Chapter 236
Chapter 236:
This response took Fernanda by surprise, leaving her momentarily speechless.
The sea breeze lifted her hair, which fluttered like strands of seaweed, some falling across her face. Her eyes sparkled through the strands, brighter than the moonlight.
“What did you two talk about for so long?” Cristian quickly changed the subject. “Bobby didn’t seem upset.”
“Yeah, he really wasn’t upset. I was also surprised. I expected him to blame me for misleading him.” Fernanda tilted her head and blinked as she looked at Cristian. “I just learned that even when you put a snake in the cake you gave him as a child, he didn’t hold it against you.”
Cristian was visibly shocked, momentarily speechless.
“How did you find out about that?” he stammered after recovering. He then realized and asked, “Did Bobby tell you?”
Fernanda nodded.
Cristian appeared speechless for a moment, then almost smirked as he said, “Don’t tell me you two spent the whole time talking about me.”
“Exactly,” Fernanda said with a nod. “We were talking about you.”
Cristian found himself at a loss for words. It seemed Bobby had shared all his childhood pranks with Fernanda. The conversation paused as the sea breeze rustled, pushing waves ashore that mimicked the rhythm of their fluctuating emotions. Cristian bent down, extinguished his cigarette, and disposed of it in a nearby trash can.
“So, what do you think of me now?” Cristian asked, not making eye contact with Fernanda.
It was as if he was reluctant to confront his own past.
“I’m just really surprised,” Fernanda responded. “Seeing you now, I can’t imagine you being such a troublemaker as a kid.”
She didn’t want to use any harsh words to describe Cristian, so she opted for the mildest term: “troublemaker.”
Cristian offered a small smile and asked, “Don’t you think I was horrible?”
Fernanda shook her head. “No.”
“Aren’t you worried that everything about me now is just a facade, and deep down, I’m still that dark, menacing child?”
“Do you really see yourself that way?” Fernanda leaned in closer. “I think you’ve turned out just fine. And doesn’t everyone have a past?”
“Do you have a past too?”
“Yes,” Fernanda replied with a shrug. “I’m not ashamed to admit it. I dropped out of school early and hung out with the wrong crowd. I used to get into fights and run with gangs. Do you think that makes me a bad person?”
“No.” Cristian immediately shook his head.
“I won’t judge you for your past either,” Fernanda said. “That’s part of growing up.”
“You’re right.”
Cristian had been worried that Fernanda might reject him, avoid him, or even cut ties with him if she knew about his past.
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