Cay and Judas met Eva over a tray of chips, the girl a student who recently transferred from a Greek university to explore Belgium, and to modestly study. The two were having another starchy meal when Cay caught sight of her sitting by herself and decided it had been appropriate to have a light conversation with the lonesome girl.
“So, what brings you to Belgium?”, Cay asked at the very start.
“I was looking for another university because the teaching facility back in Greece had not been enough.”, responded Eva with her indistinguishable European accent.
“That’s interesting, but why Belgium?”
“I came across a university here while on the internet. It had the subject that I wanted, and the ranking wasn’t too bad here.”
“And, learning French has always been one of my goals.”, she added, with genuine enthusiasm.
The conversation quickly became an hour long talk about each other’s interest and reasons of traveling; Judas was immediately overshadowed by their immersive engagement and went back to finishing his food. The streets have already turned into a presence of bright streetlights and thicker coats since the two sat down.
“Shall we change some place to have a drink? It’s getting colder here as well.”, Cay suggested.
“Oh, where are we going?”, Eva was surprised by Cay’s sudden question.
“I was hoping you could tell us. Nothing fancy, just a place to drink and chat.”
“Let me check.”, Eva pulled out her phone from her right front pocket and began typing with her fingers.
“There’re really nice bars at Flagey, but we’ll need to take the tram to reach there. Or, we could go to the bars nearby, they’re slightly more expensive but it’s fine if we’re just having drinks.”
“Sounds like a plan. Judas, are you coming with us?”, Cay and the newly met acquaintance looked at him for an answer.
“Um, I think I’ll stick around for a bit. I still have some places that I want to visit.”, Judas sensing that he would be neglected if they were to go.
“Okay, shall we go, Eva?”, their acquaintance looked slightly hesitant but put on her coat.
“Let’s go, then.”
“It’ll be a quick drink.”, Cay smiled at Eva as they bid goodbye to Judas.
After the two left for a drink, Judas got up and began walking around the streets, he was relieved that he brought a thick jacket with him. Too early to call it a day but too late for many attractions to be opened, he soon found himself at Laeken.
Judas had always preferred to be alone while walking at parks. He had meant to visit Laeken that afternoon, but the schedule did not allow any allowance to do so, now he was free to wander as he wished since his companion was absent. The two each had keys given by Maj, there was nothing to worry about.
As they walked along the European-style cobblestone pavements, he noticed there were couples sitting on benches. Their faces with tender sweetness and signs of restrained laughter, he imagined why Eva would prefer the city aside from choosing academic subject. He walked among whispers of love and courteous jokes, his hands pocketed to keep away from the biting cold as the wind began to pick up momentum. At a minute’s notice, he was at the front of the Laekan Castle with twinkling stars above.
*
A paraphrase from the author Simon Sebag Montefiore was that love would find a way, however the obstacles are placed in front of us. However, some instances were not as romantic, and it was crippling.
Cay had just come back from his campus after a long Friday when he found Jenna in her room, half expecting her to be working on her assignment. Instead, she was texting on her phone, which has been nothing unusual except for her surprised and guilty look.
“Hey, honey, I’m back.”, he kissed her by the cheek while taking his brown coat off.
“Welcome back, baby.”
“Is there something I want to know about?”, he asked casually as he returned outside to hang his coat.
“There’s this classmate of mine back in sixth-form, his name is Kit.”
“Oh, were you texting him when I came in?”
“Yeah, we’ve been talking for half-an-hour before you came back.”, she stared at Cay, hoping he would not find any reasons to doubt her.
“We haven’t met for almost three years.”, she added.
“So, why is he texting you now?”, Cay did not want to judge his girlfriend but wanted to find some reassurance.
“I don’t know, we barely spoke to each other back when we were classmates.”632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQ6WcGZ4Sh
Had not been her responses, Cay would have assumed there had been some ongoing suspicion between her and her ex-classmate. He shrugged off the thought, trying not to embarrass her.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFERAvVA5wD
“Maybe after all these years, he’s been taking interest on a cute girl like you.”
“Stop it, honey.”, she blushed with a mixture of surprise and slight guilt.”
“You can continue texting him if you like. It’s probably nothing.”632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCi48nNnLHp
Jenna stared at her phone for a few seconds but left it on the edge of the bed and walked up to Cay.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡliQKBVbn4a
“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to text him, not like this.”, she said it apologetically.
“It’s fine. I know you’re just texting an old friend.”, he touched her face affectionately.
“But honestly, I’m not interested in him at all. I feel bad about having conversations with other guys.”, her rosy red cheeks began to trail with hints of falling moisture.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrPe3Hmf0a
Cay held onto her hands to reassure again that it had simply been a mistake for him to ask.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iKQ5BvY2X
“I’m sorry too, for suspecting you.”, he looked around her face, it had a lovely redness painted on her usual pale overall.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cXhhA3tf5
Jenna could be sensitive at times, the two had shared each other for over two years then. Maybe she realized the trust that they built had almost been bent by her own decision, although Cay did not mind who she spoke to.632Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6hpmRHLOW
He spoke to her affectionately and without a tone of worry, all the while stealing a few glances at her phone
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