Averi was talking to Teagan, while Dallas was chatting with Odin.
Odin pulled out a sleep aid and showed it to him. "When Averi has trouble sleeping, she takes this. She says it works fast, and she doesn't feel groggy the next day."
"Thank you." Dallas quietly noted the name. Over time, he had noticed that Averi could only sleep deeply after they had sex; otherwise, her sleep was light.
When he looked up, his eyes met Odin's.
Dallas had noticed at dinner that Odin was observing him.
Odin calmly looked away. "Sorry."
Dallas replied, "It's fine."
Odin hesitated, then said, "You remind me of someone."
"Who?"
"Her high school boyfriend. It's not about the features, it's the vibe. When I first met you, I thought you looked familiar."
Dallas asked casually, "Is that so? What kind of vibe?"
"It's hard to describe," Odin said, leaning back as he reminisced. "Actually, he wasn't exactly her boyfriend. Averi wasn't focused on relationships at the time, but he was the first person she brought home. I remember he was tall, didn't talk much, but had great grades, which is why he ended up in the same group as her."
"Oh, right. He was a special admission. The school brought him in to boost their Olympiad results and covered all his tuition and living expenses. He stayed at school on weekends and never went home—pretty unusual."
In other words, he was poor, Dallas understood.
Tall, quiet, reserved, and poor—he really did remind him of himself.
"How are you two hiding out here?" Averi suddenly appeared, looking at the two of them.
Odin answered calmly, "We were just talking about tea. I was showing Dallas the packaging of the sleep blend you usually drink and making some other herbal mix as well."
Dallas nodded. "Yes."
Averi felt like something was off between them. She glanced at Odin, and Odin spoke up, "We talked a bit about your high school days."
"What is it?"
"Odin said you were really good at your studies," Dallas answered first.
Averi smiled and said, "Didn't you already know that?"
The warmth in her voice helped ease Dallas's mood a little. He reminded himself: It was ten years ago, back in high school—why would I still be worried about it now?
But the more he thought about it, the more it bothered him—not because of romance, but because of the similarity, especially the shared poverty.
The past replayed in his mind, each frame a poison. Those teases, those flirtations, those games—had they all been tried with someone like him?
Was it... because she didn't get him, that she ended up repeating the same mistakes with herself?
He walked into the room, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her passionately before he could even turn the lights on. The kiss was so intense, it left her breathless, gasping. Dallas suddenly pulled away, studying her dazed eyes carefully. After taking a few deep breaths, he asked, "Averi, have you ever had a boyfriend who was anything like me?"
His tone, calm yet laced with an underlying coldness, made Averi feel like she was facing the Dallas from a year ago.
She took a moment to calm herself and asked, "Who are you talking about?"
"That one from high school."
High school?
Averi racked her brain, and finally, a vague face came to mind.
"If going to a couple of movies and doing homework together a few times counts as dating, then sure. Did Odin tell you? He said you two were similar?"
Dallas's voice was tight. "Don't we have a lot in common?"
Averi's gaze grew colder. She pushed him away, creating some space, and said, "I don't even remember his full name, let alone whether he looks like you."
"Dallas, I've wanted to talk to you about the past for a while now, but you never asked, so I didn't bring it up. Since we're talking about it now, let's get everything out in the open."
"Averi, I don't—"
"Let me finish," she interrupted him, taking a deep breath. "Yes, I had a crush on him in high school, or else I wouldn't have brought him home, but that's all. We never dated, not even held hands. During college, I had two boyfriends. The first one I caught cheating, so we broke up. The second one... there wasn't a specific reason. I was overwhelmed with things at the time, didn't answer his calls for weeks, and we just slowly stopped contacting each other. If you want to say who broke up with whom, he was the one who brought it up, sending me a text saying 'Let's break up,' and I just replied, 'Okay.'"
"Later on, I went to a few BDSM clubs, checked them out a couple of times, and even tried it myself a couple of times with a whip. But honestly, it didn't do much for me, so I didn't stick with it. After that, I went back to my country, met Milo, and got engaged. That's it. Do you have any questions?"
Dallas looked into her distant eyes, and suddenly, his heart began to race. He hurriedly reached out, wanting to hold her, but she pulled away.
"Averi, I'm sorry."
"Dallas, in the end, you still don't trust me."
"No, I—"
"What do you mean by 'look alike'? Is it because we're both tall, or because we've both been in the military?" Her lipstick was smeared, her hair disheveled, but none of that affected the sharpness in her tone."
Each of her words was a sharp knife, tearing into Dallas's heart and gut.
Dallas could hardly stand, his voice a hoarse whisper, calling her name, "Averi."
It sounded almost like a plea.
Averi turned her gaze away, unable to look at him. She feared that if she didn't, her heart would soften, and the matter would slip away in confusion.
It all started with Odin, but it wasn't about Odin anymore. This was a barrier between her and Dallas, one they had to overcome if they were to have a future.
It was like the wall she once put up between herself and Johnathan in front of Cristopher: once the seed of doubt is planted, it will eventually take root and grow.
Tick-tock, tick-tock. The room was too quiet, and the sound of the clock on the wall was unnervingly loud.
Averi said, "Dallas, I think we both need some time to calm down. I'll go back to my apartment today. Contact me when you've figured things out."
This time, it was her turn to give him time.
