Chapter 26 Mark Steven

"Mark Steven, your rumored boyfriend. You can't be that forgetful, can you?" Lola's eyes widened as she knew Elsa would never forget him.

"What are you talking about? He's just a good friend of mine, just like you." Elsa finished and lowered her head to eat as if hiding something.

Lola sipped her water while looking out the window as if she was reminiscing. "In my eyes, you guys are a perfect match. You're both so beautiful and so smart. Why didn't you get together again? Mark was at this school, too. Didn't your guys ever date?"

"No, we've only talked a couple of times. Maybe it's too familiar, so I don't feel in love with him at all." Elsa was still eating with her head down.

"In high school, you always studied together and went home every day after school. Why do you suddenly feel like strangers when you get to college?"

"Even though we always go home together, we're just passing through and have the same hobbies. You're too sensitive."

Elsa finished eating and stood up, ready to leave. "Come on, dear Lola, I think you could be a gossip reporter for the paper after you graduate."

Lola stood up and shrugged, "Who knows."

......

There's an academic presentation on architecture this afternoon at two o'clock. The presentation will feature Mark Steven.

At Lola's strong invitation, Elsa agrees to accompany her to the presentation to honor their old friend, Mark.

When they arrived at the venue, they realized that many girls had already arrived.

"I remember there were supposed to be more boys interested in architecture, so why are there so many girls here today? Could it be that they were all attracted by Mark?" Lola made a helpless expression.

Elsa saw Catherine's profile in the crowd and was just about to call out when she disappeared into the crowd.

Elsa was a little curious as to why Catherine, who had never been interested in architecture, was also here today.

Elsa and Lola found seats in the front row and sat down.

The small venue was nearly complete a little while later, and girls made up a sizable portion.

Mark Steven's super popularity is beyond Elsa's imagination.

The lights dimmed, and the catchlights on stage came on. Mark walked to the center of the stage.

Mark's clean white shirt was ironed with barely a crease and paired with light-colored jeans. His face was handsome and sunny, like a movie’s intelligent, decent hero.

Mark's mouth, with a faint smile, confident and affable, like the brightest sunshine at noon, easily won the favor of the people in the room.

All eyes were on Mark, who was the absolute star of the show at this point.

The boys in the room might have been jealous that he was so good when they were all in the same college.

I don't know if it was a coincidence, but Mark's eyes looked toward the stage and stopped in the direction of Elsa.

Elsa and Mark's eyes met, and both hearts fluttered slightly.

The two men tacitly turned their eyes away at the same time.

......

"A hot, warm welcome to all of you, and thank you for attending this presentation." Mark regained his composure after a brief moment of wandering off.

"I'm pleased."

Everyone in the room would think it was a polite remark, but only the sensitive Lola seemed to have noticed something. She quietly turned her head and glanced at Elsa.

Lola had a keen mind, and although Elsa and Mark had just locked eyes for a few seconds, she sensed the mystery of those seconds.

At this moment, Elsa's face was as calm as usual, and Lola was a little skeptical as to whether she was mistaken or whether Elsa was too good at camouflage.

Lola looks quizzically at the stage as Mark's architectural presentation begins.

Mark began to talk about his trip to Europe, from the Leaning Tower in Italy to the churches in Spain, from Notre Dame in Paris to the museums in London.

He talks about his meeting of minds with European architectural geniuses and listens to the teachings of contemporary architects.

Mark spoke eloquently, recounting his vast knowledge, insights, and philosophical musings to those seated, eliciting gasp after gasp and applause.

Mark's body alone contained an intelligent mind, humorous language, and handsome appearance. Countless girls in the venue looked at Mark with eyes full of love and admiration.

Time passes quickly, and Mark walks off the stage to applaud and cheers from the crowd.

The presentation ended, and Mark was surrounded by a crowd in the center, with fans yelling for autographs. They sought to follow each other by asking for Mark's social accounts, claiming they were asking for professional advice on architecture.

Some fans have been following Mark's Facebook, Twitter, INS, and TikTok for a long time, and they want to get the daily sharing of Mark's life from the social apps to get to know him better, get closer to him, and preferably become his girlfriend.

Mark responded perfunctorily to the fans while trying to find something in the crowd.

He finally saw Elsa getting ready to walk out of the venue.

As it happened, Elsa turned her head to look at Mark the moment before she stepped out the door!

Their eyes met. They smiled and nodded to each other, and then they went their separate ways.

A tacit understanding that never needs to be expressed in words.

After all, they spent three years together in high school.

Lola was always by Elsa's side and witnessed everything that happened to the two.

Mark had never given Lola a severe look since the beginning, which had thrown Lola off a bit; she had envisioned making Mark her seventh boyfriend, if only as a sexual partner.

But when she saw the interaction between Elsa and Mark's eyes, she knew that Elsa and Mark might be better suited as a couple.

Lola lost it for less than a minute because she cared more about her friendship with Elsa than her boyfriend.

Men are only a little more critical of Lola than sex toys.

Elsa and Lola walked out of the building, ready to go to their other classes, and made plans to meet for a drink in the evening.

They hadn't seen each other in a while and had a lot of girl-to-girl secrets to share.

Elsa and Lola had just met at the entrance to the building after class when a call came from behind them.

"Elsa, Lola."

The two girls turned to see a handsome glowing man walking towards them.