"l wasn’t wrong." "Absolutely not." Dorothy and Everett exchanged a knowing glance and broke into laughter, their shared amusement an unspoken bond.
His arm tightened around her slightly as he leaned in, his voice a low whisper. "What if you knew back then that | was the one writing you those love notes? Would you have read them?" Caught off guard by the question, Dorothy paused, pondering over an answer that deserved more than a cursory thought.
After all, back in the day, the thought of Everett, the golden boy of the school, harboring a crush on her seemed downright implausible.
Everett, with his heartthrob looks and top-tier grades, not to mention his family's clout—heck, even the principal would bend over backward to please him. That same guy claiming to have a crush on her? Dorothy could not even entertain the thought! Especially since Everett was known for his aloofness back then, he was not the warmest person and probably had stronger boundaries than she did. Aside from the strictly necessary interactions between desk mates, he would not say much else.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"I'd probably think you were pulling my leg, but then again, you never struck me as the joking type," Dorothy finally admitted, still struggling to imagine how she would have reacted.
One thing was for sure - she would not have agreed to date him.
Her middle school days were when Bella was undergoing her second surgery. Back then, Dorothy was so desperate to earn money that she spent every spare moment working, and any free time left was devoted to studying.
Dating? That was the last thing on her mind.
"So, maybe it's for the best you never read them." Everett used to think that writing those love notes to Dorothy was the most foolish and embarrassing thing he had ever done.
But now, he felt relieved she had not read them.
Back then, he was just a kid; his thoughts were not nearly as well-rounded as they were now. Even if she had said yes, their relationship might have faltered due to her sensitivities.
It was better that they both had the chance to grow up and mature. He felt more confident now.
"Everett, was | really the only one you had a crush on?" Dorothy asked, the question burning in her throat despite her reservations.
She feared it might come off as self-indulgent and annoy him, but she genuinely wanted to know.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAfter all, they had spent years apart with absolutely no contact.
"You were more than enough. I'm not a masochist," he quipped.
"But what if | got a boyfriend in all our years apart? What if | got married? You can’t keep waiting!" He reached up and playfully tapped her forehead.
"You're the only one who thinks we had no contact.” "Huh?" "I was always in the class group chat. After you left that night you sent the wrong message, | left because you did." Dorothy thought it over and realized he was right. She had rejoined the chat later to find him gone.
"Also, do you remember when you got hired by the Prosperity Consortium?" "| applied like everyone else! | went for the interview and waited for HR to get back to me." "Dorothy, that job fair at the Prosperity Consortium? They only hired you." She froze, her mouth agape.
Everett let out a soft sigh. "Didn't you ever wonder why they held a job fair and only hired one assistant? Didn't you find it odd that no one else was starting at the company with you?" Dorothy shook her head. "I... I'm not great at socializing, so | never asked." "If I had known, | would've just brought you straight into the main office.” Maybe that way their story could have started a year and a half earlier.
He had been afraid of raising her suspicions, so he had the Prosperity Consortium organize that job fair instead of having the main office do it directly.
Everett was concerned that Dorothy might doubt the legitimacy of an offer from the Lopez Corporation.