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In truth, she couldn't stay for too long!
She had, after all, snuck out of school. Skipping class for a day or two was one thing, but ten days or half a month? Did she still want to graduate? Lily had finished most of her coursework, but her diploma hadn't arrived yet. It wasn't the time to be reckless.
So, after only two days, she urged Arthur to send her back.
"It's almost over, really! Just two more months, and I'll be able to stay home and paint all day. I've already contacted a studio here, and they're happy to have me join. Then, we'll be together every day."
In the living room, Lily spoke to Arthur as though he were a heartbroken child.
Arthur couldn't bear to let her go; he wished they could just stay tangled up like this forever. Though deep down, he knew that was impossible.
He was far from being free; in fact, his life was a mess of countless matters waiting for him to handle. Under such circumstances, every extra day spent with Lily introduced endless new variables… But for this girl, Arthur was willing. He'd gladly let his world become a mess if it meant keeping her close, if only it were possible.
However, Lily was sensible. She couldn't ignore that before meeting her, Arthur was so busy his feet barely touched the ground, and now, he suddenly seemed so leisurely. That could only mean one thing: the man was slacking off!
If it were just ordinary laziness, Lily would have cheered him on. But if he was neglecting his duties because of her, she couldn't stand for it. She refused to be his burden!
That's why this bittersweet scene was unfolding.
Arthur sighed deeply, a long, drawn-out sound.
"You heartless little woman… You really like to put your pants back on and pretend you don't know me."
Lily snorted. "That's right, I'm putting my pants back on and pretending I don't know you. I slept with you for free, so what? So what?"
Arthur couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to gently rub her head. "I'll finish everything as soon as possible…"
"But the first and most important thing!" Lily looked straight into his eyes. "You must stay safe!"
Arthur had said more than once that someday, when all threats and crises were gone, they would finally be able to stay together forever.
But Lily needed him to understand one thing: all of that only mattered if he was alive!
If the world was finally safe but Arthur was gone, Lily truly didn't know what meaning her life would still have.
Before meeting Arthur, Lily always felt fate had dealt her a bad hand. Her parents had passed away too early, selfishly, in her words. "They just went and died on their own, without even saying goodbye to me." From that moment on, she was utterly alone.
Then, this lonely girl met another lonely soul: Arthur.
Two lost people clung to each other, and Arthur became her new reason to live. Otherwise, life was so dull and directionless that even her dream of traveling the world was nothing more than a hazy, fleeting fantasy. Only those without a home wish to wander the world, searching for one.
But now, she had found hers.
She needed Arthur to understand: compared to the whole world, he was what mattered most.
She didn't say much, but some things didn't need words. Their eyes, their warmth, their heartbeats… When you truly love someone, you feel that every glance from them is saying, I love you.
In the end, Arthur still took Lily back to school.
Two months wasn't a long time, but for Arthur, it already felt like an eternity.
He had too much to face, only when he was with Lily did life ever feel easy. That truth had already sunk deep into his bones.
After seeing her safely back, Arthur returned to Camp Lehigh, where duty awaited him.
There were still many unfinished matters: his research on the Symbiote continued, and he still needed to make a trip to that comet to see whether anything had changed up there. At the same time, he was planning to go look for that "big red-dyed skeleton", the one that looked like it had eaten too much red pigment.
But when he returned, he discovered that Natasha was nowhere to be found.
He didn't think too much of it, though he couldn't help feeling a little guilty for no clear reason. Instinctively, he gave himself a light slap on the cheek.
"What the hell is wrong with me? Why does my love life feel so bizarre lately? Am I really being both the sinner and the saint at the same time?"
There were too many emotions tangled up inside him, too many things he couldn't explain. In the end, with a helpless sigh, he threw himself back into work.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Natasha appeared in front of a school gate.
After waiting for a short while, she saw a lively young girl walk out through the school entrance, looking around curiously. When the girl spotted her, she froze for a brief moment, then her face lit up with a wide, radiant smile.
"Hello, I'm Lily. You must be Ms. Beth, right? I'm so sorry, I didn't expect you to be such a young and beautiful… uh, girl. Sorry, that might sound a bit disrespectful, but I honestly can't bring myself to associate you with the word 'lady'."
Natasha smiled faintly. "It's all right. I just happened to be in town on business, so I thought I'd drop by and meet one of our company's future partners."
Lily shook her head quickly. "I'm just a student who's about to graduate. You're being far too polite. Um… how about I buy you a cup of coffee? That's something I can at least afford."
Natasha nodded with a gentle smile.
There was a café right next to the school. Lily rarely went there, not because she couldn't afford it, but because she was used to budgeting carefully. After all, her father hadn't left her with much. After she got together with Arthur, he had transferred an astronomical sum of money into her bank account. But the amount was so enormous that Lily didn't even know how to spend it.
Her spending habits hadn't changed, nor had her simple way of living. And she didn't see anything wrong with that, if it's what she's used to, then it's what suits her best.
That café was a place she only visited when she needed a bit of quiet time to rest, soothing music, rich coffee aroma… It had once been where she could relax the most. Now, it had become a place where she could miss him the most.
Natasha followed Lily inside, her eyes filled with complicated emotion.
She hadn't come here with any ill intent. In fact, Lily's safety was already part of Natasha's plans. When this girl graduated, Natasha intended to ensure she entered the safest possible environment, not only for her sake, but also for Arthur's.
Originally, this wasn't something she personally needed to handle. She could have easily sent someone else, or even left it undone.
But for some reason, as if guided by some unseen force, she came herself.
(End of Chapter)