Chapter 4

I returned to the apartment and packed my luggage.

I suddenly noticed that the dry box that had been sitting in the corner for years was now empty. It held the keepsake Mom left me—a long-out-of-print roll of Kodak film that marked the start of my dream as a photographer.

Wendy opened the door, her brow furrowing deeply when she noticed my calf wrapped in bandages. "What's going on here? Why are you wrapped up like that?"

She reached out and pinched my ankle gently. "You should pay more attention when you walk next time. I'll accompany you to Islavia to watch the auroras with you once things slow down for me at work, so quit sulking all the time like the world owes you a favor."

I pulled my leg away and asked, "What did you do with my film roll?"

Wendy froze for a moment, then stood up and fished a dented metal casing out of her pocket. "You treated it like such a treasure that Sawyer and I decided to hide it from you.

"You see, the plan was to give it back as a surprise after you got all anxious searching for it. It turns out that the roll of film was way too old. Sawyer accidentally snapped the film when he took it out for a look."

I opened the lid with trembling hands and noticed that the film had been pulled out entirely, overexposing it, and even snapped in two in the middle. It was the last bit of visual memory Mom had left behind for me.

I used to take it out and look at it over and over again whenever I couldn't sleep at night, reliving those memories and missing her endlessly.

I could hear the tremor in my voice as I asked, "Do you know how precious this is to me, Wendy?"

"I know, but Sawyer didn't do it on purpose," Wendy replied as she pulled two brand-new, discontinued rolls of film from the bottom of her shopping bag and pushed them toward me.

"How can a roll of film matter more than Sawyer and me anyway? I spent a lot of money getting two new rolls to make it up to you, Fabian."

I instantly raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

Wendy's head was knocked sideways by the impact. She was completely stunned by my action.

I accidentally misplaced a lens cap that was worth only a few dozen dollars when I was 17 years old, but Wendy actually took a flashlight and combed through the whole school field just to find it. She said, "If it belongs to you, then even the smallest thing matters, Fabian."

Yet, at this moment, Wendy had personally destroyed the very thing I cherished the most.

Wendy slowly turned to look at me and grabbed my wrist. "Have you lost your mind, Fabian?"

She then firmly pulled me into her embrace.

I bellowed, "Let go of me!"

Wendy tightened her arms around me, wrapping me in a tight embrace. "Please just cut it out already, Fabian! That roll of film is already a thing in the past! You have to move on from it! Do you get it, Fabian?"

I stopped struggling and simply let her hug me. I was crying so hard that my tears completely soaked her clothes. I was well aware that I should move on from the things in the past—including Wendy herself.

I didn't make a sound as I cried, tears involuntarily streaming down my face. I cried until there were no more tears left and until the pain in my chest finally subsided.

Wendy kept stroking my back throughout the whole situation. She gradually released me once she noticed that I had relaxed. She then said softly, "You still have me by your side, Fabian."

I ignored her, turned away, and walked into the bedroom to pack my luggage.

Wendy came after me and asked coldly, "What are you doing, Fabian?"

"I'm packing my belongings."

"You're pulling the 'running away' act again?"

"You said I should learn to be independent like Sawyer, so I'm moving into the new apartment tomorrow."

Wendy hesitated slightly; after all, she had been the one who told me to move out in the first place. She remained silent for a moment before saying, "I'll sleep with you tonight, then. It's going to be the last night we're spending together, after all."

It had been quite a while since we last slept in the same bed.

Wendy claimed my sleeping habits were too different and that my tossing and turning at night would affect her work the next day. She said, "You need to learn how to be independent, Fabian. You can't act like a child who needs someone beside him just to fall asleep."

I eventually moved into the guest room and slept there for the next six months.

I didn't object to her suggestion, so later that night, Wendy reached from behind and wrapped her arms around my waist.

I lay awake in the darkness, looking at the neon lights beyond the floor-to-ceiling window. "Are you really going to be happy if I truly learned how to stand on my own, Wendy?"

Wendy replied without hesitation, sounding completely at ease. "Of course, Fabian. I'd be more than happy."

She still tightened her arms around my waist after saying that, though.

I got dressed the following morning and wheeled my suitcase over to the foyer.

Wendy threw on her coat, walked up to me, and reached for my suitcase. "I'll help you with the moving, Fabian."

She hadn't even reached the handle when the phone in her pocket started ringing. Sawyer was the one calling, sounding extremely thrilled. "I managed to get two tickets for the sci-fi movie that's premiering today, Wendy! Hurry and come watch it with me!"

That was the movie we had planned to watch together three months ago.

Wendy glanced at me before accepting Sawyer's invitation. She then hurried out the door after hanging up. "You can just take a cab and move in on your own first, Fabian. I'll watch the movie with Sawyer and bring him over to your new apartment later."

"Got it."

I took the cab to the airport once Wendy left. I called Luna while I was on the way, saying, "Remember to come pick me up at the airport, Luna."

Luna's amused voice came from the other end of the line. "You have nothing to worry about, Fabian. Have I ever forgotten anything when it came to you?"