Chapter 40
DaphneNôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
was slender, dressed in her school uniform.
Even though the uniform was thick, it looked somewhat baggy on her.
The wind in the woods tousled her hair, styled in the popular thick bangs of the time.
With her good looks and a pitiful expression, her eyes were red. Aslier, are you planning to ignore me from now on?"
Elara crossed her arms, watching the scene with indifference.
Before her time travel, she hadn't been very smart and missed many things.
Now, she had the rare opportunity to see how Daphne was trying to manage Asher.
Asher was clearly upset with Daphne,
Seeing her approach, he felt a sense of relief and adopted a defensive posture. "You told me to be with her and not to upset her. What if I get too close to you and make her angry?" Daphne's eyes reddened at his words. "Y-Yeah, it's my fault"
"What did you call me over for Asher-asked
I just... I kind of miss you, Daphne replied, looking down. "I let you be with Elara just to hope you'd be happy. I thought could control my feelings, but I realize I can't."
The next second, tears fell from her eyes.
Elara, momentarily at a loss for words, thought, 'Oh my God. If Daphne doesn't pursue acting, it would be such a waste. Honestly, even I am a bit moved. She wants Asher to be with someone else for his own good, yet she struggles with her own feelings for him. What man wouldn't be touched by that?
Sure enough, after hearing her words, Asher fell silent for a while, and his anger faded.
His voice softened noticeably. "Please don't cry."
Daphne wiped her tears. "I'm sorry. I'll try not to bother you anymore. How are things with Elara? She's not giving you a hard time, is she?"
Asher frowned. "I don't want to hear you talk about her all the time."
"Then I won't mention her again. As long as you're okay, I'll be at ease. You should go back before Elara sees you." Daphne urged.
Asher looked at Daphne. "If I weren't with Elara, would you still want to be with me?"
Daphne was confused by his question. "What do you mean?"
"Haven't they been together every day lately?' Daphne thought. "Elara used to hate Asher. Her anger must have subsided. If she hadn't, how could she suddenly be with him all the time? Seeing Daphne's surprised expression and her failure to answer, Asher seemed to find his answer.
Yet, he did not give up
and pressed on. "I just want to know if you would only want to connect with me if I were with Elara" Daphne stared at him, stunned
18-24 Wed, Nov 6
After a few moments, the concealed her feelings. "Asher, of course not,
"Then I won't be with her anymore." Asher felt like he had been playing a difficult role lately.
Every day, he went to the Kensington residence to check Elara's mood and watch her be affectionate with Lysander.
Although Elara claimed it was all an act, Asher couldn't shake off the discomfort it brought him.
Asher thought it might be because he hated Lysander so much that he couldn't bear to see Elara being kind to him.
If it weren't for the fact that he was angry with Daphne, Asher wouldn't want to endure this..
"I just want to be with you. I don't like Elara, and I don't want to be with her," he said..
At that, Daphne's expression instantly turned cold.
What does that mean? Is he really going to break up with Elaras he going to offend her again for the sake of his pride?" Daphne thought anxiously.
Asher stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. "Daphne, I really want to be with you every day."
But Daphne pulled away, avoiding his touch. "Why are you so caught up in this? Your lack of perspective is really hard for me to accept. Do you even remember what I said before?"
Seeing Daphne suddenly turn on him, completely different from before, Asher fell silent.
Every time Elara joked about this, Asher insisted that Daphne wouldn't act like this.
But now, her attitude left him feeling disheartened.
Daphne noticed Asher's shock and said, "Let's just communicate through our phones from now on. Until graduation, let's act like ordinary friends. After the SATs, I'll be waiting for you. Trust me, okay?"
Her tone was gentle as if soothing a child.
Once she finished speaking, Daphne didn't linger and walked away
Left standing there, Asher couldn't help but smirk at himself. What love? What bullshit love! Elara must be thinking I deserve this. We used to team up to deceive her. Now she probably finds it amusing to watch us turn on each other. We're all selfish people, just competing over who can act better.
Elara returned to the classroom without seeking out Asher to mock him, even though she really wanted to.
Back at her desk, Elara worked on her homework until Asher came back just before class.
Asher approached and sat beside her.
Elara was still focused on her assignment when he suddenly grabbed her wrist.
yo
Startled, she asked, "What are you doing?"
Everyone turned to look.
Seeing the guarded look on Elara's face, Asher let go of her hand
Elara rubbed her wrist and resumed her work.
Asher watched her, reflecting. No matter what, she's here, being kind to me. Even if things fall apart between us, she still thinks to ask her father to help me! 18:24 Wed, Nov 6
Compared to Daphne'scoldpess, he realized for the first time that Elara actually treated him well.
42%
Feeling guilty for letting her down and making her cry, he said, Don't leave this afternoon. I have something to discuss with you after my meeting."
"What is it?" Elara asked, taken aback by his serious tone.
That afternoon, Elara waited for him.
Asher had a student council meeting.
Elara nearly finished her homework by the time he returned.
He stood by, watching her for a moment as she focused intently on her writing.
In this latest exam, Elara had improved by fifty places.
Her rapid progress impressed the teachers, who urged Asher to help her more.
As she began to pack her things, Asher asked, "Are you
done?"
"Yeah. You said you had something to tell me. Go ahead," Elara replied.
Looking into her clear eyes, Asher said, "I broke up with Daphne
"Didn't you guys already split?" Elara feigned ignorance about what had happened that afternoon.
Asher's eyes darkened as if Daphne had hurt him. "Now we're officially done. I won't be with her again."
"Okay," Elara nodded, thinking, "He made me wait just to say
this
Then Asher added, "Elara, let's be together."