Chandler's a renowned pianist. I once aimed to follow in his footsteps, hoping my efforts would earn his recognition someday.
But he never let me attend his performances, fearing it would affect his career.
Once, oblivious to this, I secretly bought overpriced scalper tickets, traveling thousands of miles to surprise him.
Unexpectedly, his face darkened immediately, and he pretended not to know me.
He even told others I was just an enthusiastic fan.
Now he offered me VIP seats on his tour.
In the past, I would have been overjoyed, jumping three feet high.
Chandler seemed stunned by my refusal and stood there in a daze.
After a while, he seemed to make a decision.
"Yasmine, are you sure you won't come? I wanted to introduce you to everyone."
I had dreamt countless times of him openly acknowledging me in the spotlight.
But now that my dream was about to be realized, I felt no excitement or thrill.
"You know our situation. It's better not to make it official in public."
I declined.
"It's up to you, to go or not!"
Since we've been together, I've never opposed him,
let alone repeatedly reject him as I did tonight.
He was humble enough, but I still couldn't appreciate it.
He slammed the door and left. I calmly organized the documents and thought about returning to work tomorrow.
When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't tell if Chandler had stayed up all night or risen early.
"Are you heading to work today? Your leg isn't great; let me drive you," he offered.
Seeing me up, he stood, appearing awkward and uneasy.
"Yeah, there's a lot to catch up on," I replied.
"No need to bother. It's better not to be seen together," I insisted.
Chandler's place was quite a distance from my workplace. Initially, I used to ask him to drop me off,
but he always cited his celebrity status and hailed taxis instead.
After a few attempts met with no response, I stopped asking.
Deep down, I knew those were just excuses. He had no qualms sending Lily home countless times.
"It's fine. If we're seen together, it might as well be official," he replied.
Gathering my things, I balanced the bag in one hand and leaned on my crutch with the other.
"No need, I've already arranged for a ride," I insisted.
He remained silent but took the bag from me.
"I'll walk you to the car," he said.
I wanted to refuse, but seeing his somber expression, I swallowed my objection.