Love You Long Ago(1)

Author: San Yao Si

I had a crush on Matthew, who was my neighbor, for a long time.

One day, Matthew took the initiative to find me and introduced his younger brother to me.

I smiled bitterly. Everyone knew that his half-brother was the person he hated the most.

1

In the hot summer, there was a basketball game on the central court.

Everyone was concerned about the result of the competition, except me. I was keeping my eyes glued on one person.

Matthew Turner, wearing the No. 7 shirt, quickly took the ball from his teammates and scored a perfect three-point shot.

He smiled, but he shook his left hand subconsciously.

I was worried as he might have injured his old wound.

I have followed him for many years, and I could read and understand every tiny expression on his face.

I quickly took out the medicine in my bag, and I began to anxiously hope that his game would end soon.

Finally, the whistle was blown and the game ended, and I rushed in first.

"Matthew, your coach is here."

I ignored the teasing of his teammates as everyone knew that I had a crush on Matthew.

But unwittingly, my feelings toward him had turned into a kind of care that knew no bounds.

"Yvette, come with us to celebrate later," Matthew suddenly suggested and looked at me as I gently bandaged his hand.

"Okay."

I just thought his injury made it inconvenient for him to pick up food and didn't think much about it.

Anyway, I had long been used to being his pawn.

I had the same thought until he said, "Yvette, this is my younger brother, Xavier. Do you remember him?"

A handsome face that was similar to Matthew's was smiling in front of me less than a foot away.

"Ms. Larson, long time no see."

A few years ago, in order to help Matthew be a good brother, I volunteered to tutor his then-16-year-old brother.

Xavier was Matthew's half-brother. Compared with Matthew, who had to strive for first place in everything, Xavier had no merit.

Xavier was the product of Matthew's father's second marriage and the only child of the current Mrs. Turner.

The Turner family was a big family. They were famous in this area.

The general rebellion of the rich son of a wealthy family was fully reflected in Xavier.

"Long time no see."

I was confused, but I still greeted him. Matthew had always been wary of his younger brother, which was something others were not aware of, but I knew very well.

He was a proud and arrogant man. If he didn't like someone, it would be hard for him to change his mind.

For example, Xavier and I.

Matthew was not an idiot. He knew my feelings for him, but he always played dumb politely.

He would take the initiative to explain when others questioned us and never bothered whether I would be embarrassed.

My crush on him had long been a self-deception of friendship.

"Ms. Larson, do you have a boyfriend?"

I was arranged to sit next to Xavier. As soon as I took my seat, he took the initiative to pour water for me. Hearing his question, I politely shook my head.

"Well, what do you think about me?"

I turned my head and was confused.

"Xavier, are you serious?" Matthew, who had been sitting opposite me silently, asked.

"Of course. I just don't know if Ms. Larson will accept me."

"Since you want to pursue her, stop calling her Ms. Larson."

"Ah, you're right. So then, Yvie, can I pursue you?"

Listening to the conversation between Xavier and Matthew, I seemed to understand something.

Matthew wanted me to be his younger brother's girlfriend.

Xavier was the person he despised the most in the world, but he actually asked me to date him.

I clenched my fists and looked at Matthew. The face I had liked for many years remained calm, and I didn't see anything strange.

I liked him so much, and yet all he knew was to control me without a limit.

I looked at Xavier.

Xavier showed a helpless smile. At that moment, I seemed to understand something.

It was perfect that a simp that didn't deserve Matthew partnered up with a stepbrother Matthew despised.

"Sure."

I turned my head and smiled brightly at Xavier.

During the rest of the party, I didn't look at Matthew again.

My heart sank into the endless darkness after I replied, "Sure."

2

When I woke up the next day, my head still felt heavy.

"Yvie, are you awake?"

A strange male voice made me wake up instantly. Xavier smiled and sat by my bed, dressing neatly.

"Yesterday, you drank yourself into a stupor. Left with no choice, I asked Matthew for your address."

My memories gradually rushed into my mind with the reminder of Xavier.

That was right. After I found out that I was pushed out by Matthew, I completely lost control of my emotions. In order not to look strange, I had to keep drinking.

"Yvie, I didn't even know that you are so good at drinking."

Xavier looked at me inquiringly with joy in his eyes.

"No, I was just a little too happy yesterday."

"Is it because of me?"

He suddenly leaned forward and smiled, his fair face raised. I looked carefully at Xavier's face and gradually realized he was different from Matthew.

Even though he was smiling, Matthew was always restraining himself. I always had to carefully guess his real thoughts all the time.

Xavier didn't seem to have any emotions that he held back at all. I could easily notice the change in his emotions. He was much simpler and more real than Matthew.

It was probably the reason why Matthew looked down on Xavier.

Because of the unhappy memories of his childhood, Matthew took every step carefully for fear of making mistakes.

If Xavier had thrived in love, Matthew had marched forward amid calculations and considerations.

My feelings for Matthew were very complicated. There were admiration, love, reluctance, and bitterness.

Just like that, I presumptuously pestered him for years.

It was not until last night that I finally knew where I stood with him.

Xavier pouted aggrievedly and began to count all my crimes. "Yvie, you haven't asked for my WhatsApp contact since last night."

I was a little embarrassed. Everything happened so suddenly that I couldn't tell why I agreed to Xavier's pursuit.

I wondered if it was just because I was stressed after being hurt by Matthew.

"It doesn't matter. Now, Ms. Yvette Larson, please allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Xavier Turner. I'm a 20-year-old sophomore at Juset University."

Xavier's slightly red lips moved, like a pleasant bird twittering. His happiness couldn't infect me, and my mind was still a mess.

I still could not believe that I would be the girlfriend of Matthew's brother from now on.

It seemed that he really wanted to cut off all my wishful thinking.

"You're not listening at all."

Unlike my usual habit to play dumb, Xavier ruthlessly unraveled my absentmindedness.

It was not until now that I realized that Xavier and Matthew were so different.

"Are you angry?"

"Yes."

Compared with Matthew's caution, Xavier was willing to show his true emotions.

It was my first time feeling this kind of relaxing freedom.

"Then, I apologize. Next time, I'll listen to you carefully. I promise."

I took the initiative to hug the man in front of me.

In the mirror, I saw my face and his wide shoulders and arms that responded to my embrace.

Xavier's body exuded a sense of freshness, which was completely different from Matthew's unchanged scent of Tom Ford perfume.

Perhaps, my world should have another scent.

3

"Yvie, are you free tonight? I'll take you to the new Thailand restaurant."

"Yvie, I got the tickets for the art exhibition. When are you free to go?"

"Yvie, I scratched your bag last time, so I bought you a new one."

"Yvie..."

Xavier was like a happy little sparrow that suddenly flew into my world.

He began to avail himself of every opportunity to fit into my life to the greatest extent.

With his strong recommendation, I finally agreed to rent his senior's house when my lease expired.

"Great. Let's celebrate."

Just after signing the contract, Xavier took the liberty to take up the rest of my time.

This man, who often argued with me several years ago, unwittingly became the person I saw most in my daily life.

In the high-end restaurant, Xavier sat opposite me in decent clothes.

"Yvie, are you going to study for a doctoral degree or work?"

I was a second-year post-graduate student. It was really time to start planning.

"I really want to continue my studies. After all, those who study art should increase their value by studying abroad."

I was an oil painting major and had been longing to study in Paris. However, my family was not well-off, and I couldn't do it at my own expense. As for the scholarship, it was impossible for me to get it.

"In fact, if you don't study for a doctoral degree, it's okay to take a Master of Fine Arts."

Xavier handed over a file, and I saw the admission documents inside.

"Although these schools are not as good as Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, they are friendly to foreign students and are less difficult to apply for scholarships."

I opened the file and found that each admission guide was clearly marked in English. There was even a specific comparison table summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of those schools. The only thing in common was that the handwriting was from the same person.

"You did all of this?"

After a closer look, I found that there were many schools, and there were not only Chinese but also French and Italian introductions in the admissions brochure.

"Yeah, I think you're busy doing assignments and should have no time to do it yourself."

He handed over the cut steak and carefully prepared the sauce for me.

I still remembered that when I was tutoring him back then, I was a sophomore and he was in tenth grade.

At that time, Xavier couldn't even write a complete attributive clause, and his vocabulary was too limited.

I could not believe that he knew so many languages now.

"Your translation skills are very good."

"As your boyfriend, I can't be bad. I won't embarrass you."

Xavier's tone was filled with a little pride and triumph.

In less than a month, I was used to Xavier's temper.

In fact, he really surprised me a lot.

What I heard from Matthew was about how Xavier lacked virtue and lived off his parents' money.

Matthew had said that Xavier, who was six years younger than him, was just born with a silver spoon in his mouth and didn't deserve to stand in the Turner family with him.

However, throughout this period, I felt that Xavier was not useless.

At least, I could understand and notice his kindness to me.

He would remember my preferences and cheer me up when I was in a bad mood.

He would pay attention to all my social media platforms and be the first to like my posts.

Matthew had never done this before.

I remembered that when I was young, I also played tricks and posted things that were only visible to him, so as to get his exclusive reply.

Unfortunately, it was just my wishful thinking.

"When did you start to like me?"

I once asked Xavier when he started to fall for me.

"It was ever since you pulled my ears and dragged me home from the court."

Xavier was always so honest and unafraid to tell me what he felt.

Perhaps, Xavier's love for me just came from a temporary impulse or merely to satisfy the unrequited love in his teenage life.

But at least for the moment, this feeling warmed me.