𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚂𝚊𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜

Chapter-18

She seemed to care a big deal about school, and I wasn't at school at all.  I was away for Karting tournaments almost all of the time, I felt like I had a reason to talk to her. Truth be told, I didn't really care about my missing assignments, I just wanted an excuse to hear her talk.

The year flew by and it had become like a ritual now, I'd show up once or twice a week, she would tell me what I missed out on. Even if I knew how to do the homework I'd ask her for help anyway, it was the only time she'd actually talk to me. She spent most of her time wrapped up in her own world, lost in her own thoughts.

And then came the day she told me she was leaving, I don't think you understand how devastated my little heart was. I never got to tell her how wonderful she was, I'd never get to hear her sweet voice explaining literature reading to me ever again. I'd never get to look into her big, bright eyes ever again. She was already out of my league, and now she was slipping even further away.

Call it just an infatuation if you want, but it's still a part of me I hold very close to my heart. I felt so gutsy on the day she was leaving, I ran all the way from home to the train station. The train was already here and she was going to be gone. I told her to never forget me, I wanted to see her again.

My friends made so much of fun of me, they couldn't believe I had finally said what I wanted to. I realised I had no one to sit with in class, no one to annoy with my questions. That's when Giada came into the picture, she helped me stay on top of my work. Unlike Emiko, she was so easy to talk to. Maybe it's because she loved to talk, a lot.

I got along well with her but still hoped to see Emiko in the summer, I knew she would come to see Baba, but when I went to her house Baba told me she wasn't going to be coming this year.

My little brain was confused and heart was hurt, so she did forget me? She didn't come back for the next time I was so hopeful about. I couldn't possibly talk to anyone about "heartbreak" at this little age.

The year rolls by, I'm 17, I've grown into my features. I'm not just 'cute' in a baby face way. I'm cute in a 'gets a lot of female attention way' . I felt like an absolute stud, I was racing single seaters, girls thought I was cute and I was all the local news channels talked about in the afternoon.

The summer rolled around, I felt like my friendship with Giada has blossomed into something more. I had already lost one girl because I wasn't brave enough. And so I took my chances, I asked her out and we were now dating. Everyone loved her, she made me happy and that's all I could ask for.

And then one warm summer day, I see Giada walking by the harbour with the girl with the bright eyes. She looked even more gorgeous than I remembered, had I rushed things? What was I going to do now?

When Giada introduced us again, saying she was her good friend and all of us used to go to school together before she moved away, I played dumb. I acted like I couldn't remember who she was, when the truth was I knew exactly who she was and what I had promised to her. The problem was that I couldn't give her what I had promised to her again.

I never saw her again, I don't know what happened to her, where she went. Baba wouldn't tell me about her whereabouts either, and that's when I knew I had messed things up big time.

"People grow up and they grow apart. I don't blame you." I gave him a weak smile, patting his back.

"I realised that girl was back the minute I saw you in that antique shop." He looked at me sideways.

"The strange part is you've always moved on by the time I'm back." I laughed.

"Things went different this time around though."

"How so?" I asked him.

"I got to see her, with one of my closest friends who um... made bad decisions. And apart from that I walked up the red stairs with her, I spent a whole day with her in Cannes and I felt like a teenager again." He looked away, but a flush had already taken over his face.

"Look at me when you're talking!" I laughed holding his face to turn it towards me.

"I really believed that this time around I'll actually get her to stay. I'll convince her to give me a shot, and with that in mind, I broke things off-"

"That's the part that makes me think you're insane."

"Insane?" He frowned.

"Yeah. I know how you broke Giada's heart and I know how you broke Charlotte's heart." I went on rambling, "so if anything, mister Charles Leclerc, you are a serial heart breaker."

He rolled his eyes at my snide comments and continued anyway, "I ended things because I know it's disrespectful to both of the women. It would be unfair to make my ex girlfriend think I'm still in love with her and it would be unfair to Emiko because I promised something to her. So that's all I'm asking Emiko, will you fulfil what we promised to each other ten years ago?" He looked at me.

"You've got bad timing. Really bad timing." I stood up again, determined to leave this place before I made anymore bad decisions.

He asked me if I was really going to leave, I nodded and tried to scurry away. And he stopped me again, this time to tell me that he'll wait for my answer, as long as it took. I didn't answer that, I simply said I'll make sure to return his shirt back to him.

"I like to believe that won't be necessary." He smirked.