Chapter 47
“Ever seen that bracelet?” Brandon asked.
Sophia snapped back to reality shaking her head in confusion, “Nope
But Brandon’s eyes were still glued on her, “Your peepers are telling me a different story though, you know it.”
Sophia still looked like she was at sea, just as clueless.
Brandon had never seen such a spaced-out look on her face before.
Instinctively, he grabbed her arm, “Sophia?
The pain snapped her back to the moment, and she looked at Brandon, whose handsome face was etched with
concem and a barely noticeable anxiety, a burning need to uncover the truth.
Seeing no one was paying her any mind. Marian, who was in the middle of a hissy fit, got even more ticked off and moved closer to the pair, “What’s the deal with you two? Were you even watching where you were going? What if you had bumped into someone?
Sophia’s attention was pulled back, and she quickly apologized to Marian, “Sorry about that, it was our bad. You’re not hurt, are you?
It was only then that Marian got a good look at Sophia, recognizing her as the girl from the exhibition whom she’d almost knocked over the day before, and said, surprised, “Oh? It’s you?!”
With a flick of her wrist, she brushed it off, No sweat, I’m not hurt. Just make sure to watch the road next time, don’t go.
running into people again.”
It wasn’t until after she finished speaking that she realized the guy staring at her was the same one who had grabbed her wrist at the hotel entrance that day. Especially when Brandon’s gaze landed on the bracelet on her wrist, she quickly covered it with her other hand and took a small step back
“What do you want now?” she asked nervously. “I’ve told you it’s mine. It’s been with me as long as I can remember, so don’t even think about getting your hands on it.
Sophia couldn’t help but glance at the protected bracelet, still looking like she was lost in the fog, but her gaze involuntarily drifted back to Brandon.
She saw a slight frown form on Brandon’s forehead, a thoughtful look as he glanced at Marian
“You’ve had it since you can remember?” he asked.
“Of course, Marian replied without hesitation, protectively hiding her wrist by her side and sizing up Brandon with a mix of curiosity and assessment, “Who are you, anyway? Why are you so interested in this bracelet?”
Sophia didn’t know why, but she didn’t like the way Marian looked at Brandon or the way Brandon looked at Marian. She wondered if it was residual feelings for Brandon that caused this sort of jealousy, like seeing a rival in love, or if it was simply because Marian could be Yolanda, the girl who might become the apple of Brandon’s eye.
She didn’t like this feeling and knew she had no right to fuss over it
Checking her watch, she then said to Brandon, “How about you two chat? I’ve got class soon, so I’ll head in first.”
Brandon shifted his attention to her, “I’!! walk you there.”
“No need, Sophia declined, “it’s just a stone’s throw away, I can make it on my own.”
She turned to leave, but Brandon tugged at her hand, “I’ll walk you.”
Marian glanced at the two, a bit puzzled, and kept mum as she bent down to pick up her work badge that had fallen to the ground during the commotion.
Brandon’s eyes also swept over the work badge on the ground, pausing when he saw the name, phone number, and major listed on it.
Sophia noticed his pause.
Logically, she knew there was nothing wrong with it. Brandon was looking for Yolanda, and it was natural for him to pay attention to someone who might be her. Besides, she and Brandon were divorced, free agents, and even if he got together with Marian, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Emotionally, though, she still felt twinge of discontent seeing Brandon take an interest in the girl who’d been in his heart for over a decade.
She kept her feelings off her face.
Brandon’s gaze was only fleeting.
He walked her to the building.
“I’ll come pick you up after class, he said softly, just like always.
Sophia nodded as usual, but her thoughts during class were affected by the incident, often drifting away, especially when she realized she shared a classroom with Marian.
Sophia only noticed Marian was in the same class halfway through.
Today’s class was a large lecture, several classes combined.
She usually sat at the front and didn’t bother to see who was behind her. It wasn’t until Marian raised her hand to answer a question that Sophia took notice.
The feeling of coincidence was subtle.
A stand-in meeting the real deal, with fate seemingly getting more tangled.
Ivan, sitting next to her, could clearly sense her distraction and absence, not even noticing when the teacher called her
name
Ivan’s pen tapped discreetly on the desk.
Sophia looked at him, confused.
“The teacher asked you a question, Ivan whispered, covering his mouth with his hand to tip her off.
Only then did Sophia realize that all eyes were on her.
Luckily, she was quick on the uptake and had a solid foundation, so after a quick glance at the big screen, she got the gist of the teacher’s question and managed to answer smoothly.
After class, Ivan unusually didn’t rush out but looked towards Sophia, who was still packing up.
“Something wrong?” he asked, “You seemed off today.”
“Probably just didn’t sleep well last night, Sophia admitted a bit sheepishly, grateful, “Thanks for the heads-up earlier.”
Ivan’s lips twitched, “No worries.”
But he didn’t leave, waiting for her to finish packing.
As the other students left in twos and threes, the classroom emptied out.
Sophia was used to leaving late, usually taking her sweet time, but with Ivan waiting, she didn’t want to dawdle too long. and quickly gathered up her notes and books, ready to leave with him.
Marian, who had been dilly-dallying with her stuff, took the opportunity to approach Sophia and strike up a
conversation.
“Fancy running into you here. We are the same major, huh?”
She had noticed Sophia when she was called upon to answer a question and, after two interactions, had a good impression of her, so she couldn’t resist stepping forward to introduce herself.
Sophia was a bit taken aback by her forwardness but managed a polite smile in return, “Yeah, what a coincidence
But Marian was clearly the go-getter type, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she reached out to Sophie with an easygoing vibe. “Hey there, I’m Marian Nice to meet you”
Chapter 47
Sophia couldn’t help but shake her hand, “Hi, I’m Sophia.”
Right off the bat, Marian gave her props, “That’s a lovely name, suits you to a T.”
Sophia shot back a smile, “Thanks. Your name’s pretty sweet, too.”
“My name? Nah, it’s so uncool, Marian made a face, then her curiosity piqued, she asked, “By the way, where are you from? Your accent kind of rings a bell. Maybe we’re from the same hood.”
Sophia shared, “i grew up in the West district.”
Marian’s jaw dropped in a happy surprise, “No kidding? Small world! I used to hang around the West district when I was a kid, then my family moved to the next-door Zion City.”
“Small world, indeed, Sophia smiled.
“I know, right?” Marian looked a tad wistful. “I heard I was originally from the West district too. If I hadn’t gotten separated from my folks when I was little, I wouldn’t have ended up moving to Zion City with my now parents.”
Then she perked up again, “But hey, my parents and brother now, they’re awesome to me. No regrets, really.”
Sophia’s mind latched onto the part about getting lost, hesitatingly she looked at her, “You got separated from your family when you were young?”
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