Chapter 7
I felt embarrassed, but he said, “They say your parents got your back at home, but your friends have your back on the road. Don’t you want to make friends with me?” It was impossible to say no to that.
He stayed in my room for two days and we talked for hours.
His words were as magical as his paintings, always vibrant and captivating.
I was amazed at how someone so young could have seen so much of the world.
At the same time, I envied his way of life.
The first thing I did after landing in Danilon was sign up for an art class.
After stepping off the train, I often dreamed of wandering alone with nothing but my sketchbook on my back.
That kind of freedom, that unrestrained
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lifestyle.
I loved it!
Unfortunately, real life had other plans. My brother roped me into working as his assistant and I’ve been run ragged ever since.
Even my sketching classes felt like a luxury.
I hadn’t thought of Julian in ages when my brother brought him up.
“Did you fight with Julian?”
I was lounging on the couch, binge- watching a drama, when I heard Julian’s name. Halfway to my mouth, I froze with a piece of fruit.
“No, why do you suddenly ask?”
Hearing my response, my brother looked even more puzzled.
“Why don’t you two just keep in touch? He’s been calling me all the time lately, asking about you. You haven’t called him at all
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since you got back, have you? That’s not like you, Wanda.”
“I didn’t call because of the time difference! Besides, isn‘ t Julian about to get married? He must be busy. Maybe he’s just casually asking about me. Don’t overthink it, okay? If he needed something, he’d call me himself.”
I grinned and patted my brother’s shoulder as I returned to my room.
I had no idea why Julian suddenly seemed so concerned about me. After all, he was about to marry Jennie.
I felt slightly regretful for leaving so undignified, but it’s water under the bridge
now.
My brother seemed to accept my
explanation, but I saw him leap up just as I closed the door.
“Julian‘ s getting married? How come that punk didn’t tell me? I’ll call him and give him a piece of my mind.”
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Shaking my head, I shut out all the noise behind the door, put on my headphones and began practicing sketching.
I occasionally thought of that elegant young man but never saw him again.
I attended an art exhibition at a friend’s invitation six months later.
I saw a painting at the art exhibition that felt vaguely familiar. It reminded me a lot of the sketch I saw on the train.
As a tall figure cast a shadow over me,
turned to see a familiar face.
“Hey, what a coincidence!”
I
Zack greeted me with the same effortless ease as always.
I smiled at him and pointed to the painting on the wall. “Is that the sketch from the train?”
He nodded. “You have a great memory!”
He took the painting down as he spoke and
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handed it to me. “It’s yours.”
I stared at him in astonishment.
Every piece in this gallery was worth millions. How could he so easily offer me such a valuable gift?
He seemed utterly nonchalant. “My paintings are like me–they go where fate takes them.”
“I won’t sell to people I don’t like, no matter how much money they offer.”
I accepted the painting but also transferred double the auction price to the charity
account.
“I heard this is a charity auction. If you give it away for free, what’s the point of charity?”
We both laughed at my remark.
After the art exhibition, we hit it off and started seeing each other more regularly.
Falling in love with Zack felt like the most
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natural thing in the world.
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He didn’t give me the kind of unforgettable passion Julian did, but every moment spent with him felt incredibly comforting.
