Chapter 7 — Conflicting Fate

Just as he was about to open it, Giang Duong stopped him.

“Go home and take a peek.”

A thought suddenly flashed in my mind. Face suddenly turned red. Not… what I think? At this moment, there was a light knock on the car window. Outside, Tham Vong Tan stood waiting.

“Let's go home.”

“Yes.”

Giang Duong gave me a "keep it a secret" look, then said goodbye to me. On the way home, I held the gift box in my arms, carefully like a treasure. Tham Vong Tan glanced a few times, laughed and asked:

“What is it?”

“Don't tell me.”

I hesitated a bit, then added:

“It's a gift from Ms. Giang Duong, only I can see it.”

“Yes.”

He concentrated on driving, a slight smile hidden on the corners of his lips. When I got home, I pushed him into the bathroom, then hugged the gift and escaped to the balcony. Take a deep breath, open the box. Not as sexy as I imagined. Inside was an old camcorder, along with a memory card. I inserted the memory card into the device and turned it on. The battery is still full, the device automatically starts. There are more than ten videos inside. Curious, I opened the first video. In the frame, a boy about ten years old, wearing a birthday hat, his face cold as ice. There was the sound of people singing.

“Happy birthday, little Tham Huyen!”

(Tham Huyen - former name of Tham Vong Tan) The boy in the video looked uncomfortable.

“Thank you.”

“Huyen, what is your birthday wish?”

“No wishes.”

At that time, his face was still round, and people often pinched his cheeks. In the video, there was also a scene where Giang Duong pinched his face and laughed. In the second video, the boy is a little older. It looks like a spring picnic. He sat in a folding chair at the lakeside, reading a book. Doesn't fit in with the group at all. Giang Duong came to tease him, but he chased him away mercilessly. The next dozen videos— All are about his growth process. Strict, disciplined, and boring. Life seems to be set on a track, without a single turning point. Every year is the same. Giang Duong will ask a question:

“What is your wish?”

And every year I get the same answer:

“No wishes.”

The last video— It was one evening, right before our graduation. This was also the last time this camera recorded. Giang Duong, as usual, asked that question again:

“Tham Huyen, what is your wish?”

For the first time, Tham Vong Tan did not answer as usual. He looked straight into the camera and calmly said:

“Marry someone.”

Giang Duong froze for a moment, then laughed teasingly:

"Oh my gosh, Tham Huyen, don't say you're so sure. Is it possible to get married?"

“Marryable.”

Three words, decisively, steadfastly, like an unshakable oath. I glanced at the date recorded on the video. At that time, I had not yet broken up with Giang Chi Hoai. I don't know when the sound of water in the bathroom stopped. Is Tham Vong Tan out? An uneasy feeling arose in my heart. I turned my head, just in time to meet his deep eyes. Under the gentle light of the dark night, the bottom of his eyes shone with a mysterious light. I swallowed my saliva and stammered:

“You... when did you come out?”

“It's been a while.”

He was wearing a bathrobe, sitting very close to me, looking leisurely. But his eyes... were like a hunter who had just discovered his prey caught in a net. I tightened my grip on the camera and stammered:

“This… this I'm holding…”

“I see.”

His eyes scanned the stopped video, where the last date was clearly printed. The corner of his lips curled up.

“Very nice gift.”

I was confused, my voice trembled slightly:

“You… don't you have anything to explain?”

Tham Vong Tan stood up and slowly approached.

“There is nothing to explain.”

I was forced back step by step by him. Finally, he was cornered close to the balcony railing. The cold wind blew my hair. The rich scent of cinnamon flowers spreads in the air. His voice was low, carrying a lazy smile:

“I still found out.”

Bending his head down, he gently kissed my earlobe. The warm, wet heat burned my nerves in the blink of an eye. My heart was beating wildly and I said in a low voice:

"But at that time... I hadn't broken up yet..."

He smiled softly.

“You never said you were a good person.”

“Whoever you pursue, of course you have to rely on your bravery.”

I was speechless.

“You… you're not doing it right—”

He suddenly bit my neck lightly, his voice hoarse.

“Isn't that right? No one taught him. Sorry.”

But in that voice, there was no remorse at all. Actions are even more extravagant. I suddenly remembered something.

"So when I first returned home, you were waiting for me at the airport...?"

He ruffled my hair, his voice calm:

“Maybe let me and Giang Chi Hoai get back together?”

“Hua Thuc Chu, I'm not that generous...

Raise your head, let me kiss you.” Tonight, the moonlight fills the sky. The gardenia flowers in the corner of the wall have withered. But on the tree branches, cinnamon flowers bloomed, spreading yellow across the sky. He and I kissed under the moonlight. Time seems to go back many years ago. That fall night, at an outdoor party. Tham Vong Tan walked in late, sitting in the first row. At that moment, music rang out and gentle lights covered the room. I stood under the canopy of the cinnamon tree, the hem of my dress gently brushing his fingertips. A small, soft cinnamon flower accidentally fell into his palm.

“Tieu Sister.”

He gently called my name.

“Um?”

His arms were spread out in front of me. Under the dim moonlight— A small cinnamon petal quietly fit in the palm of his hand. (END)