She had intended to excuse herself, but hearing Leon say this, she was momentarily taken aback, then nodded and sat down beside him, only to realize that she had originally planned to leave.
“Why are you sitting so far away? Come over here.”
He gestured with his eyes towards the spot beside him on the bed.
Samantha: “……”
“What’s wrong? After all these years, are you still afraid of me?”
“……”
“Come over.”
His tone was firm, almost commanding.
After all these years, Leon was still as domineering as before. She remembered back in their senior year when she had sprained her ankle while running. That day happened to be her turn to clean, and she had to finish cleaning the classroom before she could leave.
Everyone else had left, and she limped to get a broom. Just as she had swept a couple of times, a tall figure appeared in front of her. She looked up to see Leon standing there with his backpack slung over one shoulder.
A few days earlier, he had just pressed her against the wall and confessed his feelings for her. Since then, she had been avoiding him, so seeing him now felt strange, a bit scary, and somewhat awkward.
“Give me the broom.” He ordered expressionlessly.
She didn’t know if it was because he had built up a reputation in class, but she found herself dazedly handing the broom over to him.
“Go sit in the back.”
After he said that, he started sweeping the floor.
Samantha then realized he was helping her with her duty. She hurriedly said, “No need, I can do it myself.”
As she reached out to take the broom back, she heard him coldly say, “Just sit there obediently.”
Samantha: “……”
Samantha withdrew her hand and went to sit in the last row.
Leon, the little tyrant of the class, had a bunch of sycophants following him. When it was his turn to clean, a bunch of sycophants would rush to help him, and he acted like a carefree lord. But now, this little tyrant was actually helping her clean, which left her feeling utterly bewildered.
Several times she wanted to snatch the broom back, but she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to overpower him; he was quite strong, and he was also quite fierce.
Later, she hadn’t been sitting long when Davis came to find her. At that time, she and Davis were in a flirtatious phase. Although it was a flirtation, it could be considered a quasi-boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. He was in another class and was good at drawing. When she chose an interest class in her second year, he was the one who guided them in drawing. His refined demeanor and talent quickly attracted her, and they began exchanging flirtatious letters, gradually going to and from school together.
“Samantha.”
Davis called her from the doorway.
She felt the temperature in the classroom drop suddenly, and Leon’s expressionless face seemed to darken considerably.
“Wait… wait a minute.”
He was helping her with her duty; how could she just leave him behind?
“Go ahead!”
Leon suddenly said in a cold tone that inexplicably frightened her.
Samantha looked at him timidly, but Leon didn’t glance at her. He kicked a chair blocking his way aside and coldly spat out a word.
“Leave.”
Samantha, with her backpack on, limped away.
What she didn’t know was that Leon, watching the two of them leave side by side, nearly snapped the broom in his hand.
Samantha pulled her thoughts back and met Leon’s gaze. This boy, who had been fierce, brutal, and indifferent in her memory, even after all these years, even though he had become a righteous police officer, couldn’t help but recall the ruthless way he had beaten people in the past when she saw him.
How could she dare to sit beside him?
“Are you really that afraid of me?”
“No… not at all.”
“Then why don’t you come over?”
Forget it, everyone has grown up; there’s nothing to be afraid of. Samantha thought this and walked over to sit beside the bed, turning her back to him and looking out the window.
“Do you need anything else?” she asked.
He didn’t speak, but she knew he was watching her. The apple she had peeled for him was still uneaten, and he was now taking bites of it. Then she felt his other hand stretch out from under the blanket. Her hand was resting on the edge of the bed, and his hand seemed to unconsciously inch closer to where her hand was resting.
