Our Later Stories

Kyle slowly loosened his tie. He got closer to me, and said in a deep voice, "How can you be compared with a man?"

Before he could touch me, Evan stopped him. "Old men are all useless.

You should be more smart."

Kyle chuckled, looking at me. "Why don't you tell him if I'm good?"

I stammered, unable to utter a single word. I waved at them, and ran away.

01

Kyle had always been my unattainable love.

In my freshman year, he spoke on behalf of the students on the welcome party, and I fell in love with him at first sight.

That day, I wasn't the only person who liked him, but I was definitely the most obsessed.

I didn't date with anyone and I had never skipped a class. I was absorbed in my studies since I wanted to keep up with him.

I thought we would be like Jess and Rory, but he didn't even know my name.

We joined the same club, and I mustered the courage to talk to him. But someone else had been with him.

Kyle's girlfriend, a talented senior from my department, came to invite him to dinner. Everyone teased them, and she blushed, holding his arm. Even without makeup, she was more beautiful than me who had to put on the makeup. Her cheeks were pinker than the summer rose.

At that moment, I realized the differences between us.

She seemed to notice my gaze and smiled at me. I quickly looked away, pretending to play with my phone. Later, she offered to treat everyone to dinner to thank us for taking care of Kyle.

I didn't go, but I could imagine how they loved each other when I read the chat records.

Letting go of someone wasn't as easy as I had imagined. I couldn't get involved in their relationship. I quietly hid my feelings for him. As time went by, I got used to showing off their love. I even thought that they were a perfect match and their relationship was more romantic than that in the romantic drama.

However, they eventually broke up.

She went abroad, and Kyle graduated.

Later, he returned to the school as an alumni guest speaker. My roommate had to take care of him. During his speech, I didn't dare to listen. Instead, I crouched by the bushes at the back door of the auditorium, feeding Muffin. Over the four years, it had been familiar with me. I planned to take it with me once I found a place.

There was a rustle by the bushes. Muffin retreated in fear. I turned to see Kyle standing there, smoking. It was the first time I had seen him smoke. He stood straightly there and I couldn't see his expressions clearly among the smoke from a distance.

At that moment, I felt so close to him, yet so far away.

My legs went numb. As I stood up, I almost fell down. He heard the noise and looked over.

I awkwardly grinned, "Hi, Kyle."

Muffin kept meowing. I whispered to it and asked it not to be afraid since Kyle wouldn't hurt it. I walked towards Kyle, the wind carrying the smoke to my face, making me cough. He stubbed out the cigarette. He nodded his head to me and apologized.

That was the first time that we had spoken to each other.

02

After graduation, I joined Kyle's company.

He got promoted, while I remained an assistant. He was even more outstanding than he was in college.

He had grown into a charming man. Many young women at the company admired him, but he remained single. People speculated that he might be hurt by a woman or he had an unattainable love, or perhaps he just wasn't interested in women.

When my colleague Brielle mentioned it to me, I blurted out, "Don't be silly. He once had a girlfriend."

"Oh, how do you know?"

Before I could think of an excuse, she patted her forehead. "Oh, I forgot you were schoolmates. He must have been popular in college. Who was his girlfriend?

Do you have a picture? Why did they break up?"

Brielle asked me many questions, but I just said, "I don't know. I wasn't familiar with them."

Kyle had long forgotten who I was.

At a post-work gathering, a colleague casually mentioned that we were schoolmates. He glanced at me with indifference.

I was so nervous that I clutched the tablecloth tightly. We greeted each other and then he was taken away to drink the alcohol. We didn't even exchange the Whatsapp contacts.

However, someone else did add me on Whatsapp that day.

It was a new intern at the company, who was also my junior.

When I got home, I saw a notification. My breath quickened. But when I opened it, I was disappointed.

It wasn't him. I didn't understand why I still had the hope.

"Hello. I'm Evan."

I accepted the request and then put my phone aside.

03

I knew Evan liked me. I met him in my junior year. While I was infatuated with Kyle, he was infatuated with me. Sometimes I thought we were so pitiful.

He confessed his love to me but I refused him. He kept pursuing me. I was afraid he would become as obsessed as I was, so I deleted him.

I had never expected Evan to come here.

At lunch, he asked if I wanted to have lunch with him. He didn't just ask me but invited everyone around. They all agreed, saying that they hadn't treated him to a meal since he came to work here. The leader generously offered to treat the interns.

Kyle was there too. But he still ate in silence. Evan, on the other hand, was charming, making everyone laugh. Charlee asked, "Evan, do you have a girlfriend?"

Evan glanced at me, and I quickly stuffed noodles into my mouth. He smiled and shook his head.

Charlee sighed that young people were all single these days. She said that if they didn't find someone soon, they'd miss out on the best matches.

Evan brought me into the conversation. "Is Lilliana single too?"

There weren't many young people at the table. Besides me, the others were either married at young age or showing off their love on Facebook.

I coughed. Before I could say something, Charlee said that she had introduced me to several eligible bachelors, but none caught my interest.

"You have high standards, right?"

Evan teased, half-joking, half-serious.

Everyone sensed something and looked at me curiously. Evan continued, "I won't brother you, Charlee. I have someone I like. I'm pursuing her, but she hasn't agreed yet."

Someone asked about the girl's personality and appearance.

Evan thought for a moment and said, "She's beautiful, but unfortunately, her taste in men isn't good. I hope she forgets her first crush soon and looks at me."

He made himself be a snoopy man. Someone chimed in, saying that the first love was romantic but tragic and it would be forgotten as time went by. They began to gossip about him, and I became more annoyed, wanting to leave.

After the meal, back at the office, Brielle was still marveling at Evan's devotion. I pretended not to understand.

"Lilliana, why are you so quiet? Don't you think Evan is really dedicated? He is a good man."

Her chatter was relentless, so I casually agreed, "Yes, he's a good man."

"Do you really think so, Lilliana?"

I turned to find Evan standing behind me.

I was embarrassed. I felt my face heat up and it was so red now.

Brielle asked why he was there, and he said Mr. Green wanted to see me in his office.

Kyle wanted to see me.

My face turned even redder, and my heart beat faster. I could hear every beat.

04

I had thought too much.

Kyle called me in for work. His assistant was on maternity leave, and I happened to be free. Seeing his serious look, I pinched myself hard, trying to come to my senses and stop thinking too much.

In a case involving an economic dispute, the client was a construction foreman whose boss had defaulted on wages. He couldn't give the money to his crew, and some aggressive workers were threatening him by protesting outside his home. Our task was to investigate and gather evidence.

On the way there, Kyle said to me, "Keep your wits about you and follow me.

Don't be reckless."

"Is he worried about me?"

I suddenly had such a question. But I thought that there was no reason to be moved. I wasn't reckless at all. He was questioning my competence.

I replied, "Okay, Mr. Green." I looked serious, but my hands on my knees were fidgeting restlessly.

Kyle noticed it and asked, "Are you nervous?"

"No."

I shook my head. I was quite good at talking with others, but now I couldn't find any topic. After a moment of awkward silence, we arrived at the client's building.

From a distance, we saw a group holding banners, chanting in unison, "Pay us our rightful pay!

Pay us our rightful pay!"

Kyle walked forward, but someone recognized him, pointing at him and shouting, "That's him!

The ruthless lawyer Zayne has hired!

He's determined not to pay us and wants to sue us!"

Since he said so, everyone turned their attention to us. Someone even grabbed Kyle's collar, and I was also pushed by the crowd. Soon, they realized that I was with Kyle and started hurling insults and debris at us.

I barely had time to cover my head and close my eyes. When the expected pain didn't come, I opened my eyes to find Kyle standing in front of me, holding my head. He asked, "Are you okay?"

"Kyle, you..."

But he had already turned around.

I noticed the egg yolk and leaves on his face and clothes. But he stood straightly, calmly talking to the agitators, "Please, calm down. We're on your side."

"Who believes that?

Lawyers are all the same. Bring Zayne down here and make him pay us the money!"

The crowd echoed the sentiment, and the situation grew tense again.

"Clear a path!

Clear a path!"

Someone called out from a distance. It was Evan, who pushed through the crowd to reach us. He tapped my head and asked, "Are you stunned?"

I didn't respond. He glanced at me, then at Kyle, saying, "It seems that he didn't bully you.

He knows to protect you, but don't fall love in him just because you're touched."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

I glanced at Kyle. I felt relieved since he hadn't noticed us.

Evan tried to tap my head again, but I dodged. He smiled and handed the loudspeaker to Kyle.

Kyle looked at me and told Evan, "Take care of her."

Evan nodded his head. Kyle stepped onto the stair with the loudspeaker in hand. He said, "Causing a scene won't help you. It'll only give others the chance to scold you. Zayne has hired me to get the money, not to sue you."

Some people seemed to be hesitant, and I quickly added, "Mr. Green is the best lawyer at our firm. He will help you. Please trust us. We're not here to harm you."

"Really?

Unless you put it in writing, we won't let you go!"

"Yeah!

Put it in writing!

Then you won't deny it."

The crowd wanted to walk forward again. Evan protected me, saying, "Anyone who comes closer, don't blame me for being rude!"

But no one listened to him. They became more excited. I looked at Kyle and found that he frowned. He was thinking a new way to deal with them. He quickly took out his phone and said, "If you harm us, I'll call the police right now.

You don't want to wait for news at the police station, do you?"

A threat?

He could threaten people?

Surprisingly, it worked. The leader quieted everyone down and said to Kyle, "Since you say so, we'll trust you. If it's not as you said, I'll try my best to punish Zayne."

Kyle nodded, then took my hand, saying, "Let's go upstairs."

Kyle's palm was dry and warm, just as I had imagined. His hand was large enough to envelop mine, but he only held my wrist. When we reached the elevator, he let go of me.

I handed him a pack of tissues. He looked at me and asked if I was hurt. I shook my head and thanked him.

While he cleaned his clothes, Evan held my hand. I turned to look at him. He leaned in to whisper, "What about me? I come all this way to rescue you, and you don't even thank me?"

I pushed his head away and asked why he was there. He said he was supposed to follow Mr. Green and he was late because of work. I asked about the loudspeaker, and he pointed at Kyle,

"He asked me to buy it."

I glanced at Kyle, who was still wiping off the egg yolk. He didn't notice us. Evan took my hand and looked at the place where Kyle had held and said, "I'm jealous."

My ears turned red, and I quickly pressed the elevator button, stepping inside first. Evan chuckled and followed me.

The egg stains on Kyle's clothes wouldn't be cleaned easily. When we met Zayne and his family, they were startled and kept apologizing to us. We talked all afternoon. As we were leaving, Zayne's wife, grabbed Kyle's hand and pleaded, "Mr. Green.

Our family's future is in your hands. Please help us."

She almost knelt down, but Kyle quickly held her up, assuring, "Don't worry, I'll do my best to help you."

Back at the office, our colleagues were shocked to see us and asked what had happened. I waved my hands with a wry smile, too tired to explain. As the workday ended, I stayed there to deal with the documents. Kyle hadn't left either.

Seeing the light in his office, I felt warm in my heart. "Are you hungry?"

I turned to find Evan still there. He had bought takeout and offered it to me. I was about to refuse, but he preempted me, saying, "I have bought a lot. It'd be a waste if you don't eat."

He picked up another bag, saying he was taking some to Kyle. "I know you're worried about him, so I bought him some too."

"Thank you."

I wasn't sure if I was thanking him for my food or Kyle's, maybe both.

"No need to thank me. I got the extra spicy."

When I left, Kyle was still there. Evan offered to send me home. I said it was too late, and he replied, "It's not safe for you to go home alone."

I didn't respond, so he said he would send me to the subway. I agreed, but at the station, Evan still didn't leave. He waited with me. When the subway arrived, he got on with me. I was annoyed and turned away from him.

Evan sat beside me, casually playing on his phone. I must have been exhausted and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I realized I was leaning on Evan's shoulder.

I quickly sat up, apologizing, "Sorry, I fell asleep. Did I miss the stop?"

"No."

Evan stared at me, making me uncomfortable. I asked what was wrong. He said, "You were drooling in your dream."

I was a little embarrassed and tried to clean it. Then I realized that I wore a mask and I was fooled by him. I glared at him but he was calm. He said that I was talking in sleep. But I didn't believe him.

"It's true. You said that you seemed to fall in love with me."