Chapter 3 — One Step Late, One Life Missed

His voice was cold and hoarse:

“This guy couldn't stand it, he fell on the table, it's okay.”

I said:

“Oh, it's okay.”

He was silent for a moment, then asked:

"And you, how are you today? Happy?"

I met him when I was twenty years old. It has been five years now, and every year on this day, he is always present, always by my side. Only this time, it's an exception. I was about to answer, when Giang Mo came back from outside and asked who I was calling. I said:

“A friend.”

I looked back, the phone had been hung up.

6

That night, I slept very deeply. For some reason, I dreamed of Ky Tru. I dreamed about that year, when he was chasing Manh Giai Oanh and had an accident while racing, almost lost his life, and was in the hospital barely alive. I took care of him for two months. When he recovered, the first thing I did was go find Manh Giai Oanh. In the hospital hallway, his cousin reluctantly told me:

"A Tru has always had whatever he wanted since childhood. Don't look at his appearance as if he doesn't care, in fact he is extremely stubborn. Whatever he aims for, even if he dies, he must have it."

“As it is now, it's like wishing to be granted a wish.”

But I know, Manh Giai Oanh actually soon fell in love with Ky Tru. It's just that she never accepted the invitation because she knew I also liked him, so she deliberately let me witness him becoming confused and lost because of her. Ky Tru always thought that Manh Giai Oanh and I were close. But it's all just his imagination. In fact, her family is rich and basically doesn't bother to make friends with me. Only when in front of Ky Tru does she act intimate. I smiled bitterly, "Yes, I know." Then I went to find Manh Giai Oanh and told her:

“You don't like me, so why are you still holding on to Ky Tru?

He is a good person and truly loves you, I beg you, please treat him kindly, okay? At this point I woke up. Instinctively, I touched my face. I discovered that tears were already filling my face. I sat still for a while, then picked up my phone to look. At that moment, Ky Tru sent a text message. He wrote: 【Forgot to say yesterday, happy birthday. The gift has been sent, remember to accept it.】 I thought for a moment, then answered: 【Yes.】 If it was before, I would absolutely never respond to you like that. Maybe because my reaction was too cold, he didn't text me any more. Since then, we have not been in contact. Until I received a call from Ky Tru, two days later. At that time, I was walking with Giang Mo. The moonlight is dim, his face is handsome and gentle. I asked him about his previous love life. He frankly admitted that before me, he had three girlfriends. But the relationship was difficult and neither relationship lasted long. I smiled slightly:

“So what about you?”

"You don't love me, I don't love you either, so can we be together for a long time, Giang Mo?"

Hearing that, he was stunned and just about to answer, my phone rang. I turned on the screen. Ky Tru's voice rang out on the other end:

"Tong Du Xuyen invited us to a gathering tonight, will you come?"

I didn't think much, immediately refused:

“Don't go.”

His voice paused, then I heard the sound of a lighter.

“Busy?” he asked.

“No.”

After listening, he chuckled softly, his voice also became strange:

"That's it, no more bothering."

I put my phone away. Next to him, Giang Mo suddenly spoke:

“Do you like that person named Ky Tru?

It's the person who made me cried until my heart was numb on the streets of Paris that day? I raised my head, feeling a lot of sadness in my heart. I said:

“That's right. But after this, there will be no more.”

When I was young, I studied calligraphy and solved math Olympiads. Teachers once told my parents:

“This girl is honest, quiet, and easily stubborn once she makes up her mind.”

I, such a shy and timid person, have only ever done two bold things in my life. The first thing was, the night before his twenty-third birthday, he folded a jar full of paper cranes, preparing to confess his love to Ky Tru. It's just a pity that, halfway through, he became disillusioned—Manh Giai Oanh, his true destiny, appeared. The second thing was that day, in the middle of the streets of Paris, when I heard Giang Mo's mother calling to get married, I didn't hesitate at all to ask the man I had only met once:

“Can you see me?”

Many times, if we don't step forward, we will never know - who we will meet, what kind of things we will go through.

7

Two days later, Giang Mo returned to Paris. He is very busy, he has been abroad for half of the year to closely follow a project, now is the most crucial stage. He stayed with me for three days, we watched movies together, climbed mountains, and rode the ferris wheel. As he was about to leave, he sighed, his expression full of meaning and said to me:

"Actually, that day wasn't the first time I met you, Tan Niem."

After speaking, he left. I was full of doubts, so I had to wait for him to come back before asking for clarification. At that moment, I received an invitation card. It was sent by a close friend of mine from college. I heard that she married a very good husband, the boy's family had a prominent family background, and his parents were both famous figures in Bac Thanh. On the wedding day, I had just left when the bride called and asked me to stop by and pick up an item:

"The ceremony must have already begun when you arrived. This place is a bit difficult to find. My husband said he would ask a friend to pick you up."

I agree.