Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 48

I never expected the guy I was staring at to actually be Darren.

He was usually rocking those silver specs and had this laid–back artsy dad vibe going on. To put it bluntly, he gave off this slightly stuffy and old–fashioned air.

It was like he was a whole different person from the smooth charmer standing in front of me

now.

What a stark contrast.

“So, Xaviera, you’re disappointed to find out it’s me?” he teased.

I waved my hand dismissively, clarifying, “No, no, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that your current look is a dead ringer for a character in our game, and that’s why I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

That probably came across a little rude.

Darren seemed taken aback, he sighed and said, “And here I was thinking you had a thing for

this version of me, Xaviera.”

I raised my eyebrows, momentarily at a loss for words.

Just then, Tina and Kevin came bounding over from the right and greeted me enthusiastically.

“Xaviera, you have no idea, before you got here, a bunch of chicks were hitting on Professor Yearwood,” Tina said with a hint of pride, lowering her voice, “and they even brought him coffee.”

Kevin mimicked in a falsetto, “Sweetheart, sweetheart, what flavor do you like?”

1

help but chuckle, “Darren, you really do have a chick

about to say something more but Darren cut him off, “If you guys

Kevin wisely backed off.

Darren, the university professor, was often bossed around by Tina and Kevin to

wonder our

me to various unique anime promotion techniques. I actually learned quite a bit

unrewarded, so I suggested we all go out for

up at Aurora

as we passed by a second–floor private room, we bumped into Hilary dining

asked, “This guy looks familiar, Xaviera. Is he your

to set the record straight when Darren beat

her hand, “Handsome young

I thought, frowning

replied politely, “and I’m a classmate of

he spoken than Hilary’s

asking Darren to go ahead

“Xaviera, I’m actually happy to see you settling down well, unlike Hogan, who’s really wearing me out.”

Only

that Hilary’s makeup was a bit off, with

really been over the top lately. He’s even been pushing me to

away, looking like she was about to cry.

“If Mr. Zade insists, just go along with it. There’s nothing between mother

worried about those people in the Zade

called out to her, Hilary stopped and then returned to the private

getting the hang of this

me, still hustling for my daily

actually enjoyed dinner tonight; we were all old classmates, reminiscing

was

in bed, I felt a strange sense of