Throughout the journey home, there was almost no conversation between me and Dạ Uyên.
Only the steady patter of rain on the umbrella echoed in my ears.
I walked beside him.
But unconsciously kept my distance.
The umbrella was clearly not small, yet I kept backing away to the edge, until half of my shoulder was soaked.
Dạ Uyên said nothing.
He just walked silently beside me.
But I could feel... he was looking at me.
The more he looked at me, the more uneasy I felt.
So I moved away a little more.
The atmosphere between us became increasingly strange.
Suddenly... the footsteps behind me stopped.
I instinctively took a few more steps before realizing Dạ Uyên hadn't gone any further.
I turned around, puzzled, and asked,
"Hmm? A Uyên, why did you stop?"
Dạ Uyên stood under the dim streetlights.
His black hair was slightly damp from the wind.
He bowed his head, his hand gently gripping the umbrella handle.
"...Do you...do you hate me?"
His voice was very soft.
So soft it was almost swallowed by the sound of the rain.
I froze.
"What?"
I thought to myself, "What is he saying? How could I hate him?"
Dạ Uyên didn't wait for my answer, still not looking up.
He just softly continued:
"You avoided me the whole way."
"You didn't even look at me..."
Hearing his voice, my heart skipped a beat. I quickly moved closer to him and said,
"No, A Uyên, what are you thinking? How could I hate you?"
I unconsciously wanted to explain.
But as soon as I opened my mouth, I didn't know how to say it properly.
Seeing my silence, Dạ Uyên's hand holding the umbrella tightened a little.
"...I'm sorry."
I was stunned.
"Sorry for what?" "Am I bothering you?"
His voice grew softer and softer.
"That's why you're avoiding me..."
I looked at him.
For the first time, I realized... Dạ Uyên looked like a child afraid of being abandoned.
"I didn't..."
Before I could finish, I saw his shoulders tremble slightly.
A tear fell to the ground.
I froze.
Dạ Uyên was crying.
He turned his face away as if he didn't want me to see.
But the tears continued to fall.
In that moment, my heart felt like it was being squeezed.
"Hey..."
I immediately stepped closer, the distance between me and Dạ Uyên was less than three steps:
"Why are you crying?"
My heart was a little flustered: "He's crying, what do I do now? I don't know how to comfort a child?"
Dạ Uyên didn't answer.
He just bowed his head in silence.
I stood awkwardly in front of him for a few seconds.
Finally, I couldn't help but reach out and wipe away the tear from the corner of his eye.
"Don't cry..."
My voice softened unconsciously.
"I really don't hate you."
Dạ Uyên paused slightly.
His reddened eyes looked up at me.
"...Are you...are you telling the truth?"
I was speechless under his gaze.
In the end, I could only nod.
"Yes."
Hearing me say that, his eyes reddened even more.
It was as if he had finally breathed a sigh of relief.
I looked at him helplessly.
Clearly, I was the one who should be upset.
In the end, I was the one standing here comforting him.
I sighed.
Then I gently stroked his head.
"Okay..."
"Don't think too much."
Dạ Uyên pursed his lips slightly.
After a while, he asked softly:
"...So you won't avoid me anymore, right?"
I froze.
The rain was still falling heavily.
The air was bitterly cold.
But my heart was even more troubled than the weather.
In the end, I could only avoid his gaze and softly reply:
"...Okay."