Chapter 3 Part 3

"Princess, are we heading home?" Gilbert asked when he saw Haisley seemed to have swallowed all the food in her throat. Haisley nodded enthusiastically and accepted her friend's hand.

"How's life on campus?" he asked as they walked towards the car. "Comfortable?"

"Fun," she replied shortly. "Don't worry, living abroad isn't as scary as it sounds. There are many Indonesian students here. They have their own gatherings; I'll introduce you to them later." She said, opening the passenger door for Haisley before walking around to the driver's seat. "You'll be comfortable here. You'll feel at home. There's me, and you'll have plenty of friends from our country." She continued, glancing at Haisley. "And this is also a chance for you to change your mind, H. Who knows, maybe you'll find a guy on campus who's better than Nathan. There are plenty of handsome guys out there, you know?"

Haisley frowned disapprovingly and then sighed. "Don't even try to change my mind, G."

Gilbert chuckled at Haisley's irritated remark. "Well, it's just advice, H. As someone who knows both of you, I just don't want you to get hurt by him," he said, shrugging. "So, do you have a plan to get Nathan back?" he asked again.

Now it was Haisley's turn to shake her head in confusion. She turned and looked out the window, choosing not to meet Gilbert's gaze directly. "Nothing," she replied, clearly surprising Gilbert, who looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

They had entered the residential area where Gilbert lived, which Haisley was sure was not an ordinary housing complex with affordable prices.

Gilbert stopped his car in front of a two-story white house with large windows at the front. The house had a spacious and neatly arranged grassy yard. He took Haisley's suitcase out of the trunk and then pulled it with his right hand while his left arm embraced Haisley's shoulders.

"Don't be sad. We can think of a strategy to win Nathan back later," he said with enthusiasm. "As the saying goes, kill two birds with one stone." They walked side by side on the footpath that led them directly to the spacious porch at the front of the house. "Welcome to Chayton's residence," he said, stretching his arms wide before lifting Haisley's suitcase onto the porch. "I hope you'll be comfortable here," he said sincerely.

Haisley smiled at his words. She glanced to the right of the porch and saw a sturdy wooden swing hanging there. Not far from the swing, there were a pair of lounge chairs separated by a round table made of the same wood.

The man then opened the double doors, revealing a shoe cabinet that was directly connected to the living room and family room, furnished predominantly in cream and dark brown. There were no partitions in the room, so when they entered, Haisley could also see the kitchen area where an elderly, plump woman with graying hair seemed to be busy with her knife.

"Let me introduce you; this is Aunt Jody. She's been Papa's trusted person for ages. Besides taking care of the house, she's also responsible for feeding Nathan and me," he said, smiling. "Aunt Jody works only from Monday to Friday, from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon. She's off on Saturdays and Sundays. But if there's something important, we can call her. Her house is nearby, about five minutes from here if you drive." He continued, only nodded at by Haisley. "Aunty, she's Haisley," he simply said, and the woman smiled warmly and waved her hand. Haisley returned the gesture in the same manner.

"That's Mom and Dad's room," Gilbert said, pointing to the door on the left. "Next to it is the door to the basement. The laundry is there," he continued, walking past the sofa towards the stairs on the right wall. "That's your room," he pointed to a door under the stairs. "Inside, there's a connecting door that leads straight to his workspace. So, you can exit from there," he pointed to a door near the stairs. "Can you see the glass door next to the kitchen?" he asked Haisley, who nodded in response. "That's the door to the backyard. There's a swimming pool out there. Although I know you won't use it, but just a little advice, maybe you can enjoy the beautiful view there at night," he chuckled. "So, be cautious," he warned. Haisley just nodded, although she didn't fully understand.

"And up there, that's our room," he said, lifting Haisley's suitcase to climb the stairs.

Gilbert took the lead while Haisley followed from behind. "I need to warn you again. Nathan is extremely oblivious, so if you haven't met him yet, he'll never notice your presence, H," he stated matter-of-factly.

Hearing those words made Haisley smile. Of course, she knew what Nathan was like. Gilbert had told her more than once to stop liking his brother. But no matter how hard her friend tried to oppose it, Haisley's feelings for Nathan remained.

Whether she existed in reality or not, Haisley knew she was never seen by him. In Nathan's eyes, her name was never implied. Haisley also knew very well that the love she harbored for him was unrequited. She was fully aware-painfully aware-that Nathaniel only considered her a sister-perhaps even just a stranger.

And Haisley also knew-very well-who the woman Nathan truly desired was. Yet, selfishly, she chose to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye. She preferred to pretend not to know.

Not because Haisley never tried. Since the moment she found out who her beloved truly loved, from that moment on, she wanted to stop. She tried redirecting everything to activities she could engage in. She turned her studies into an outlet. Spent time with friends when she didn't have any other activities. She tried every way. But whenever she returned to her life, Nathan was the first word that crossed her mind.

Maybe it was because of habit. That was the term she often whispered to herself. She would be able to forget Nathan. But in the process, every time she tried to forget, she was haunted by longing for him. The feeling that had been ingrained for so long was incredibly difficult for her to erase. As a result, all she could do was pray that someday-sometime in the future-Nathan would eventually forget the woman he loved and look at Haisley. Realize that she had been there all along, admiring and loving him.