A little bit of anticipation, a little bit of excitement, a little bit of thrill.
Like butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Camilla loved this feeling.
She quickly skimmed through the list and immediately spotted the familiar track titles—"Wake Me Up," "Ho Hey." Without a doubt, these songs were deeply moving.
But wait, what was "Dirty Paws" about?
And what about "Tower of Babel" and "Worlds Apart"? Why did they seem more like poetry?
Hold on a second, titles like "Apology" and "Hero"—could they really get away with such clichés? They seemed so out of place compared to the album's overall vibe.
And then there was "Long Live Life." Wow, using such a title—they really weren't worried about losing control, were they? It seemed to go against the band's usual style, yet she was curious about how the band would perform it.
Curiosity bubbled up, overflowing.
Camilla could no longer contain her excitement. She immediately tore open the CD packaging. Her fingers trembled with excitement, almost failing to open it.
But in the end, she managed.
In the thin little lyric booklet, Camilla finally saw the band members' faces—
It wasn't easy.
Each member had a solo portrait, and Camilla could now match the names she had heard in videos to the faces in front of her.
Lily. Connor. Miles. And, of course, Anson.
Anson Wood.
Now, Camilla was 100% sure that this Anson was the same one from "Spider-Man." Wait, she remembered another Anson movie that had a huge promotional tie with France; wasn't it called... "Catch Me If You Can"?
But Camilla hadn't been interested, so she didn't watch it.
Who would have thought? She had dodged Paris Fashion Week, "Spider-Man," and even "Catch Me If You Can," but in the end, she couldn't escape the August 31st Band.
In the end, she fell for it.
However, Camilla felt it was meant to be.
She opened the lyric booklet and started reading the lyrics carefully. She couldn't help it—she tiptoed over to her bed, rummaged through her nightstand for her Walkman, put the CD in, and slipped the earbuds into her ears, listening to the music while continuing to study the lyrics.
And so, she got lost in the moment, bit by bit.
It was as if she was surrounded by a vast ocean made of musical notes. She floated on the surface, arms spread wide, quietly feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin. The moist, warm air seeped into her pores, silently becoming a part of her soul.
Who knew the album cover and back could have such an effect?
Until—
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the door, but Camilla was so immersed in the melody that she didn't notice.
The knocking persisted until finally, the door opened. Someone gave Camilla a nudge, startling her from her musical trance.
"Camilla, are you okay?"
Camilla opened her eyes in shock, quickly sitting up as her heart raced. It took her a moment to realize that it was her roommate standing there.
Pauline Langlet looked at Camilla with worry all over her face. "When I got back last night, there was light coming from under your door, but you never came out to wash up. This morning, the light was still on. Did you cry all night?"
Camilla was taken aback. "What? It's already morning?"
She jumped up and looked out the window. The morning sun had just begun to peek out, casting a pale golden light over a freshly washed Paris, bringing it to life.
She had spent the entire night without realizing how time had flown by.
Camilla was both surprised and delighted.
Pauline stared at her, confused and not quite understanding what was happening. "Camilla, are you okay? I know about Marie and Pascal. Oh my God, they're not worth it..."
Camilla turned around. "Who? Oh, you mean them. I'm fine."
Pauline was full of doubt.
Camilla smiled. "My life is too precious to waste on those people. If I told you I didn't think about them at all last night, would you believe me?"
Pauline didn't say anything, but her expression said it all: she didn't believe her.
"Haha." Camilla laughed freely—
She was telling the truth.
Those things were all in the past. She wasn't fazed. It wasn't selective amnesia or burying her head in the sand like an ostrich. It was a complete calmness. Even if her ex-boyfriend and so-called friends showed up in front of her now, she could greet them gracefully.
She didn't care about them.
Because she had things that truly mattered. If she had time to worry about two irrelevant people, she'd rather go home and take a walk with her father or watch a performance by the August 31st Band with Pauline, who genuinely cared about her.
Revenge?
It was beneath her, and it wasn't worth it.
Her happiness and joy were the best forms of retaliation.
Camilla knew Pauline was worried about her. "How did you find out?"
Pauline sighed lightly. "When I got back last night, I saw them downstairs. I thought they came to see you, so I greeted them. But they acted like guilty thieves, couldn't even meet my eyes, and ran off. I figured something must have happened."
Camilla suddenly understood. "I thought they didn't care about my feelings. Who knew they'd come all the way to the apartment? Oh, it seems they do care about me. I'm a little touched."
Pauline was speechless. "Camilla..."
Camilla burst out laughing. "Okay, okay, seriously. I was up all night researching a band..."
Pauline: ???
For the first time, she felt like her brain couldn't keep up with what was happening.
But Camilla didn't give her time to react and quickly put the earbuds in Pauline's ears. "It's Saturday. The band should still be performing on the streets. Pauline, come with me. I want to see their full show in person."
Pauline: ... "Camilla, what is happening? Can you update me? I can't keep up. What are you talking about?"
Camilla's eyes lit up. She hadn't slept all night, but she was full of energy with no signs of fatigue.
"Pauline, come, let me tell you about yesterday afternoon's adventure."
"Oh my God, it was truly an adventure. I believe our meeting was destined by God. To be precise, my meeting with Anson."
Pauline, "Anson? You like someone else now? Camilla, you're still hurt. You shouldn't just fall for anyone. They'll just be a rebound."
Camilla paused, realizing that Pauline's thoughts had veered off into another universe.
Camilla laughed, "Hahaha, you misunderstood. Although I'd love to go on a date with Anson—who could resist him?—we're not like that."
Confused and bewildered, Pauline was dragged into a mysterious world by Camilla.
Then, before she knew it, Pauline and Camilla were on the metro heading to the Luxembourg Gardens.
Sitting on the metro, the rattling sound echoed around them. Pauline felt dizzy. She vaguely remembered she was worried about Camilla's heartbreak and betrayal and had come to comfort her friend. But why were they on the metro now?
What was happening?
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Pauline's eyes were blank. Was this really okay?