Nikolai settled the matter in the blink of an eye without even letting him inside—he simply shoved the envelope of photos into the man’s hands. In truth, Nikolai already possessed the ability to face problems on his own even though he was still overly dependent on Matthias. Oftentimes, Matthias gladly let Nikolai handle things for him with no worries.
Meanwhile, Matthias didn’t seem anxious at all; he was calm and composed as he gently swirled the glass of wine in his hand. Nikolai could never be sure of what was going on in Matthias’ head.
It seemed that Matthias wasn’t holding back tonight—he drank glass after glass without waiting even for Nikolai to return. The latter frowned as he noticed what was happening; he was only away for a moment and Matthias had already finished half the bottle.
“Slow down, Matthias. I bet you haven’t even had dinner!” Nikolai said out of concern.
However, Matthias turned a deaf ear toward him and continued drinking on his own. As a result, Nikolai was unhappy; he went up to Matthias and grabbed the wine glass from his hand.
“Are you really here to drink with me? Or am I only supposed to watch?” Nikolai complained in exasperation, for Matthias was gulping down wine like it was plain water.
“Do you like Heather?” Just then, Matthias looked up at Nikolai with his tired eyes which were bloodshot-red. Since when had he become this frail and haggard?
This sudden query stunned Nikolai momentarily and he couldn’t react in time. Even though he did have feelings for Heather, he couldn’t possibly admit it in front of Matthias.
“Go after her if you want.” Matthias’ rationality was crumbling under the influence of alcohol, for there was no way he would urge Nikolai to pursue Heather in a sober state.
In Matthias’ eyes, Heather was a dangerous threat—he would never let Nikolai take the risk. If too many things were gathered in one place, Matthias might just go crazy.
“I think you’re the one who likes Heather!” Nikolai exchaimed as his face fell instantly. Matthias’ increasingly odd behavior these days was evidence that he had feelings for Heather.
At this moment, Nikolai could see that Matthias’ suppressed feelings weren’t directed at Myra but Heather; it seemed that his cousin’s feelings for Heather were much stronger. Evidently, Matthias liked Heather a lot—she was someone incredibly special to him.
“Me?” Matthias pointed at himself. It was as though someone had seen through his disguise right then. He could firmly admit that the woman he liked was Myra, but when it came to Heather, he didn’t have the courage to come to terms with how he felt about her.
“You told me that you like Myra, but you have no chance with her anymore. In other words, you already gave up on her since the beginning.” Nikolai didn’t wish to see Matthias in such a confused state anymore; even though he was interested in Heather as well, his rationality was telling him that Matthias was a better match for her.
“Wake up—Heather is the one you like. You’re just holding onto the version of Myra in your memory. Can’t you see it? After so many years, you, Myra, and even Heather have all changed. You guys are no longer who you were all those years ago, so why would you let the past control your present? Just go after Heather openly if you like her.”
Matthias turned his face away and looked elsewhere. Before he knew it, Nikolai had grown up from the little boy he once was to a full-fledged man. He was already an adult who could analyze things from a logical point of view.
“Perhaps the woman who touched your heart has always been Heather, but you’re just unwilling to admit it.” Nikolai had never spoken to Matthias in such a way, yet it was as if he was possessed tonight—he had to give Matthias a wake-up call no matter what.
Just then, Matthias’ heart dropped to his stomach; no one had ever told him that before, and he never thought of things that way either. Perhaps Nikolai was right.
“You’re a lot smarter than I am, Nikolai.” Matthias was so used to taking care of Nikolai and pointing him in the right direction that he’d just realized his younger cousin was a lot more perceptive of the situation than he was.
“You told me that I remind you of your younger self. If that’s the case, maybe you once had feelings for Heather since I’ve also taken interest in her as well.” Nikolai hadn’t experienced what Matthias went through; he was making wild guesses at this point. However, he couldn’t keep it in anymore—he didn’t want Matthias to miss the opportunity to realize his own emotions.
The feeling of falling for someone would always remain in one’s deepest memory even with the passing of time. Back then, Matthias was too young to understand the nervous thumping of his heart whenever he saw Heather. Was fear really the only reason behind it? Perhaps… he was feeling something else as well?
Was impressing Myra with a more successful version of himself the only goal behind his endless grinding all these years, or was he desperate for Heather to stop looking down on him? Out of all people, why did he care so much about her opinion of him? He obviously hated her…
Nikolai took away the bottle of wine on the table and said slowly, “Don’t let hate cloud your feelings; it’s time to let go of the past. If you like her, you should appreciate it and take your chance.”
Matthias suddenly felt even smaller than Nikolai. He let out a self-deprecating cackle—just how much time had he wasted all these years? He’d been living in his own lies, afraid to even come to terms with his feelings for someone else. After all this time, Nikolai finally exposed his secret that he’d been hiding for years.
“You’re encouraging me to go after Heather? She’s the woman you like, though,” Matthias pointed out knowingly. It seemed that Nikolai was running away from reality.
“I do admit that I’m interested in her, but I know I’m not the guy she wants. Besides, the way she looks at you is different.” Just then, Nikolai recalled that one time in Matthias’ home when Heather and Matthias were chatting merrily over some drinks. The two of them were birds of a feather, and they were the rightful couple.
Matthias stood up and went up to Nikolai. He took a moment and stared at his cousin who was awkwardly holding a wine bottle in one hand and a glass in another before he extended an arm and ruffled his hair casually.
“Don’t be so sure of everything. Just speak up if you like her, and we can have an even battle.” Matthias grinned cheerfully as he spoke. He’d been competing with himself all his life, and it was finally time to do something he actually liked.
He used to think he wanted nothing more than to become a man who was worthy to be with Myra, but now, he decided to just follow his heart.
Letting go of his grudges of the past meant starting all over again. He decided that he wouldn’t suppress his longing for Heather anymore; if he liked her, he should pursue her with all his heart. At the very least, he wouldn’t have any regrets even if she rejected him in the end.
“My mother won’t like it if I date an older woman.” Nikolai put on a gentle smile; he was happy that Matthias finally took his advice. Perhaps he would be able to see the two as a couple very soon.
Nikolai mocked himself in silence for blatantly encouraging his romantic rival to go after the woman he liked. Objectively speaking, though Nikolai had feelings for Heather, he didn’t have a strong desire to get together with her.
Sometimes, the romantic interest in someone could remain as mere feelings; as he watched and admired the woman from afar, he came to realize that they might not be a good match after all.
Just then, Matthias grabbed the bottle of wine from Nikolai’s hand and drank straight from it. Soon, he emptied it all in one long gulp. Due to his clean and lean appearance in addition to his overly scholarly demeanor, a bold and impulsive gesture like that was indeed quite rare from him.
Matthias patted on Nikolai’s shoulder and said, “Thank you.” He’d already understood Nikolai’s intention even during his blind date back then; he just wasn’t willing to take the leap.
After that, Evan had also advised him on the matter, and he even tried to persuade himself as well. Now, Nikolai was supportive of him as well. With that in mind, Matthias finally decided to let his feelings take over. After all, it wasn’t such a big deal to be interested in Heather—how embarrassing could it be?
“I’ll head over to see her right now,” said Matthias confidently. He’d rather take advantage of the mood and tell her everything tonight.
“Good luck.” Nikolai stared at the empty bottle in Matthias’ hand. This fella is quite the drinker.
“But before that, let me help you with some things you don’t need.” As he said that, Matthias started walking toward the bookcase. When Nikolai finally realized what was happening, his cousin had already opened a bottle of brandy.
Nikolai quickly said out of concern, “Hey, this is straight liquor—you can’t drink it on its own.”
Is he not afraid of the burning sensation in his throat? Nikolai rolled his eyes; Matthias would get drunk very soon if he carried on like this. Has he lost his mind after getting tipsy?
The next second, Matthias was already gulping down the bottle of brandy. Nikolai immediately picked up all the other alcohol bottles he had on display—he couldn’t let Matthias get his hands on them.
“How are you going to talk to Heather if you become drunk?” Nikolai said angrily. There seemed to be no end to his cousin’s drinking spree. At that moment, Nikolai planned to toss his entire collection of alcohol into the trash after Matthias left.
Previously, he thought that it’d be rude to throw away these gifts from others. Moreover, the elegant and fancy bottles looked pretty exquisite on his bookshelf as a form of decoration.
After going through this ordeal, however, Nikolai regretted it to the core; if Matthias were to down all that alcohol, he’d probably be so intoxicated that it would warrant a trip to the hospital.
Right now, Matthias reeked of alcohol as an ominous smile hung on his lips. While he stared at Nikolai’s upset and annoyed expression, he was somehow amused by it.
At last, he decided to stop teasing Nikolai. Matthias was fully aware of his cousin’s personality; if he continued to fool around, that little cousin of his would rat him out for sure by telling his aunt.
Nikolai’s mother, who was also Matthias’ aunt, was the younger sister of Matthias’ mother. The woman would often check up on Matthias through the phone, albeit in the form of lectures; she was one of Matthias’ few elders who truly cared about him.
As he was heading out from Nikolai’s home, Matthias knocked on his head all of a sudden. He just realized something in the midst of his dazed state of mind—it wasn’t the right time to visit Heather at this hour. Thus, he decided to spam her with phone calls instead.
It was the middle of the night, and Heather had long since fallen asleep. After all, she finally went to bed after staying up all night yesterday. When her phone suddenly started buzzing endlessly with Matthias’ incoming calls, she could only crawl up from her bed to take the call. Since Heather was half-awake, she sounded awfully tired and groggy on the phone.
“Who is it?” Her irritated voice rang through Matthias’ speaker as soon as she picked up. On the other end, Heather was determined to teach them a good lesson if they weren’t calling because of something important.
She didn’t check the caller’s identity as she answered the phone hastily. Obviously, she wouldn’t have answered if she knew that Matthias was the one who was calling.
“It’s me.” Matthias’ reply was short and simple.
“Who are you?” Heather was about to explode at the response; she was instantly wide awake and took a look at her screen.
To her surprise, it was Matthias. The impulse to kill someone rushed up to her chest, for she couldn’t understand why Matthias wouldn’t leave her alone. After ending the call in exasperation, she immediately blocked his number on her phone—she was utterly vexed.
When Matthias tried to call her again, he finally realized that his number had been blocked. As a result, he almost smashed his phone on the ground in anger. Nevertheless, he kept his calm rationally and texted her via Messenger.
“Come outside. I’m outside the Langston Residence.”
Heather could no longer fall asleep after this brief interruption. When the text message reached her phone, she tossed it away without a second thought, and her phone crashed violently onto the floorboards. Right now, her phone was the devil—even though she’d completely shattered its screen, she couldn’t care less.
