Chapter 151
I was having afternoon tea when Joseph asked to meet up.
When Sophia and Faye heard I was going out, they insisted on coming along.
I was actually worried about how to get away from meeting him, so I agreed to let them come with me. My plan was to have them show up and create a fake coincidence when I wanted to leave.
Joseph and I had some drinks at a coffee shop. Since I haven't been drinking coffee lately, I chose a juice.
Joseph seemed to have prepared a script, checking his phone from time to time.
"You really haven't changed at all."
His opening line was within my expectations - it's the usual thing people say after not seeing each other for a while.
"Neither have you."
We looked at each other and smiled. After all these years, it felt awkward instead. Back when the three of us - Nola, him, and I - used to hang out together, things were much more relaxed.
"Uncle Finn and Auntie Mia are also hoping I'll get married soon. Our family takes this very seriously. Nola got married before me, so now the pressure's on me."
"You can't rush these things. Marriage depends on fate."
Joseph stirred his coffee. "What about us?"
I looked down with a slight smile. "If we were meant to be, it would have happened already."
"I was immature back then. When I liked someone or something, I wanted to express my feelings right away. I apologize for being so rash back then."
"If we're talking about admiration, you were way cooler back then than you are now."
I looked at him seriously. "You're Nola's brother, not a stranger, so I won't beat around the bush. You're a good person, and I admire certain things about you, but we're not right for each other."
Joseph's eyes darkened. He asked back, "Why?"
"There's someone else in my heart."
I felt that a subtle expression might be better than a direct rejection. He's Nola's cousin, and I'd already rejected him once before. This time I didn't want to be too harsh.
"Does he have you in his heart?"
Does Levi have me in his heart?
I think he does.
I pressed my lips together. "I love him a bit more. The one who's loved can be carefree, right?"
Joseph frowned. "That sounds exhausting. Since you two don't have a result yet, I still have a chance."
"Why do you think we could work? We barely know each other."
I didn't understand how he could talk about love so easily. We'd met so few times I could count them on one hand. After all this time apart, we meet up and he talks about being together...
"Intuition."
Joseph's face lit up. "Blair, I just like you. From the first moment I saw you, I couldn't forget you. All these years, I thought you must have started a family. Do you know how happy I was when Uncle Finn called me? I felt like my whole world lit up."
"You're exaggerating."
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Nola. Ask her if I've been asking about you all these years."
Nola never mentioned it. After I became Levi's wife, she knew it would be inappropriate to bring these things up.
"Thank you for thinking of me. We can be friends, but let's not waste each other's time anymore, okay?" I really didn't want to waste time. I was married and couldn't let him have too much hope.
Joseph suddenly brightened up. "I'm not in a hurry. I can wait. I don't want to get married too quickly anyway. I'll just wait. If you two get together, I'll give you my blessing."
Years later, he was not only enthusiastic but also open-minded. This surprised me a bit. Time really can change a person and build their resilience.
"You should also explain things to Uncle Finn so they won't worry anymore."
"Okay."
I checked my phone. Faye had sent me a message: "Blair, he's so handsome, looks a bit like my idol."
I looked up at Joseph and caught his smiling face.
"Is there something on my face?" He reached up to wipe it.
"No, no."
I awkwardly clutched my phone. No matter how I looked at him, he didn't look like the young celebrity Faye liked.
Joseph shrugged. "Since we're friends, can you come with me to pick out a sofa? I still need a sofa for my place."
"I don't have experience choosing furniture."
"Just browsing. Where do you live now? Did you buy your own place or are you renting?"
He was trying to find out about my situation in a roundabout way.
"I have my own place."
When I married Levi, I just moved in with my bags. I didn't participate in the decorating either. Aiden had Levi ask for my opinion at first, but he made all the decisions.
"Which area?"
"Not too far from my company."
I didn't answer his question directly. He probably wouldn't keep asking, right? I could barely hold on anymore.
Joseph pointed to the jewelry store nearby. "Does this place carry your company's designs?"
"Our Heartstrings Jewelry has dedicated stores. Some big malls do have our counters, but not here. Nola said this place has bad feng shui."
"She probably wasn't telling the truth. It's not that this place has bad feng shui - I confessed my feelings for you here, and she even helped me come up with ideas. It didn't work out, so she doesn't like this place."
"Haha, is that so?"
They really made me laugh. I actually believed Nola's story. So back then she was hoping I'd become her sister-in-law.
"Yeah, young and reckless. She even said if we got together and had kids, we could focus on our careers and she'd stay home and help us take care of the children."
"Uh, she really put a lot of thought into it."
If he hadn't brought it up, I would never have known Nola had this side to her. No wonder after I rejected him, Nola kept telling me not to hang all my hopes on Levi.
I saw Faye and Sophia walk in. I waved at them. "You're shopping here too?"
Faye immediately transformed into my friend. "Blair, you're shopping here too."
"I'm meeting a friend."
Faye walked closer, studying Joseph.
"Oh my, your friend looks like my idol. Handsome guy, do people tell you that you look like a celebrity?" Faye's eyes were shining.
Joseph looked a bit shy. He was already pretty outgoing, but he didn't expect to meet someone even more socially confident than him.
"Hello, I'm Blair's friend, Joseph." He introduced himself.
Faye actively grabbed his hand. "Hi Joseph, I'm Blair's good friend Faye."
I was really impressed. Faye's acting was amazing. If the situation didn't call for it, I would have given her a tap. She was really getting into it.
Sophia giggled. "Hello, I'm Faye's friend Sophia."
The three of them greeted each other. The scene was a bit funny.
Probably Joseph really did look like the celebrity they liked - both of them had stars in their eyes.
"Blair, I have a client meeting. You guys keep shopping. I'll head out first."
This time it was the outgoing Joseph who became introverted. Faced with the enthusiastic Faye, he got a bit shy.
"Okay, bye."
After he left, Faye and Sophia almost jumped with joy. The feeling of finding a real-life substitute for their idol made them ecstatic.