Chapter 37: Leaving, Yet Finding Again
The days that followed were filled with sadness.
Duyên and I became strangers, and Giải Vàng disappeared without a trace. Sometimes, while walking in the schoolyard, I would glance up at the hallway and spot Giải Vàng standing alone, looking in my direction. The entire yard was empty except for me—who else could he be looking at? I wasn't imagining things. But the moment our eyes met, he immediately turned away and walked into the lecture hall.
My birthday, April 4th, came and went without him showing up. Instead, he sent a gift through Vy. When I opened it, I saw the red dress I had once asked him for the shop address. The dress still had its tag attached, showing a price of 300K. Strange—who gives a gift with the price tag still on? Later, while browsing online fashion stores, I stumbled upon the exact same dress, from the same brand, but priced at 3 million. I felt uneasy receiving such an expensive gift from him. It was thoughtful of him to cover the real price with a 300K tag. Then, I suddenly remembered—I still owed him a birthday gift.
Duyên and I had ended, Giải Vàng avoided me, and Vy grew distant too—she didn't want to take sides. My boyfriend was all the way in France. My only companion was my laptop. I spent my days chatting with him, confiding my feelings. Other times, I immersed myself in my studies. If I let myself have free time, the sadness would creep in again. Every time I finished talking to him, I felt lighter, even though I was the one doing most of the talking. He listened in silence, but I knew he cared deeply about my feelings. I counted down the days until he would return. Some nights, after chatting, I lay in bed and cried. The emptiness and loneliness were truly terrifying. But I couldn't always bother him—he was busy. I should be, too.
May arrived—a month of exams, a month of farewells. Wandering through the schoolyard, the sight of the flaming red phoenix flowers burned into my heart. Even just seeing groups of students happily together on the street made me nostalgic. Once, Duyên and I were inseparable. I had willingly become a shadow just to stay close to her. Was friendship really so fragile? And then there was Giải Vàng. Why did he keep avoiding me?
Summer passed in a blink, and I became a final-year student. Time was cruel. But with each passing day, the distance between me and him shortened. Hanoi's autumn was melancholic, romantic, and wistful.
One day at school, I ran into Giải Vàng. By then, I had grown accustomed to losing people. Losing a friend like him wasn't something I couldn't get used to. After all, he was the one who avoided me, not the other way around. It didn't matter anymore. I continued walking at my own pace when suddenly, he ran after me.
"Vũ Trang Vân."
Half a year had passed. Did he still care? What did he expect from me? Sometimes, he treated me like a close friend; other times, like a stranger. I pretended not to hear and kept walking.
But he caught up, tugging on my sleeve.
"Hey, wait a second."
I looked at him indifferently.
"Do I know someone as popular as you? Why don't I remember?"
He smiled apologetically.
"Come on, don't be like that. I'm sorry, okay? It's just that you got a boyfriend so fast—it was hard for me to accept."
I agreed to go get dessert with him. When I asked about his girlfriend, he shook his head.
"That wasn't real," he said. "Love isn't that simple." He admitted he regretted things. He had always been quick to flirt with any girl he found interesting. His smooth talk had made many girls fall for him, but he had never truly committed. Maybe he just got bored easily. The thrill of the chase excited him, but once the other person fell too fast, he lost interest. Perhaps that's why, after breaking so many hearts, karma had finally come for him.
I burst out laughing at his story. At least he knew how to feel remorse. Love is the easiest way to get hurt. Being deceived in love is incredibly cruel.
He suddenly turned to me and said,
"Chung won't be back for a long time. I should keep an eye on you. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky."
I playfully nudged his shoulder.
"Oh, please. If I ever cheat, it'll be with a stranger. If it's with you and it gets out, I'd be dead."
Some habits never change. Just moments ago, he was talking about regret, and now he was back to flirting with me. But I didn't mind—I could handle it. I liked him as a friend. If joking around made things more fun, why not?
It had been so long since we talked so comfortably like this. From that day on, he was always by my side. He still cared, still helped me out a lot. There was even a time when I was focused on studying, and I caught him staring at me. He must've been watching me for a while, but the moment our eyes met, he quickly looked away and started chatting with someone else.
He was a good person, and I wondered what he was truly like when it came to love. If I had to trade a good friendship for a fleeting romance, I would never take that gamble. Luckily, despite all his playful flirting, I never wavered—even in my most heartbroken moments.