Chapter 57: Two Paths, One Promise
Kieu Ly stayed silent for a moment, then finally answered:
"I'm about to study abroad. I can't give you an answer now. When we meet again at university, I'll tell you then."
It was perhaps the perfect response—one that gave him motivation to study, yet didn't bind either of them. Who knows? After a year apart, he might change. And when they meet again at university, they might both realize these feelings were nothing more than fleeting emotions of youth.
Toan Phuong looked straight into Kieu Ly's eyes—the same gaze she once described as being romantic even when looking at a lamp post—and said with unwavering certainty:
"One year from now, I will see you again on campus. I'll prove to you that sincere love can overcome anything."
For a moment, Kieu Ly hesitated. That gaze—so steady, so full of belief—together with his firm words, stirred something inside her. As if a gentle breeze swept away the dust, the doubts, the past wounds lingering in her heart.
Kieu Ly smiled and nodded.
"Alright. Now go home."
But Toan Phuong didn't move. He just stood there, rooted to the spot, which made Kieu Ly feel even more flustered. A late summer breeze passed by, lifting the ends of her neatly tied black hair into the air. They both remained still, saying nothing—only the sound of their beating hearts and the rustling of the wind could be heard.
In that quiet moment, Kieu Ly softened. She stepped forward and gently kissed Toan Phuong on the lips—a light, fleeting kiss, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
"Goodbye. See you again."
With that, she hurriedly wheeled her bike into the alley. For some reason, her face felt burning hot.
Toan Phuong stood there in a daze, watching her. When the gate finally closed behind her, he called out:
"Promise me… you won't fall for anyone else while you're abroad, okay?"
That, at least, was a promise Kieu Ly could make. She wasn't ready for a new relationship anyway. Right now, her focus was on her studies—there were too many things to worry about. Love simply wasn't on the list.
She turned back, smiled, nodded gently, then walked her bike toward her room.
The summer breeze played with her high ponytail as it swayed gently in the wind. Toan Phuong stood outside the gate, watching until she disappeared from sight. Only then did he turn and walk toward the main road, where he hailed a taxi back to the suburbs.
It was a summer night—bright moonlight, rustling wind…
Waiting… was just waiting, after all.