Chapter 5

The car cruised through the neon-drenched city. The drive from the Left Bank Bar to Sora's current apartment spanned across almost half the city.

Alex drove with intense focus. The glow of passing streetlights periodically washed over his face, sharpening his profile and highlighting a very pure, boyish handsomeness.

"It's so weird. It's like you haven't changed at all over the years. You still look like such a good little brother." Breaking the silence, Sora suddenly reached out and ruffled Alex's fluffy hair.

The car violently swerved, nearly side-swiping the guardrail before Alex frantically managed to wrestle it back into the lane.

Sora burst out laughing.

Alex's face darkened. "I'm pretty sure I'm older than you," he muttered, sounding slightly breathless.

"Oh, really? My son is practically old enough to get a girlfriend. How could you possibly be older than me?" Sora shot back cheekily before finally sobering up. "Thinking about it now, those days when we had that band together feel like a lifetime ago. I heard you took a leave of absence from school back then. I'm really sorry I never checked in on you."

Alex fell silent for a moment before asking softly, "It's fine. Didn't you drop out later on, too?"

"I dropped out to have a baby! Don't tell me you had to drop out to have a baby too?" Sora joked, entirely carefree and lacking a filter.

Alex offered a faint smile. "Sora... who exactly is Leo's father?"

"Ah! I just remembered, I need to drop by a friend's place for something!" Sora gasped, as if suddenly jolted awake, frantically changing the subject. "Could you pull over just up ahead?"

Alex gave her a worried look, but obediently pulled the car over to the curb.

"Thanks for going out of your way to give me a ride! I'll treat you to dinner sometime to make up for it. Bye! Drive safe!" Sora quickly hopped out of the car, flashing a bright smile as she waved at him through the window.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright by yourself?" Alex gripped the steering wheel tight. He looked like he wanted to get out and escort her, but fearing it would be too forward, he could only settle for a worried question.

"It's fine, my friend's place is right around the corner," Sora answered casually. "Hurry back, don't keep the others waiting! You're the host tonight, after all."

Without waiting for his response, she slung her bag over her shoulder, turned on her heel, and marched briskly toward the nearby residential complex.

Alex kept his eyes glued to her retreating figure until she completely disappeared through the gates of the complex. Only then did he turn the car around and head back to the bar.

~~~~~

Sora strolled into the residential complex. The security here was practically non-existent; she, a complete stranger, wandered right in without a single guard stopping her to ask questions.

Which was for the best. It saved her from arousing any suspicion from Alex.

During her junior year of college, Sora—the top-tier honors student—had dropped out due to an unexpected pregnancy, leaving the entire faculty and student body absolutely shell-shocked.

It seemed like the whole world was obsessed with uncovering the identity of Leo's biological father. Ally had even subjected her to an intense interrogation, stooping so low as to try and get her blackout drunk to loosen her lips.

Of course, the end result of that little scheme was Sora single-handedly drinking Ally and her four friends under the table.

Ally never dared to challenge Sora to a drinking contest ever again.

Who was Leo's father? That was a secret known to absolutely no one but Sora herself.

Even her mother, who had been so furious she’d wanted to break Sora's legs back then, had no idea.

And he... he would certainly never know.

Sora tilted her head back, gazing up at the velvet-blue night sky, and let out a soft sigh.

If Leo ever asked about it in the future, how was she supposed to answer?

She couldn't keep using the old excuse that he had fallen out of a spaceship from outer space—even if that little white lie had made Leo incredibly smug for a while.

Walking aimlessly, Sora realized she had wandered quite deeply into the complex. The landscaping in this older neighborhood was surprisingly decent. Between two rows of high-rise apartment buildings ran a man-made stream, lined with thick, leafy trees and a few scattered park benches.

Sora found an empty bench and sat down, planning to kill a few minutes before heading home. But as she turned her head, she noticed someone lying on a bench not too far away.

The person was lying on their side, facing the back of the bench, covered only by an unfolded newspaper. The jeans peeking out from beneath the paper looked torn and tattered.

Probably a homeless guy who wandered in, she thought.

But wait... since when did homeless guys buy that much beer?

Sharp-eyed as ever, Sora quickly spotted a pile of empty beer cans beneath the bench, alongside a massive plastic bag filled with unopened ones. Added together, there had to be at least thirty cans. The empty ones alone accounted for over a dozen.

Ah. Just a drunk.

Not wanting to share her quiet time with a drunkard, Sora stood up, ready to leave. Suddenly, the figure bolted upright like a zombie. Staring blankly at the "stinking ditch" in front of him—which was supposed to be a scenic stream but had long since become a gross puddle—he barked irritably, "Hey! Drink with me!"

Sora froze. She looked forward, then backward, checking left and right. She was the only other person around.

Was he talking to her?

"Do we know each other?" Sora furrowed her brows.

Great. He's a belligerent drunk.

Sora drank too, but she never allowed herself to get truly wasted. She had already learned the hard way just how terrifying it was to completely lose control of herself.

It was like a tropical tsunami, destroying everything in its path—just like love.

"Can't we drink together even if we don't know each other?" The guy stumbled to his feet and turned toward her aggressively. He actually had a pretty good-looking face—young, handsome, maybe around twenty, perhaps having just hit adulthood. "I got dumped!" he whined, his voice a mix of grievance and rage. His delicate, expressive eyes were clouded with alcohol and unshed tears.

Sora scoffed.

What a literal child.

Who in the world hasn't been dumped a few times? What was the big deal about a breakup?

She couldn't be bothered to deal with him and started walking away.

"Hey!" the teenager yelled, refusing to let it go. "Auntie! Are all you women this cold-blooded and heartless?! Fickle and promiscuous! Why doesn't she like me?! I treated her so well! Why did she betray me?! Why? WHY?!"

Sora instantly whipped around, planted her hands on her hips, glared daggers at him, and asked through gritted teeth, "Who. Are. You. Calling. Auntie?!"

Even if she was a mother, she was still in the prime of her twenties, radiant and gorgeous! How the hell did she suddenly become a middle-aged 'Auntie'?!

Talk about a blow to the ego.

Intimidated by her explosive reaction, the teenager was stunned into silence.

Sora marched right up to him, snatched a beer from by his feet, and cracked it open herself. She threw her head back, took a generous chug, wiped her mouth boldly with the back of her hand, and turned to lecture him.

"So what if you got dumped? What's the big deal? Your big sister here hasn't even been in a proper relationship, yet I've been 'dumped' for five years! Is your petty little drama really worth drinking yourself to death over? There are plenty of fish in the sea; why hang yourself on one dying tree?!"

Thoroughly cowed by her outburst, the teenager slumped back onto the bench next to Sora, hanging his head in deep depression.

Sora leaned comfortably against the backrest, her arm resting casually along the bench as she held her beer. Her tone softened. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," the teenager mumbled flatly.

Sora smiled.

Eighteen.

Eighteen was a magical age.

That was the year she had met Julian.

That was the year she learned that love at first sight actually existed in this world.

It had been like a sudden beam of light.

Every bell in the world chiming at once, every flower blooming simultaneously, the entire world holding its breath—and then, her entire universe crashing down.