Amber knew if she didn't say something now, she might get no chance in the future. She said bluntly, "I actually liked you, but you took over my life. For years. Without asking me. I'm pissed at you for that."
She was a woman with a soft heart. Colman was kind to her when he wasn't being a control freak. What woman wouldn't be moved by that? She could tell he was sincere from the way he treated her. It wasn't just because he had money. He used money as a tool, and that didn't factor into her decision.
He was earnest and really cared about her. If she needed help, he would show up in person. That was sweet.
On her birthday, he kissed her in front of her boyfriend. That was when she figured out she had feelings for him.
He knew Amber was angry at him. He leaned against a tree and smiled bitterly.
"I hadn't broken up with Leon yet, but you just pulled me away from him like that. You forced me to betray him. I broke up with him because of you, but you didn't even let me say goodbye. What's up with that? You ever think about Leon's feelings? His best friend betrayed him. His girlfriend did the same. How do you think he feels about that? You're a selfish guy, Colman Huo."
'I'm selfish?' Colman took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, put one in his mouth, took out the lighter and was ready to hit the striker.
Amber walked over and stood in front of him. She raised her head and looked at him angrily. "Can I bum one off you?
Let's smoke together." He wasn't really attracted to women who smoked, so he tucked the one in his mouth in his pocket, and quietly put the pack away.
"You never ask me what I want. You only give me what you think is good for me. That's not right." She knew it was his way of being good to her, but she didn't feel he respected her at all.
She finally found the chance to pour out her feelings, pick out any inconsistencies, and lay bare her thoughts for the past few years. She didn't worry about what he thought. He needed to hear it.
Colman just listened quietly. He didn't say anything, even if there were misunderstandings.
An hour later, she said her piece and was tired, and finally stopped talking. It was emotionally draining to do this.
"Thirsty?" Colman asked with a smile.
In fact, she was thirsty. After all, she had been speaking for an hour now. Her mouth felt like the ground in the desert. But she was still angry and said impatiently, "I'm not thirsty!"
"I think you are!" he said.
"I said I'm not thirsty! Mmmph!" In a single quick movement, she was encircled in his arms, and he kissed her passionately.
Then, Amber left to catch her flight. She went abroad for further study.
At first, Colman thought he would just give up on Amber. Even she thought things would fall apart right here.
However, three months later
At a university in Columbia
After class, Amber bid goodbye to her friends and started home.
It was a small two-bedroom apartment that Coleman bought for her. He figured she'd need it when she was away at school. It had a generous living area for the size.
It was a quiet neighborhood, and it was a nice, crime-free area. It was safe for her to live here.
When she opened the door to the apartment, she fell into a strong embrace before she could even take off her shoes.
She wanted to scream out loud, but her lips were tightly covered.
"It's me." A familiar voice sounded in her ear, and she stopped struggling.
He pressed her against the door and the two bodies clung to each other. He let go of her lips and whispered in her ear, "I tried falling back into my old patterns. I tried to forget you. But I don't want anyone else. The thought of other women makes me sick. I only want you. In the dead of the night, all I think about is you. I can't forget you at all, and I'm tired of the pain. Since I can't forget you, I don't want to try. I just can't quit you!"
"We never said it was over. I didn't want it to be. Why did you have to forget me?" said Amber in a quiet voice, her eyes reddening with tears. He paid for her tuition and expenses here. She had to work hard in the future and pay back the money. How could she not be with him after she graduated?
"You want to pay me back, don't you?" He knew what was on her mind.
Amber didn't say anything.
"Your parents already paid me back for this. You don't have to worry about it anymore," he said. What he said was true. Amber's parents found him in person and gave him a chunk of change for her tuition and expenses abroad.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: True Love Waits