Chapter 127
Jocelyn felt a tightness in her chest. She wanted to exin but found any word seemed hollow and
Insincere.
W to talk. Harrison said before turning away and walking towards the curb.
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Jocelyn trailed behind him. Her gaze fixed on his retreating back, wishing to p herself in the face.
Hamison was her boyfriend now. Everything he did was reasonable and justifiable. Why had she
snapped at him?
Jocelyn was filled with regret. She caught up to him and grabbed his hand
Harrison stopped and turned to look at her nced at her hand and gently removed it. “No need to
force it”
Jocelyn felt an emptiness in her heart at his coldness.
Hamison sat down at a roadside diner and ordered a spaghetti. He had flown for over two hours from
Berry City to give her a surprise, never expecting such situation
All the imagined perfect scenarios shattered in that instant.
He knew that Jocelyn hadn’t been totally in love with him. But her tant favouritism made him feel like
a failure. He thought he could help her move on, to transfer all her feelings to him. s, that was not
the case.
Jocelyn sat across from him, noticing the diner owner about to sprinkle hot pepper kes on the
spaghetti. She quickly interjected, “He can’t handle spicy
The owner promptly put the pepper kes back
Hearing the words, Harrison looked at her.
If not for today’s incident, he might have believed he had a ce in her heart. Such a reminder seemed
to be an afterthought
“You want some? Harrison offered.
Jocelyn shook her head, instinctively exining. Today was a colleague’s birthday. We had dinner
before hanging out. I never expected to run into Melvin. I was avoiding him, but he approached me…
The spaghetti arrived, and Harrison had no intention of torturing his stomach with hot spices just to
earn her sympathy. Pity that was sought after was neithersting nor genuine.
Hamison listened calmly to her exnation. He could tell she was being sincere, that she really wanted
to avoid entanglement with Melvin
But isn’t that how feelings are? If you’re not together, there’s always a period of entanglement. Some
people get bored of the chase, but others are like a stubborn adhesive, impossible to shake off.
There are usually two possibilities for this: one, the pursuer is just a troublemaker who doesn’t want the
other to be happy; or two, both parties still harbor feelings, allowing the pursuit as a way of seeking a
chance for reconciliation
From the start, Harrison knew Jocelyn hadn’t totally let go of Melvin. Despite this, he chose to pursue a
rtionship with her. He had been hoping for a different oue, but it was just wishful thinking.
“He pursued you, but you didn’t reject him. You still love him,” Harrison said pointedly. “If you really
didn’t, nothing he did could disturb yourposure.”
Jocelyn felt as though she was gasping for air. She became uneasy, fearful of Harrison peeling back
the walls she had built around her raw heart
Harrison took a bite of his spaghetti and said, “Let’s break up.”
Jocelyn was stunned, disbelieving as she looked at him.
Harrison added some parmesan, catching her expression. Surprised?”
“I am really done with him,” Jocelyn insisted, not wanting to be entangled with Melvin anymore. But
some things were beyond her control, which had led to the situation they were in.
Harrison shook his head. “I’m not saying this because of what happened today. Deep down, you know
you still have feelings for him.”
“Jocelyn.” He still called her name gently. “I understand your feelings. I knew from the beginning you
still had him in your heart, but ! was too confident thinking I could rece him and make you fall for
me.”
Harrison looked at the spaghetti and chuckled, “Spaghetti without the pepper kes isn’t so tasty, but
my stomach can’t handle the spices
Jocelyn understood his metaphor
good for you, too, Harrison said, cing down his fork and looking at her with calm tenderness You’ve
been
struggling too, right?”
Her tears, long-held back, began to flow freely She bit her lip, fighting the urge to sob. But the tears
refused to be contained.
Harrison pulled out a napkin and sat beside her to wipe her tears. “Let it out. You’ve been repressing
your feelings for too long.”
But his words only intensified her emotions. Tears streamed down her face like a breached dam.
Harrison wrapped an arm around her. “Lean on me.”
Jocelyn rested on his shoulder, crying inconsbly.
Harrison patted her back gently, feeling the weight of her suppressed emotions that were never as
carefree as she pretended
Jocelyn finally confronted her inner feelings. Harrison was right. She still had feelings for Melvin and
never reced him with others deep down in her heart.
After a while, Jocelyn’s sobs subsided.
Sniffling, she lifted her head and saw a wet patch on Harrison’s shoulder from her tears. She felt
embarrassed, “I’m sorry.”
Harrison nced at it, unconcerned. “It’s fine. It’s just a shirt. You feel better now?”
“Yeah” Jocelyn sniffed, her breath visible in the chilly air.
Harrison smiled at her. “Maybe being friends again feels a bit morefortable?”
Jocelyn felt terribly sorry for him.
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for to me. Love has always been selfish and beyond arrangement. You
also tried to engage positively in our rtionship, but I am just not the right one. That’s why everything
gets tangled”
“If things are getting all tangled up, there’s no point in pushing through the mess, Harrison sighed,
offering a bitter smile. “I’ve got to admit, I’m really going to miss this.”
Jocelyn lifted her misty eyes to meet his gaze.
“After all, I genuinely love you,” Harrison shrugged, a hint of resignation in his voice. Too bad you’re not
into me.”
In her heart, Jocelyn thought if she had met him a few years earlier, perhaps she and Harrison would
be truly in love for the whole life.
“Sorry…”
“Stop saying you’re sorry.” Harrison said as he removed his sses and pinched the bridge of his
nose. “If you’re still hung up on him, then give it another shot. As long as two people truly love each
other, they can cut through any issue.”
Harrison was trying tofort her. He could sense that neither she nor that other guy could let go.
Jocelyn shook her head. “No, I can’t.”
“Huh?” Harrison was puzzled “You’re not going to try again?”
“There’s no future for us. Jocelyn said, taking a deep breath and forcing a smile. “I can’t see one.”
Harrison frowned slightly before slipping his sses back on. “Then focus on work when you need to,
and rest when you should”
“Yeah. Jocelyn nodded vigorously. “Thank you”
Harrison chuckled lightly. “Finally not an apology. I guess I’m feeling pretty rxed now too
Jocelyn knew Harrison had been amodating her, genuinely trying to build the best possible
rtionship, but the problem was
hers
The best way to get over a rtionship was supposed to be diving into a new one, but that approach
just didn’t work for her. Not only could she not forget, but she’d also end up hurting someone who truly
cared for her.
“We’re still friends, right? Harrison asked.
Jocelyn nodded firmly. “Of course.”
“That’s good enough for me. Anyway, I haven’t given up on pursuing you, Hamson said with a broad
grin. “You said we were just trying things out, and maybe I was too eager. We can’t rush these things.
There’s got to be a chase. I guess I was just too impatient.”
Jocelyn felt even more guilty. Even now, he was still looking at himself for the problem.
“Youre a nice guy
“Stop right there,” Harrison quickly intervened, not wanting her to continue. “I don’t need a ‘nice guy
badge.”
he friends for now Hamison settled the bill and nodded to Jocelyn. ‘My friend, let me walk you home.”
to sdrait that everting to being just friends with Harrison was indeed a relief. She no longer had to worry
about keeping up
the facade of having a boyfriend.
Even though she had no intentions of getting back together with Melvin, it felt like she had shed a
heavy burden.