Old Dreams No Return (Serena) novel Chapter 14

14

Liam’s sudden appearance was like a massive rock hurled into a calm lake.

He was practically inescapable.

In the mornings, he’d appear in front of the academic building, holding a steaming paper bag from my favorite dessert shop. He’d try to press it into my hand. Rennie, he’d say, “you definitely skipped breakfast. Here, have this…”

Every afternoon, he’d be waiting outside the Dance Studio, holding a massive bouquet of those impossibly fresh, white roses. Everyone passing by would do a double-take. “I remember you said white was your favorite,” he’d say.

Evenings, on the tree-lined path back to my dorm, he’d suddenly pop out from the shadows, blocking my way. His eyes would be all bloodshot, his voice hearse as he’d repeat over and over, “Rennie, let’s talk, just five minutes, okay? I know I messed up…”

Every single time, my reaction was the same. My gaze wouldn’t linger on his face for more than a second. And the gifts he’d shove in front of me? I’d just coldly walk right past them.

If Liam stubbornly blocked my path, I’d just calmly state, “No.” “Move.” “You’re bothering me.”

Once, there was even a time when Liam, again in front of everyone, tried to grab my wrist. I yanked my arm away. My voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for everyone whispering around us to hear: “Liam,” I said, my voice low but cutting through the whispers. “We’re not close. Please stop doing things that make me uncomfortable.”

Those words were like an ice-cold dagger, piercing Liam’s heart.

Whispers started to grow and spread across campus like insidious ivy.

“Hey, did you hear? That hot guy always hounding Serena? He’s her ex!”

“Apparently, they were childhood sweethearts. Wonder why they broke up?”

“Looks like he messed up big time and is regretting it, following her all the way to UCLA.”

“But Serena looks like she totally hates his guts…”

I was constantly under scrutiny, wrapped in their curious, speculative glances.

To cope, I just dove even deeper into my major classes and club activities, wrapping myself in a near-obsessive level of busyness. It was like, if I just kept moving, all that outside noise couldn’t truly invade my world.

And in this suffocating mess, Eric’s presence became a silent, yet rock-solid, shield.

He never brought up Liam, not even once.

He just happened to ride by on his bike right when Liam had me cornered on the way back to my dorm, again. My face was pale, my fingertips shaking.

“Serena!” he called out, stopping a few feet away, one foot on the ground. His tone was casual. “I was just looking for you. The PR department needs the raw photos from our last event ASAP. They told me to grab you and head over. You free right now?”

His voice instantly shattered the awkward tension. I nodded, rushing over to him.

Later, in the cafeteria, Liam, completely ignoring all the stares, plopped down right across from me.

I put my fork down, about to get up and leave, when Ethan and a couple of club friends walked over, trays in hand.

“This spot taken?” Ethan asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

He gestured to the empty seat beside me, seamlessly inserting himself between Liam and me.

Then he turned to his friends, launching into a discussion about the coding competition that had just wrapped up. It instantly cut the awkwardness for

me, and he completely ignored Liam’s face, which was practically storming.

Each of these ‘perfectly timed’ brush-offs only poured more fuel on Liam’s already raging jealousy.

He only got worse.

He started shadowing me even harder, popping up more often, sending pricier gifts, and his apologies got more desperate.

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