Chapter 102
Sophia literally hit the ground running and went straight to the hospital after her flight, stashing her luggage at a little motel just outside the hospital.
She was tossing around the idea of either sticking around at the hospital to keep Haley company or crashing at her place, so she hadn’t booked a hotel in advance. But she didn’t expect that she barely stepped foot in the hospital before she became Laura’s punching bag.
Brandon didn’t keep harping on her about it either. He glanced out the door at the pitch-black night, then turned to her and said, “Let’s grab a bite.”
Sophia hesitated but then nodded, “Okay.”
Maybe she felt guilty or maybe she just wasn’t feeling all that confident after accepting a favor, or perhaps Brandon was just exuding some extra-strong vibes tonight. Whatever it was, her usual spunk just wasn’t cutting it in front of him.
Brandon casually picked out a fast-food joint nearby for them.
When it came time to order, Brandon didn’t do his usual polite dance of asking her what she wanted. Instead, he just grabbed the menu, made a few swift selections, placed the order, and told the server to hustle it up with the food.
Sophia wasn’t fussed about that. She had only had some airplane food and was starving, her stomach practically stuck to her spine. Getting food in her belly ASAP was all she cared about.
The restaurant was on the ball, and the dishes started coming out hot and fast just minutes after Brandon placed the order.
He got Sophia’s cutlery, gave it a good rinse with boiling water, and then set it in front of her.
“Thanks,” Sophia said softly.
Brandon didn’t respond, just quietly unwrapped his own set.
Sophia couldn’t help but sneak peeks at Brandon.
He had this reserved look on his handsome face, eyelids half-drooping, methodically cleaning his utensils, and giving her the silent treatment. She couldn’t tell if he was still steamed about her changing her phone number.
This side of Brandon had Sophia feeling uneasy, and she didn’t dare ask out of the blue, so she just kept her head down and ate quietly.
Brandon ate in silence too.
He wolfed down his meal, not a trace of his usual elegance.
Sophia had only made it halfway through her meal when Brandon put down his utensils.
He watched her eat until she finally set down her tableware, then he asked, “Came straight from the airport?”
Sophia nodded gently, “Yeah.”
“How long are you back for?”
Sophia shook her head slightly, “Not sure yet.”
“You really not planning on coming back for good?”
Sophia paused her eating, looked up at him, and hesitated before nodding, “I might not come back for a while.”
“What’s so great over there?”
Sophia pressed her lips together, “It’s not about staying there. I just want to wander around and see the sights for a bit before I settle down again.”
Brandon kept his gaze on her, “I remember you’re not into traveling.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, I just never had anyone to go with, so I never bothered.”
“Got someone now?” Brandon asked, “Who?”
“Just my classmates.”
“Guys or girls?”
Sophia didn’t say anything.
She looked at Brandon, puzzled.
Brandon seemed to think there was nothing wrong with the question, his calm demeanor unchanged, his eyes clearly interrogating her.
Sophia had to face the possibility that Brandon was indeed in a dominant mood tonight.
She recalled the moment they unexpectedly met at the hospital, his cool, indifferent gaze, and the way he left like a stranger. Fiddling with her spoon, she softly asked, “Are you mad?”
Brandon looked at her, unmoving, “Shouldn’t I be?”
Sophia shook her head gently, “No, I’d be mad too.”
“But you still chose to do it,” Brandon said, “Why?”
Sophia’s voice was faint, “I don’t want to be tied to you anymore.”
Brandon chuckled lightly, “What, you think I’d cling to you? Are you overestimating yourself or me?”
Sophia stayed silent.
After a while, she softly apologized, “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” Brandon asked, his tone light, “Sorry you didn’t hide well enough and bumped into me again?”
Sophia clamped her lips shut, not saying a word.
But Brandon was obviously not in a forgiving mood and didn’t seem inclined to let it slide, his eyes still fixed on her.
Sophia fiddled with her spoon, a bit at a loss. She had no experience dealing with this side of Brandon and didn’t know how to handle his anger.
Especially since she felt guilty and he had just stood up for her and even carefully accompanied her to see the doctor.
“Sophia,” Brandon said, glancing at her pale-knuckled hand gripping the spoon, then at her downcast face, “Have you been happy these past two years?”
Sophia looked up at him, puzzled, hesitated, but still nodded, “Yeah.”
“I haven’t been,” Brandon said, “You used a leave of absence as leverage against me, and I had to relent. But now you’ve graduated. You’ve got no leverage.”
Sophia’s confusion deepened. She didn’t quite catch his drift.
Brandon didn’t seem to want to clarify. He grabbed his phone, picked up the check from the table, scanned the code, paid up, and
turned to Sophia, “Let’s go.”
Sophia hesitated briefly but then succumbed to his icy demeanor and piercing eyes. Brandon was more assertive tonight than ever before.
He grabbed her luggage and stowed it in his car trunk.
“Let’s roll.”
Sophia followed, “I can just book a room at a nearby hotel, and then tomorrow morning I can visit, and I need to check on my dad.” She was cut off by the sharp look Brandon shot her as he turned around.
“I’ll take you tomorrow,” he said, tossing Sophia’s suitcase into his trunk, “Get in the car.”
Sophia tried to reason with him, “Brandon, we’ve already…”
Brandon cut her off sharply, “Don’t give me any lectures. I’m not in the mood to hear it right now.”
Sophia kept silent.
Brandon nodded towards the passenger seat that was already open, “Get in.”
Sophia hesitated, not daring to push back too hard against Brandon’s unusual forcefulness that night.
Brandon wasn’t pushing her, just casually leaning on the car door with one hand while the other dangled at his side, quietly watching her with the vibe that he could stand there and wait all day if he had to.
Sophia’s phone picked the worst possible moment to ring with the unmistakable sound of a WhatsApp video call.
Sophia instinctively wanted to kill the call, but Brandon had already caught a glimpse, “Susan invites you to a video call” flashing
on the screen.
He turned to Sophia with a raised eyebrow, “Where’s Susan?”
