Everyone thought Cheng Xu and I were just old friends from high school. Only years later did I understand that he'd kept his feelings hidden for a full ten years.
I'm naturally slow to recognize my feelings, and when trouble comes, I tend to retreat. I never reach out first, always hoping for a love that will never walk away. During National Day, I returned to Qinghe County to take a certification exam. Outside the Huizhou College exam hall, I ran into that boy again for the first time in eight years. One "Long time no see" threw all my calm into disarray.
A coworker kept pursuing me, leaving me embarrassed and at a loss, so I had to ask Cheng Xu to pretend to be my boyfriend and help me out. At dinner, he looked after me and indulged me in every little way. Everyone else could see the sparks between us, but I only thought my old friend was being a good friend.
He tested the waters again and again, and I backed away each time. When he finally ran out of patience, he deliberately distanced himself and even stopped turning down the blind dates his family arranged. At a dinner with six people, one casual remark revealed a shocking secret: all those years we spent eating together in high school, he'd already been in love with me.
I realized my feelings far too late, but he seemed ready to move on. The me who used to retreat again and again boarded a high-speed train for the first time, traveling an hour to see him. I just wanted to ask: after hiding your love for ten years, would you be willing to wait for me one more time?
