Watching You Burn In Regret novel Chapter 257

Lennon's gaze was deep. "Sometimes. But not that often. My desk mate used to swap seats with me all the time. He said the air was better by the window, made it easier to sleep."

Seren, who had been feeling a bit embarrassed, suddenly felt her heart skip a beat. There was a hidden meaning in his words.

Just then, Lennon took a phone call. It seemed important. He usually never stepped away to take calls, but this time, he walked a fair distance away.

The academy was huge, and they didn't have time to see it all. They made their way back to the administration building, where the evening's performance was being held. The event was about to start, with a young man and woman already on stage as hosts. Many of the invited alumni were filing in, taking their seats in the front rows. Seren was glad they had come on a whim; it meant they could avoid the spotlight and the formalities.

As she was looking ahead, a surprised voice called out from beside her.

"Seren?"

She turned to see a tall man in a well-tailored suit and tie. He had a refined air about him, and when he smiled, dimples appeared on his cheeks, giving him an approachable, friendly look.

Seren searched her memory but couldn't place him. She was momentarily confused until he enthusiastically introduced himself as Kendal. He had given her a love letter once, he explained, but she had never replied.

Many boys had given her letters back then. She rarely had time to read them, let alone pay attention to who wrote them. Still, running into a high school admirer in this setting was… awkward. She didn't know how others would feel, but she felt a distinct pang of embarrassment.

She glanced at Lennon, but his expression was calm and unreadable.

Kendal, however, was a natural extrovert. His eyes lit up when he saw Lennon. "Lennon, you're here too!"

"Came back for a look," Lennon replied evenly. He then turned to Seren. "This is the desk mate I was telling you about. The one who always wanted to switch seats to sleep."

The speech was a predictable string of platitudes. Seren had never been able to sit through such things; while the speaker was passionate, the audience was usually drifting off. Just as she was feeling drowsy, Lennon leaned over. "I'm a bit thirsty. I'm going to go buy some water."

There was a small store near the dorms just a short walk away. "Okay," Seren nodded.

Not long after Lennon left, Kendal finished his speech. A new group took the stage, a troupe of classical dancers. The young women, dressed in flowing gowns, moved with graceful, ethereal beauty.

Subconsciously, Seren still felt a deep aversion to dance. Zena Rutledge had once tried to enroll her in lessons, at the same time Carla Bradley was learning. But all Seren had wanted was to study painting with Mr. Shaw. When she refused, Zena had been furious with her for days. She'd spent that time tiptoeing around, not even sure what she had done wrong.

Memories were like quicksand; once you fell in, it was hard to pull yourself out.