Even at work, unless she forced herself to fully concentrate, she couldn’t help but think about him. It wasn’t just remembering; it was missing him. To the extent that whenever her phone rang, she hoped it was a message from him. But every time she picked up her phone, she felt disappointed. He hadn’t contacted her all day.
In the evening, Agnes didn’t work overtime. She stood at the bus stop with her bag, waiting for the bus in the wind. Her phone beeped with a message notification. She eagerly took it out, only to see it wasn’t from him. She put her phone away, not even wanting to reply.
Yes, he was so busy; how could he have time to think of her?
Back home, Agnes made dinner for herself. Her sister had been busy with wedding preparations and would come home late after having dinner elsewhere. After dinner, Agnes rested for a while, then took a shower and sat at her desk in her bedroom in her pajamas. Just as she opened her laptop, she heard a faint knock on the door.
“Come in,” she thought it was her sister.
To her surprise, it was Ansel who opened the door!
Agnes was stunned. Ansel stood at the door, looking at her with concern and a hint of apprehension, “Are you feeling better?”
Yes, Ansel had fingerprint access to the door, which showed how close they used to be, almost like family.
Agnes looked away and sat back in her chair.
“I’m okay.”
“Have you eaten?” he asked from the doorway.
“I bought some groceries and planned to cook for you. Food from outside isn’t clean.”
“I’ve already eaten; I cooked for myself,” Agnes replied as she took off her shoes and sat cross-legged on the chair, turning on some music.
“Bubu…”
Ansel stepped inside. Seeing her unhappy made him sad too.
“Do you want to go for a walk by the river?”
“I don’t want to go out; I’ve already showered and don’t feel like changing clothes,” Agnes turned to look at him.
“Have you eaten?”
Ansel shook his head.
“I just finished eating; it should still be warm. You can have some; I made it myself.”
“I’m not hungry,” Ansel said as he sat down on a nearby chair.
“I’ll just sit with you for a while; you can continue what you’re doing.”
Agnes sighed softly but didn’t ask him to leave.
“Where did you go that night?” Ansel asked after a moment of thought.
“Did you lie to your sister?”
Agnes felt a slight tightness in her chest and looked at him…
“Don’t get me wrong; I’m just worried someone might have bullied you. I saw you crying yesterday and couldn’t figure out why, so I guessed…”
he quickly explained.
She understood something then.
“Nothing like that happened. This is a lawful society; how could I be bullied? Besides, I’m very good at protecting myself! You’re overthinking it!”
Ansel smiled, “That’s good to hear.”
“Are you nervous about becoming a teacher?” Agnes asked him.
“College students these days are quite tall.”
“A bit intimidating,” Ansel admitted with a smile.
“But I’m there to teach knowledge, not to fight. No worries!”
“Mr. Johnsons, good luck.”
“Thank you, Agnes!”
Ansel stayed for an hour. Agnes made him some tea, and they chatted pleasantly as long as they avoided talking about emotions.
After Ansel left, Agnes’s mind was once again occupied by thoughts of Mr. Cat.
She hesitated as she took out her phone and opened the chat window, typing a few words-
Hey, are you adjusting well to the new environment?
Staring at that line for a long time, she pressed backspace several times and ultimately decided not to disturb him.
Lying on her side in bed alone, reminiscing about their moments together, she gradually lost herself in thought…
That night, Bubu suffered from insomnia again.
She didn’t know how long it would take for these feelings to fade away.