Chapter 23

We didn't say a word on the way up the hill, just like when we went to school. For nine years, we'd bump into each other on the way to school countless times, but we remained strangers. Finally, we reached the hilltop. The sun was just setting in the west, and the evening breeze brushed against our skin. Alana casually released her ponytail, letting her dark hair fly in the wind. She turned to me with a playful smile. "Luca, since the second half of junior high, haven't you always timed it so you'd walk behind me and check me out on the way to school? My face instantly turned red. It felt like I was naked in front of someone I liked. The intense embarrassment made me want to crawl into a hole and disappear. "Haha! You're blushing." Alana laughed, genuinely happy. "Luca, you're just like how you were back in school, so shy and bashful." I had no words. After a moment, Alana stopped laughing. A trace of melancholy crossed her face as she looked at the sunset. "Luca, if you were