Chapter 8

After returning home, Saoirse received a message from Julian's junior. "Saoirse, why has Julian taken four or five days off? I've sent him messages but he hasn't replied. Is something wrong?" Saoirse already knew the reason for Julian's leave. Still, she came up with an explanation for him. After all, Julian usually spent all his time in the lab and was never late or absent. It was a given that people would wonder when he suddenly took so many days off. "Something happened at home." After explaining, she walked over to the dining table and tore off another page from the calendar. The 21 became a 20. After tomorrow, the dates would start with 1. Thinking about the upcoming trip, she took a deep breath and dragged her exhausted body into the bathroom. Perhaps because of the day's activities, she slept particularly well that night and didn't wake up until noon the next day. The apartment was quiet, with everything in its usual place, undisturbed. Julian had not returned for another night. Saoirse had grown accustomed to it. She walked to the kitchen alone, poured herself a glass of milk, slowly enjoyed it, and began her solitary day. Days passed, and the number on the calendar went from 20 to 15. Julian had not sent any messages. He seemed to have vanished from her life. As Saoirse busied herself packing her bags and preparing relevant documents, she would occasionally think about her "boyfriend." Meanwhile, Julian was likely occupied with taking care of Georgina and had not thought of her at all. On Monday, the junior sent another message, asking why Julian still hadn't come to class. Seeing this, Saoirse finally called Julian to ask where he was. Julian was silent for half a minute on the phone before giving a carefully formulated answer. "I've been a bit busy lately. I can't come home for now." Seeing that he was still being vague, Saoirse couldn't help but ask what was on her mind. "Did something happen to Georgina?" Julian had to come clean when he realized that he couldn't hide the truth any longer. "Gina was in a car accident a few days ago on her way home," he confessed. Recalling the social media post, Saoirse asked again, "Is she seriously injured?" "She has minor injuries, nothing broken. But Gina is afraid of injections and doesn't like taking medicine. She hasn't been eating or sleeping well in the hospital and needs someone by her side. I've been staying at the hospital with her because I feel bad about it. After all, the accident happened because I didn't see her off. Please don't take it the wrong way." Listening to Julian's anxious tone over a minor injury, Saoirse wanted to say it was fine, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. When Julian didn't hear a response, he assumed she was jealous and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Saoirse. I didn't mean to worry you. I'll come back to you as soon as Gina is better." Saoirse didn't take his promise to heart. After reminding him to take his leave, she ended the call. Time flowed like water, and the countdown changed from 15 to 10, then to single digits. On the 27th day of the countdown, Saoirse went back to school with her prepared study-abroad application materials and had one last meal with her classmates. Upon learning of her departure, everyone was reluctant to let her go. They came forward to toast and bid her farewell. "Saoirse, you'll be gone for years, and with your parents working abroad, you might not come back for a long time. This is all so sudden." "Though partings are inevitable in life, we'll all miss you. We hope everything goes well for you. No matter what, make sure to stay in touch with us!" Touched by everyone's blessings and concerns, Saoirse downed her drink to show her appreciation. A few of her roommates glanced around. Not seeing Julian, they asked curiously, "You're about to leave, so why isn't Julian here with you for the paperwork? You told him, right?" Saoirse looked down and smiled slightly, not answering directly. "He's been very busy lately. He couldn't make it." Knowing that Julian was a busy person, they didn't think much of it and turned to comfort Saoirse. "Long-distance relationships aren't a big deal. As long as you both think of and love each other, it'll be fine!" Saoirse offered a smile in return and raised her glass to hide the conflicted look in her eyes, though it couldn't obscure the sense of melancholy surging within her. Love could indeed go through trials to sustain a relationship. Unfortunately, Julian did not love her.