Chapter 61
Sophia was totally drawn in by the intense focus and softness in his eyes. Her gaze just naturally landed on him, full of confusion and cluelessness.
She had no clue what was up with Brandon.
This was a side of Brandon she’d never seen before, and that look in his eyes, so full of pity and pain, was something she’d hardly ever noticed.
Passersby kept sneaking peeks at them, whispering among themselves with a curiosity they couldn’t quite hide.
Both of them were quite the eye-catchers on their own Brandon with his tall, straight figure and a cool, aloof vibe that screamed nobility, and Sophia with her delicate, well-proportioned frame and a gentle, peaceful demeanor, with a touch of bookish clarity. Standing there, quietly locking eyes through the crowd, they were a sight for sore eyes, like a painting come to life.
Some nosy folks couldn’t help but sneak their phones out, itching to snap a secret photo.
Sophia shot a casual glance their way, making the sneaky photographer sheepishly lower their phone.
She turned her attention back to Brandon.
“Hey.” She hesitated a bit, “What’s going on?”
Brandon’s eyes remained calmly fixed on hers, but he didn’t say a word.
Sophia’s eyes clouded with confusion, and just as she was about to speak again, Brandon’s voice came softly through the crowd, “Sophia, did you ever take photos when you were little?”
His sudden leap in topic left her already muddled brain struggling to keep up.
She hesitated, then shook her head with a puzzled look. “No, I never really had photos taken when I was a kid.”
“Not even one picture from when you were little?”
Sophia thought for a moment, then hesitantly shook her head again. “Nope.”
Still confused, she looked at him. “Why are you asking about this?”
Brandon shook his head. “No reason.”
He walked towards her, standing in front of her, looking down with that same pained and tender gaze.
Sophia couldn’t help but look up at him in bewilderment. Brandon was tall, and right there in front of her, she had to tilt her head back, eyes full of confusion.
Brandon didn’t speak, just quietly looked at her, and then, as her eyes widened slightly, he suddenly reached out and gently hugged her. Sophia froze.
“What’s the deal?” she asked tentatively, not daring to struggle, sensing that something was off with Brandon today.
Brandon didn’t respond, just held her tighter, one hand gently circling her waist and back, the other cradling the back of her head, pressing her close to his chest in a hug that was both pitying and gentle.
Sophia was baffled by his actions, standing stiff as a board, her eyes widening in bewilderment, not understanding what had gotten into Brandon.
Her hands even hung neatly at her sides, not daring to push him away.
“Are you okay?” she asked, concerned, her body rigid, not daring to make a move.
“I’m fine.” His voice was a low, slightly hoarse whisper near her ear, and as the words fell, he hugged her a bit tighter.
There was a sense of careful relief, as well as that pity and tenderness she couldn’t comprehend.
Sophia was full of confusion, her hands twitched, wanting to lift up, but afraid of upsetting him, she softened her voice, “Did something happen to you?”
“You’re kinda freaking me out,” she admitted honestly, her fingers carefully tugging at his clothes, signaling the inappropriateness of
the moment.
“Nothing. I just suddenly” Brandon paused, “felt like hugging you
Sophia didn’t
ay anything.
Brandon gently let her go, looking at her with an embarrassed smile.
She awkwardly tugged at her lip, “It’s like you’re possessed or something.”
This wasn’t like Brandon. The Brandon she knew was never one to sweet talk or comfort people.
He was all about facts and logic, cool and rational to the point of being utterly charmless.
Brandon also tugged at the corner of his mouth, forcing a slight smile that faded quickly.
He didn’t bother explaining much, just let his fingers run through her hair in front of her forehead, slowly and carefully straightening it out, then asked softly, “Got any more classes this afternoon?”
Sophia shook her head. “Nope, that’s it.”
“Shall we head back?”
Sophia glanced at him with slightly widened eyes, then nodded gently, “Sure.”
On the ride back, Sophia sat in the passenger seat, sitting up straight as an arrow..
Brandon’s odd behavior today kept her from relaxing like she usually would.
Today’s Brandon felt like he’d been possessed.
Brandon noticed her unease too.
From the moment she got in the car, she sat bolt upright, back pressed against the seat, spine ramrod straight, her hands neatly resting on her thighs, nothing like her usual polite distance and calm when facing him. Instead, there was a touch of lost bewilderment.
This Sophia reminded him of her back in their senior year of high school, calm and peaceful, with a touch of naïve innocence typical of young girls.
She had the serenity of an older girl but also the pure simplicity of that age, much like little Yolanda.
He wondered if she had changed over the years to match his pace, or perhaps he had influenced her. Sophia had become much more composed, always as unflappable as him, never too excited or too angry. Even her marriage and divorce had been calmly negotiated.
Brandon exhaled deeply, freeing one hand to reach behind her shoulder and gently ruffle her hair, a gesture full of tenderness.
Sophia, however, was startled by the touch, her spine stiffening a bit, her eyes widening slightly, though she didn’t dare look at him.
Brandon caught the puzzled look in her eyes through the rearview mirror.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t been possessed,” he said suddenly, as if he knew exactly what was on her mind.
Sophia managed a faint smile. “You’re just off today.”
“Am I?” His question was slow and light, not really seeking an answer but laced with a hint of self-mockery.
Sophia couldn’t help but turn to look at Brandon.
Brandon turned to her as well, not planning to keep her in the dark. “I heard some things about your childhood today.”
Sophia immediately thought of his previous question about her childhood photos, and her mind jumped to Yolanda.
She chuckled. “You’re still not giving up, huh?”
Brandon chuckled too, leaving the conversation at that.
He indeed hadn’t given up, but unfortunately, he also didn’t have any photos of Yolanda as a child to ask if she had looked like Sophia.
As a kid, he was totally camera-shy, even downright resistant to having his picture taken. He couldn’t stand the stiffness of posing for the camera, and he definitely wasn’t into those cheesy family photos where his dad and Patricia’s family looked all cozy and chummy. At that age, where he was already bucking the system, he never acknowledged Patricia as his mom.
And Yolanda just rolled with it.
If he hated having his photo taken, she’d ditch the camera too.
Back then, she was such a sweet, naive thing without a mean bone in her body, always bending over backwards to please him. Whatever he wasn’t into, she’d give it a miss right alongside him.
རོ འ = ཚར བནནཾ ཡཾ དཧཾ
Brandon couldn’t fathom how someone could be so clueless. At first, he didn’t even bother to be nice to her, but she was like a born softie, couldn’t stand seeing him out of step with the world. She was always there, trying to coax him into fitting in with her careful, gentle ways.
Seeing the nostalgia written all over his face, Sophia felt a twinge of something bittersweet, but she managed a smile.
“Too bad I can’t help you out,” she murmured. “Never been one for picture’s myself, no clue why. Just hated it, so I didn’t keep any photos from those days either.”
Brandon’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment, falling silent for quite a spell before he finally spoke up in a hoarse voice, “It’s okay.”
Yolanda wasn’t into photos either.
