"Serena, are you really this heartless?" Julian still wouldn''t give up. "You won''t even give me a chance to make things right?"


    I frowned and looked at him with nothing but confusion in my eyes. "When you do something wrong, what you should do is respect the victim''s wishes, not demand they give you a chance."


    "You..." Julian''s expression stiffened. Even now, he couldn''t let go of his high and mighty stance as the pampered son of the kes family.


    "I don''t know why you''re trying to get back together with me, but let me make this clear. I''ll never take you back. I just want to live my own life. Don''te looking for me again."


    Just as I was about to leave, I heard him grit his teeth behind me. "Serena."


    I paused.


    Then came his venomous words. "You''ll regret this."


    It was nothing but an empty threat. I lifted my foot and kept walking without hesitation.


    His words didn''t affect me in the slightest. What did stay with me, though, were Alex''s reactions and everything he had said today.


    The truth was undeniable. Alex held a certain weight in my heart. Otherwise, why would I be so affected?


    That restless feeling lingered into the night. I tossed and turned in bed but couldn''t sleep. After hesitating for a long time, I finally picked up my phone and called L, whom I hadn''t seen in a while.


    "Hello, Serena." On the other end, the background noise was deafening.


    "You''re out partying, L?" I pouted. "Then let''s talk tomorrow."


    "Wait." She seemed to be moving away from the noise. After a few seconds, the background quieted down. "Alright, what''s up?"


    "It''s sote, and you''re still out?" I couldn''t help but nag her, debating whether to bring up what was on my mind.


    "Oh, two of my friends are celebrating their birthdays today." She urged me, "Just say it already. Serena, when did you be so hesitant?"


    I took a deep breath and told her about my argument with Alex. To my surprise, she fell silent after listening.


    "Do you think Alex was being unreasonable? Or that I was ungrateful?" I asked.


    "Neither of you were wrong," she


    said seriously. "You''re both standing from different perspectives. You


    want to work hard, while he just


    wants to keep you away from people he thinks have ulterior motives."


    "You just handled it the wrong way." She concluded, saying, "If possible, you should sit down and have an honest conversation with him. Serena you don''t always have to keep your distance from him on purpose."


    Her words hit a nerve. "I just feel like... Alex and I are from different worlds."


    "So what if you are?" she countered. "You two are still connected in ways that can''t be severed. Be upfront so that you have a clear conscience. Avoiding him on purpose only makes it seem like you have


    something to hide."


    I took a deep breath. "Then... should I ask him to have dinner tomorrow?"


    "Now you''re talking." She chuckled. "Alright, your love life is sorted. It''s time for me to go have some fun."


    ...


    I was sitting at my desk the next morning. I had already made up my mind. The message inviting Alex to dinner was typed and ready to be sent.


    But no matter how long I stared at it, I just couldn''t bring myself to press send.