turns out… someone can hold onto memories longer than they hold onto love. Unfortunately for us… we never even dated.”
“Cat, happy birthday. Wishing you peace and joy.”
“I guess you probably won’t see these heartfelt words anymore; that’s why I’m daring enough to confess so boldly. I think… you’re my obsession that will only fade when I turn into dust. I like you, Cat.”