Chapter 109 Missing Has a Taste
This high school reunion had the best turnout ever. Everyone was incredibly excited to see each other, seeking out old friends and buddies, gathering in small groups, and chatting enthusiastically.
When Caroline walked in, Ingrid quickly rushed over from the crowd. "What took you so long? I've been waiting forever."
Caroline smiled. "I'm ten minutes early, and that's still late?"
"Look how many people are already here. You tell me if that's late or not." Ingrid laughed as she pulled her inside. "Have you set a date for the wedding yet?"
Caroline said, "June 28th, at Solstice Mountain Hotel."
Ingrid raised an eyebrow. "Having your wedding at Celestial Waters Hotel - that's pretty fancy."
"It's alright. I know someone there, so we booked it there. They should give us a discount on the banquet." Caroline had picked up Elijah's habit of keeping things low-key.
"Caroline, sit next to me." Dahlia Roberts pulled her over. "You sat next to me in high school, remember? Come here."
Ingrid said, "No way, let her sit at my table."
"No, she's sitting here."
Ingrid couldn't match Dahlia's strength, so Caroline ended up sitting next to Dahlia, with Ingrid on her other side.
Only after sitting down did she notice Griffin sitting at the table behind them.
Orion came in with a few more classmates and clapped his hands at the door. "Everyone's here. Find your seats and sit down. I'll have the servers bring out the food so we can chat while we wait."
"Sounds good!"
Everyone agreed in unison.
Considering that most classmates were married, Orion had arranged the seating with men and women at separate tables.
The dishes came out one after another. Orion said, "Griffin, as student body president, stand up and say a few words. Otherwise, we can't start eating, and the girls are starving."
Orion's comment drew roars of laughter.
Griffin raised his glass and addressed everyone. "Nice of you to say that, when you're the one who organized this reunion. You finally get everyone together and then make me give a speech. Fine, I'll do it."
"First, we all want to thank Orion for making this gathering happen. It's been over nine years, almost ten, since we've all seen each other. When we meet again, everyone's changed, yet nothing's changed. What's changed is our age and experience. What hasn't changed is our feelings and our original intentions. Getting everyone together like this, with such a great turnout, is really rare and incredibly difficult. Our classmates are scattered all over, living their own lives everywhere. With this drink, I first toast to Orion's hard work, then to our youthful passion, to our deep friendship, and to our future being better than our past. Bottoms up."
"Well said!"
Everyone stood up, raising their glasses, filled with emotion as they clinked.
"To our youthful passion."
"To lasting friendship."
"To a future better than the past."
"To smooth sailing ahead."
"To everyone's happiness."
"To the girls getting prettier and slimmer."
"To the guys getting richer and more handsome."
The last two toasts made everyone laugh.
"Griffin's done, now the vice president should say a few words too." Someone egged her on.
Caroline waved her hand. "Griffin spoke for all of us. He said it so well, I've got nothing to add."
Griffin helped smooth things over. "If she doesn't want to speak, that's fine. Everyone's hungry anyway. Eat well, drink well, and make sure you have a great time."
Caroline turned around and raised her glass to Griffin in thanks. He smiled slightly.
Halfway through, Caroline went to the restroom and saw two figures disappearing around the corner in quick succession. When she came out of the restroom, in the shadows, she seemed to see them standing very close together, then suddenly separating when they noticed someone.
She'd heard about certain things, but she could only pretend she hadn't seen anything. As she turned around, Griffin also came out of the restroom. They ran right into each other. He glanced toward the shadows at the end of the hallway, seeming to realize something was off, then turned and quickly walked away.
After several rounds of drinks, some people cried while chatting, some got depressed, some laughed loudly, and some looked melancholy. Everyone felt time had passed too quickly - they weren't ready yet, but suddenly they'd grown up. Now they carried families on their shoulders, had partners and children, carried car loans and mortgages, household chores and work, but nobody carried themselves anymore.
When the grandparents who doted on you passed away, you realized it wasn't that you'd grown up - it was that they'd gotten old.
When you took your parents traveling and saw them standing helplessly in front of the electronic check-in machine, you realized they'd gotten old.
When you brought home a birthday cake and made a feast for your child, lighting the candles, that's when you suddenly wondered - how did I grow up so fast?
We became adults without realizing it. Adults grow old silently. Eventually, we become the adults, and the adults become us.
That summer of cicadas at seventeen was gone.
Those teenagers in school uniforms had grown up.
All good things must come to an end. Everyone was reluctant to part, not knowing when they'd all gather again.
Griffin caught up with Caroline in the hallway. "How are you getting home? I called a driver. Let me give you a ride."
Caroline smelled the strong alcohol on him and saw the impulse being suppressed in his eyes. He must have seen that pair of figures too.
She politely declined. "No need, I called a driver too."
Griffin acknowledged this and silently followed behind her. She could feel his hesitation, or maybe he was giving himself a pep talk. Caroline saw someone ahead and called out:
"Ingrid, wait for me!"
Ingrid turned around. "Okay. Caroline, where do you live? Is it on the way? Can you give me a ride?"
Caroline walked quickly to catch up and linked arms with Ingrid. "Sure, it's on the way."
Griffin could only watch helplessly as they walked away. He suddenly sobered up, ashamed of his own improper thoughts.
Just as they stepped outside, before they could go down the steps, Ingrid looked at someone below and asked Caroline, "Your husband came to pick you up?"
"What?" Caroline was stunned for a moment, then noticed Leopold standing by the stone sculpture at the restaurant entrance.
At that moment, the evening breeze became especially gentle under the dark night sky, with countless tiny stars embedded within it. The melody of reunion kept overlapping in her mind, pressing out fold after fold, making her heart feel sweetly sour.
So this was what missing someone tasted like.
Leopold wore a light blue shirt with the cuffs neatly rolled up at the wrists. His pants were crisp and straight, his hair neatly groomed. The mature dignity of a man radiated from him irresistibly.
This handsome man was actually her husband. Caroline rarely got starstruck, but right now, she felt proud from the bottom of her heart.
Leopold stepped forward with a gentle tone. "Didn't I tell you to take your time eating and not rush?"
Caroline fell silent.
When did he say that?
Griffin came out of the restaurant and happened to see Leopold, who smiled at him full of mature masculine charm, and greeted Griffin:
"Hello, Mr. Wallace."
Griffin didn't know if it was the wind or the shock of suddenly seeing Leopold, but his body swayed slightly, and he nearly stumbled.