Upon hearing Gary's words, Celeste was slightly surprised. She stared at Gary for a long time in a daze. She had no idea what she should say.
She had vaguely heard of those rumours, but it was the first time Gary mentioned it by himself.
He had never mentioned it, but that time, he actually revealed all of it to her.
She was surprised.
"In my opinion, he mistreated my mother." Gary smiled bitterly. His face sank as he felt sorry for his mother, "To the point that I don't even think he deserves my mother."
Celeste pursed her lips. She understood that feeling of 'doesn't deserve' well.
There were times when she would feel that she was not worthy of Gary as well.
She lowered her head, feeling blue.
"So, that's why I believe that a man should always be faithful and take full responsibility towards a woman when it comes to a relationship. That's how a real man should act."
Her heart seemed to have trembled in an instant.
Celeste lifted her gaze in a trance.
"I want to be such a man. I've never thought about being disloyal in a relationship," He said it all word by word as he looked straight into her eyes, "But I did not expect you to be in such great pain. I'm guilty of it. Perhaps I did not treat you well, but I wasn't willing to admit it. That's why we're drifting further and further apart. Celeste, I'm sorry."
Celeste subconsciously shook her head.
"That's not it. You're not the sole reason we broke up. I had my own fair share of problems."
Gary's heart ached when he saw how eager she was to apologize, "You silly girl, why would you think that way?"
"It's true," Celeste whispered, "We both have our problems, but my problem exceeds yours."
Gary paused for a moment before he sighed, "You're too courageous in taking responsibility. As a man, what am I supposed to do?"
Celeste pursed her lips and shook her head.
"For real, I will give you some time," He whispered, "I'll give you enough time for you to strengthen yourself. Only then will I try to win your heart over, alright?"
Her entire body tensed before she shook her head and whispered, "I'm afraid that I will never be able to stand by your side and shine with you. It is best if you do not wait for me any longer."
Gary paused for a moment, feeling slightly unpleasant, "Then let's come to an agreement, Celeste. I will wait until you stop loving me and marry another man. Only then will I give up the idea of me trying to pursue you, deal?"
Although his heart bled as he said that, he still said it out loud.
Celeste widened her eyes in astonishment.
She would never have another man as her lover.
She knew that apart from him, she would never be able to pour her heart out for anyone else as she did for Gary.
He said such a thing, which was beyond her expectations. She thought that Gary was not an easy man to get along with. She thought that he had his own unique level of stubbornness.
After seeing how serious he was in making such a promise, Celeste was uncertain as to whether he was being serious or making empty promises.
No matter what, she had to take it as him being serious.
As if she wanted a definite answer from him, Celeste asked with suspicion once more, "Are you for real?"
Gary's heart ached as he stared at the girl in front of him. Did she not have any trust in him in her heart at all?
It seemed that not only did Celeste not have any confidence, but she was also insecure as well. Especially when it came to him, she would always be high on her alert.
Gary's eyes flashed with a hint of sorrow. After looking at her for a long time, he nodded and promised her in a particularly serious tone, "Celeste, I'm serious."
He did not continue explaining. His tone was gentle, which emanated a rare gentleness and seriousness from him.
Celeste nodded along with him.
For a moment, the atmosphere inside the car went dead silent.
None of them spoke. The sun was about to set.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone in through the windows, concealing them with a golden veil. They were obviously a pair of lovers, yet they had to bear the pain to be with each other in great difficulty.
Perhaps, with his age, he did not have enough experience yet, but he clearly understood the fact that he needed more patience, and he had to give her more time.
He should not be anxious. He could not be
anxious as well.
The words he had said indicated that he would retreat, for the time being, carrying a sense of both rationality and sincerity.
"C'mon then, let's return home. I'll teach you the stuff you asked me earlier in the morning. After dinner, let's spend two hours discussing it."
Celeste pursed her lips, "Actually, there's no need for that."
"Celeste, can't we get along well?" Gary asked in return, "Or does it mean that you can't look past our previous relationship, and you can't forget about me?"
Celeste was stunned and immediately shook her head, "I don't want to trouble you."
"I want to help you. Seeing how anxious you are, helping you will only be the lift of a finger. Don't reject my help, alright?"
"But..." She paused and said softly, "I'm too dumb. I'm a slow learner, and I think I'll waste your time."
"No, you're not dumb." He shook his head, "You're smart, to begin with. I believe that as long as you study hard, you'll be able to achieve twice the results with half the effort. Let's make it clear, you shouldn't reject my help. As a friend, I have to help you, alright?" Gary's tone remained gentle.
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