Samantha had never met a man as handsome and considerate as Harold. She was elated, sipping on her sweet smoothie.
She had a hunch, that Harold's kindness towards her was solely because Samantha was Cordelia's cousin. Harold had repressed all his affection for Cordelia, giving up on pursuing her. Instead, he harbored this love deep within his heart, loving the one who loves.
"I'm feeling down today. I've wrapped up my part at Birchwood College," Samantha shared. "There's this show, The Queen. I've lost the lead role, and I don’t want to play the supporting role. This show's going to be a hit for sure." She spoke as if she had been offered the supporting role.
"Life is full of ups and downs. It's the turbulence that makes life interesting. Smooth sailing is boring," Harold reflected, thinking about his unrequited love for Cordelia and the awkwardness that still lingered from finding out about Cordelia's ex-husband, Ronan.
True to his words, Samantha perked up. "You're right." Her eyes crinkled as she smiled.
Across from them, Brooklyn arrived with her child, Andi. Her gaze landed on Samantha, wondering what she was doing at Cordelia's college. Cordelia had asked her to come last night, so she had gotten up early, only to find Cordelia silent. Brooklyn had no choice but to wander around the campus with her child. Unexpectedly, she bumped into Samantha.
Samantha was too engrossed in her conversation with Harold to notice Brooklyn. They passed by Brooklyn without a word.
Last night, when Cordelia had replied to Brooklyn's message, it was already late. Brooklyn figured she had slept in and didn't bother calling her in the morning, so she had just shown up. It was now past ten, and Cordelia still hadn't reached out. Brooklyn decided to call her.
"Cordelia, where are you?" She asked.
Cordelia responded groggily, "You're there already?"
"Yeah, I'm at your campus. Hurry up and come. You gotta treat me to lunch." Brooklyn said.
"Then you are at..." Cordelia mumbled as she was ruffling her hair, "There's a big garden on the campus. Have you seen it? Can you wait for me there?"
"How long will it take?"
"Um, just give me a moment," Cordelia replied. "You guys can roam around the campus. I might take a while to get there."
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