Chapter 11 — Appointment Under the Stars

As scheduled, Thuy Trang visited the club the following Tuesday afternoon, right in the middle of the regular activity. Ngoc Han and Thanh Ha were rearranging promotional materials when they heard the door open, and Nhat Quang stood up from his chair, his face brightening in a rare way.

"Thuy Trang!"

The girl entering the room had long hair tied up, a slim figure, dressed in a modern style, exuding the confidence of someone accustomed to moving through many different living environments. She smiled brightly when she saw Nhat Quang, strode to hug him naturally and intimately as if there had never been any time apart between them.

"Long time no see!" Thuy Trang shouted, her voice still had a strange tone after many years of living abroad. "You've grown so much, I almost didn't notice."

"You've changed a lot too," Nhat Quang replied, his smile unable to hide his sincere joy. "Come here, let me introduce you to everyone."

Ngoc Han stood watching from afar, a complicated feeling rising in her heart as she witnessed that intimate, natural hug that was not at all forced. She tried to keep a calm face, reminding herself that this was just a normal reunion between two old friends, nothing to worry about.

"This is Thuy Trang, my childhood best friend," Nhat Quang introduced to the group, his eyes still shining with excitement. "And these are the Astronomy club members — Thanh Ha, you two are in charge of engineering, and this is Ngoc Han."

"Hello," Thuy Trang said, turning to Ngoc Han with a friendly smile, her eyes observing quickly and carefully, as if evaluating something, from Ngoc Han's hair to her simple dress. "Nhat Quang told me about you."

"Is that so?" Ngoc Han replied, trying to keep her voice natural, even though she couldn't help but be curious about what Nhat Quang had said.

"He said you were the one who helped completely change the way the club presented its ideas," Thuy Trang said, sounding sincere. "It sounds like you contributed a lot to the upcoming event."

"I only help a little," Ngoc Han replied humbly, although feeling somewhat relieved by Thuy Trang's friendly, non-hostile attitude.

The group continued the activity, Thuy Trang sat back to observe, occasionally giving some useful comments based on her experience of participating in a similar science club abroad. She appeared sociable and approachable, making the other members quickly sympathize with her.

"At my old school, we often organize 'science nights' every year, inviting parents to participate in experiments with their children," Thuy Trang shared. "The booth layout is quite effective, maybe we can use it as a reference for this event."

"Sounds good," Thanh Ha replied excitedly. "Can you draw an illustration diagram for us to see?"

Thuy Trang nodded, took out pen and paper and quickly drew a simple diagram, explaining each functional area in detail. Ngoc Han stood watching from afar and had to admit that Thuy Trang's ideas were really useful, although in her heart there was still a feeling of awkwardness that was difficult to name before the confident and attractive appearance of this girl.

"In the past, Nhat Quang and I also dreamed of starting a club like this," Thuy Trang said, her voice full of nostalgia. "We once drew up a plan, imagining that we would organize big star observation sessions together, inviting the whole school to participate. Unexpectedly, he has now realized that dream, even without me here."

That sentence, even though it had no bad intentions, still made Ngoc Han feel a little ripple in her heart. She glanced at Nhat Quang and saw him smiling and nodding, his eyes slightly filled with nostalgia as he recalled old memories.

"I still remember how we used to stay up late drawing designs for a mini observatory on your rooftop," Nhat Quang said, his voice equally full of nostalgia.

"Right!" Thuy Trang laughed loudly. "In the end, that design never came to fruition, because I moved away soon after."

"I still keep that drawing," Nhat Quang said, his voice somewhat shy. "I kept it in my desk drawer from then until now. I take it out to look at it from time to time."

"Do you still keep it?" Thuy Trang seemed surprised, her eyes slightly emotional. "I thought you'd forgotten all about those childish things."

"How could I forget," Nhat Quang replied, smiling slightly. "That's one of the best memories of my childhood."

Ngoc Han stood not far away, listening to the entire exchange, the feeling of tension in her heart became even more obvious, although she still tried to tell herself that it was simply a cherished childhood friendship, nothing to worry too much about.

"So are you back to Vietnam now?" Thanh Ha asked, curious about the new guest's situation, looking sympathetically at Thuy Trang. "Or just come home to visit?"

"Already back," Thuy Trang replied. "My parents decided to transfer their jobs back to Vietnam, and I'm about to transfer school here to finish my senior year. I heard that this school has a good reputation for natural sciences."

"So you're going to the same school as us?" A male friend in the group asked, his voice full of excitement.

"It's possible," Thuy Trang smiled, quickly glanced at Nhat Quang, her eyes contained something that Ngoc Han couldn't read clearly. "If the transfer procedure goes smoothly."

That news made Ngoc Han's heart feel even heavier, even though she tried not to show it. If Thuy Trang really transfers to the same school, she will still have to face the constant presence of this close old friend for the rest of her senior year.

After the event, when everyone gradually left, Thuy Trang stayed to talk more with Nhat Quang. The two stood in the corner of the room reviewing all kinds of old memories, laughter rang out. Ngoc Han packed her things alone at another corner of the table, trying not to pay attention to that conversation, although her ears still unconsciously caught every sentence and every word.

"Are you home early?" Nhat Quang asked when he saw Ngoc Han preparing to leave and quickly put aside the conversation with Thuy Trang.

"Yes, I have housework to do," Ngoc Han replied, giving a forced smile. "You two just keep talking, I'll go home first."

"Let me see you to the gate," Nhat Quang wanted to follow, but Ngoc Han shook his head to stop him.

"No need, I can go home myself. You stay and talk to your old friend, you two probably have a lot to tell."

She left the room before Nhat Quang could protest further, walking quickly down the stairs, her heart heavy with a feeling that was hard to name. She told herself not to be selfish, not to be jealous for no reason over a completely legitimate long-time friendship, but her heart still couldn't stop tightening every time she remembered the image of two old friends laughing and chatting, sharing a past in which she had absolutely no part.

On the way home, she texted Yen Nhi, telling her everything that had just happened, not hiding the feeling of insecurity creeping into her heart.

"He seems really nice, but I don't like the way he keeps repeating the past with Nhat Quang," Ngoc Han wrote. "It feels like I'm an outsider."

"It's normal," Yen Nhi reassured. "When long-time friends meet again, everyone doesn't like to review old stories. Don't let yourself think too much, you can easily hurt yourself."

"I know," Ngoc Han replied, even though she still couldn't feel completely reassured. "It's just that this feeling keeps nagging and won't stop, even though I've tried to push it aside many times."

She put her phone in her pocket and walked into the fading sunset, trying to convince herself that all her worries were just fleeting, baseless thoughts, even though deep down, she knew that feeling of insecurity would not easily disappear overnight.

That night, Nhat Quang texted her as usual, asking if she had arrived home safely. Ngoc Han read that familiar text message and felt somewhat comforted, but still couldn't stop herself from asking the question that had been lingering in her mind all afternoon.

"Thuy Trang seems like a good person," she texted, trying to keep her tone as normal as possible through each word.

"Yes, he's always like that," Nhat Quang replied. "I'm glad to see him again after all these years."

Ngoc Han looked at that message for a long time, not knowing how to respond properly, in the end she just typed a short sentence: "I'm happy for you too," then put down the phone, my heart was still cluttered with hundreds of thoughts that couldn't be named clearly, lasting until sleep slowly came.