Chapter 106
Soren pointed toward a direction. “The balcony. There are fewer people there.”
I looked at him, slightly slack–jawed. “Don’t you need to, uh, host the guests?”
“Aren’t you a guest?”
My cheeks flushed as I followed him to the first–floor balcony.
The night breeze was cool, carrying with it the fresh scent of pines and the forest.
The question resurfaced in my mind.
“Mr. Kenway-‘
“Taylor-”
We paused, realizing we had spoken simultaneously, and laughed.
“You first,” he said.
I pressed my lips together to steady my quickening heartbeat. “I really want to know: have you known me before this? Have you been trying to approach me?”
He seemed to swallow hard. His mesmerizing eyes were fixed on my face.
After a moment of silence, he finally said, “Don’t you remember me at all, Taylor?”
I was stunned. “Er… Have we met before?”
I searched my memories as hard as I could, but his face–or anyone who resembled him–didn’t appear in any of them.
He noticed the confusion on my face and flashed me a gentlemanly grin. “It’s been a long, long time. Not remembering isn’t that strange, to be honest.”
“A long time? Like when? When I was a kid?”
“Yes. When you were about eight or nine. It was in Schansey.”
My eyes lit up. “Schansey? That’s my grandma’s hometown!”
“That’s right.” He leaned against the railing, his gaze distant. “I was about ten at the time–and I was a mischievous imp, too. My grandfather was fed up with it, so he brought me to the town where his troop was stationed. I stayed in Schansey for three years.”
I frowned, trying to recall. Nothing came to mind.
“Well, Grandma said I was a spunky firebrand myself when I was a kid. I’d throw hands with the boys in town. So… Did I beat you up or something?” I asked.
His smile deepened as he shook his head. “No. Instead, you saved me. Twice.”
“Me? Save you? Twice?!” I was shocked. I didn’t remember doing anything so heroic at that age.
“Mm–hmm. The first time was when I was hanging out with my friends, who were all sons of soldiers like myself.
“We had a basketball match with another group of older kids, which somehow escalated into an actual brawl. We were beaten up pretty badly.
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Chapter 106
“The cops came to rescue us shortly after, which was fortunate–it was well on its way to getting worse. It was only later that I learned a girl had run to the police station to summon them to the basketball court.”
I had a vague recollection of that. I was on my way home after playing with my friends when I passed by the basketball court and saw a group of boys locked in a brutal fight. They were even picking up bricks from the grass and using them as weapons!
Some of the boys were already bleeding from their heads, yet the fight continued.
I shouted at them to stop, but no one listened. Thus, I ran as fast as I could to the town’s police station.
I was with the police when they hurried to the court, but halfway there, I heard my grandmother calling me home for dinner. Naturally… I abandoned them and went home.
“You were one of those who got hurt badly?” I cried out in surprise, my voice rising in pitch.
“Yeah. The boy bleeding from his head was me.” He lowered his head and pointed to a spot on his forehead. “It’s about here. It’s been a long time, though, so the scar might not be that noticeable. At the time, I had to get stitches for the injury.”
Chapter 107
