Balcony alone
The clamor in the KTV box surged like a tide, and Lin Weixi felt a little breathless. She quietly pushed open the heavy soundproof door and slipped out to the balcony. The cold air of the winter night hit her face, making her shiver, but she also woke up a lot in an instant.
The balcony faced the old city streets, scattered lights flickering in the distance. She leaned against the cool iron railing and took a deep breath. The warmth from Chen Wang's touch during the chorus still seemed to linger on the back of her hand, a touch that made her feel flustered.
There were light footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Chen Wang coming out with half a cup of tea in his hand.
"It's too stuffy in here," he said softly, standing a meter away from her. This distance was neither too close to be awkward nor too far to seem unfamiliar.
Lin Weixi nodded, her eyes unconsciously falling on his hands holding the teacup. Those hands were more slender than she remembered, with distinct knuckles and the shallow scar on the ring finger still clearly visible. She remembered the way those hands worked on the blackboard when she was in high school.
"I heard that you went to work in City B?" he asked, his voice sounding particularly gentle in the night.
"I'm a photo editor at a magazine," she replied, her fingers unconsciously twisting the tassels of her scarf. "How about you? Are you getting used to things in Princeton?"
"It's not bad, it's just that the winter is really cold." He smiled, his breath of white air spreading in the air. "It's much colder than the winter here."
A silence spread between the two of them, but it was not awkward. A faint bell rang in the distance, striking eleven. Lin Weixi secretly glanced at his profile. Five years had left traces on his face, fading the youthfulness of his youth and adding a bit of maturity and stability.
"That song just now..." he suddenly said in a very soft voice, "You sang it very well."
Lin Weixi's face suddenly became hot: "I was too nervous and even sang out of tune."
"No," he turned to look at her, his eyes shining brightly in the night, "you're just too concerned. No one else will notice these details."
Those words brushed against her heart like a feather. She remembered how he would say similar words to comfort nervous classmates before every exam in high school. It turns out some traits don't change with time.
The balcony door was suddenly pushed open, and Zhou Xu poked his head out: "You two were hiding here! Come and cut the cake!"
Chen Wang gave her a helpless smile, a smile filled with emotions she couldn't understand. He turned around and followed Zhou Xu back. The moment he opened the door, he looked back at her.
Lin Weixi stood alone on the balcony for a while. The cold wind blew away the heat on her face, but it couldn't blow away the inexplicable throbbing in her heart. She looked at the lights in the distance of the city, and suddenly remembered that after the evening study session in her senior year of high school, they had stood side by side on the rooftop of the teaching building, looking at the lights of thousands of homes below.
When they returned to the private room, the cake had already been cut. Chen Wang was surrounded by his classmates, sharing the cake. He cut the largest piece and handed it to her. There was a whole strawberry on the cream.
"This is a lucky piece." He said softly, with a faint smile in his eyes.
Lin Weixi took the cake, and the sweet aroma of strawberries hit her face. She ate it in small bites, the cream melting in her mouth, the sweetness was just right. Just like the solitude on the balcony just now, short, but enough for her to savor for a long time.
When the party ended, everyone said goodbye to each other. Chen Wang stood at the door and shook hands with each classmate who left. When it was Lin Weixi's turn, he gently shook her hand and said, "Take care."
On the way home, Lin Weixi could still feel the warmth of his palm. That brief moment of solitude on the balcony was like a ray of warm sunshine in winter, which was fleeting but enough to warm the whole winter.
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