Ryn looked at him with interest. 

He gulped.

"Are you thinking about the gossip in the forum?" she asked, c.o.c.king an eyebrow.

"I..."

She sighed, leaning back. "I almost forgot how it felt like years ago."

"You always... have to deal with this?" he asked slowly.

"In a way, you're also the same. Girls like and adore you. Boys look upon you."

He frowned. He was the same?

"What do you mean?"

"Jeremy and you are from super-wealthy families, handsome and good in sports. Both of you are popular, whether you like it or not."

"You think I'm handsome?" he could not stop from smiling when he heard that word.

"That's not the important thing. What I want to talk about is that once you decided to become a model, your popularity has increased and whoever is close or look close to you will receive scolds and accusations," she explained.

She was calm about this because she was used to this. When she started to become friends with Mika and then Jeremy, she received the evil eyes, jeering and accusations. Then, Jeremy joined the entertainment world right after they started their relations.h.i.+p. When he suggested to keep their relations.h.i.+p in secret for the sake of his career, she agreed. She did not want to receive more backlashes from his fans. The ones at the school was enough and that was before they became boyfriend and girlfriend.

Of course later on, when she was popular in her own career and kept getting 'hara.s.sment' by other men especially older men, she wanted to reveal her relations.h.i.+p with him to stop all these hara.s.sments and also wanted to walk together, holding hands with him in public. She wanted to tell everyone she belonged to Jeremy and Jeremy belonged to her. 

But he refused and after arguments and that day, their relations.h.i.+p ended.

"Ryn?" Harry looked at Ryn worriedly. She suddenly kept quiet and started to look sad.

She snapped back to reality. She quickly reached for her drink and sipped it slowly, trying to calm down. Even after these years, the pain from the breakup still fresh in her mind... and in her heart. No wonder it was hard for her to accept Jeremy back. And it was hard for her to open her heart for someone else. She was scared of being hurt again.

"Are you alright?" he asked again.

"What did we talk about just now?" she asked, trying to pretend nothing was wrong. 

"I... Honestly, I'm not sure," Harry choked out. He did not want her to remember her sadness, and at the same time trying to stop her for asking him questions he was not ready to answer. Of course, he knew the answer but he needed to gather his courage first to say it loudly.

Ryn opened her mouth to speak but closed it back when the waiter came bringing their food.  She lifted their drink to give way for the plates. Then, she put the gla.s.ses back in between the plates and thanked the waiter.

Instead of speaking, Ryn focussed on eating her lunch. She had another cla.s.s to go after all and if she did not finish her food on time, she would be late.

"How's the food?" Harry asked as they walked to the car. His hand was hovering behind her back, wanting to touch it but too afraid to do so. 

"It's good. But the steak you cook is better," she said with a serious nod. She did try the steak bowl in the restaurant. It was okay but not that good. She tasted better.

He grinned. Did she even realize she was praising his cooking skill was better than a popular restaurant? She did not even compliment about his face or his wealth but something he could which was cooking. If one day she confessed she like him, he knew it was not because of his family or face but because of him. Wouldn't that be great? 

"If you want, I can make some for you." Then he frowned. "Why every time I go there, the house is empty?"

She almost stumbled at the question. Luckily she managed to control herself and did not fall down. 

"Do you still stay at...?" his words trailed off as he looked at her worriedly. Please tell him she was no longer staying there... please...

"I've moved out," she replied.

Harry smiled. Moved out? Meaning she no longer lived with that man. Although he knew the house they were staying in is a mansion and quite big, but Ryn is so beautiful and adorable. Everyone would fall in love with her.

"Then, the house...?"

"I've moved to another house."

"Another house?" he felt like a parrot repeating her words but he could not hide his surprise. Why did she make such a sudden decision?

"I can't..." she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I can't live in that house anymore."

Her voice was low, he had to lean forward to hear each word but each word was filled with trauma, it made his heart ached. Without thinking, he reached for her hand and stroked it gently, trying to calm her down and give her courage. 

How he wished he was there during that time and saved her. If he was there, she would not go through that traumatic experience.

"Then... where..."

"Harry." She stopped and looked at him, c.o.c.king an eyebrow, "Are you okay? Why are you so fl.u.s.tered?"

He gulped. He pulled the collar of his s.h.i.+rt uncomfortable. Why was it suddenly hot here?

"Quick, unlock your car. I have another cla.s.s today," she told him when he seemed to stand there still, not moving or speaking. "Harry?"

"Where do you live now, Catherine?" he suddenly asked when she was about to poke him with a finger.

"Wh... what?"

He sat on the driver side and looked at her. "You said just now you moved out."

She buckled the safety belt and looked at him. "I've rented another house."

He named an apartment where his friends rented.

"Not that one," she replied, taking out her phone when it rang.

"Then where?" He tried to think of another place but failed. His friends mostly lived in that apartment or another... 

He named the property but she did not answer him. She was busy talking with Mei Li to notice him.

"Yes. I'll come after cla.s.s. Tell them I might be late. They can do other shoots while waiting for me," Ryn told her manager, nodding with Mei Li's words. "You can stay at my place before we go to the airport. Yes... yes... It's okay. Just agree to it."

Harry glanced at her. She even wrote down in her planner. His brows lifted up seeing her monthly planner getting full. How did she juggle between studying and working? Did she even rest?

She ended the conversation and looked at him, still holding the phone, "Where were we just now?"

He coughed. 

She put the phone on her laps and waited. Then, she chuckled, "Why do I feel so awkward right now? Since when we are this awkward?"

He coughed even more.

She leaned down to get a bottle of water and uncapped it. Then, she handed to him, but he refused.

"No... no..." 

She capped back the bottle and put it down. She watched as Harry struggle to stop his coughing. Her face full of worry.

He finally stopped the coughing but his face was red. 

"Are you really okay?"

"Yes. I'm okay," again he refused the water bottle she offered.

She capped back the water bottle. She felt awkward again.

But why? She never felt like this with him. She always felt comfortable with him, because of his aunt. For her, he was just a neighbour. She should not feel this way.

"So..." he paused and turned the car to the left, heading toward their campus. "Where do you live now?"

She told him, finding it was weird to make it a secret. There were so many of the students live there so sooner or later he would know too. Besides, she even filmed her home yesterday.

He tried to remember where it was. Then tried to remember if any of his friends lived there. No one he could think of. 

"When did you move?" he asked.

"A few days ago. I haven't finished unpacked yet. But then again, I'm going to move into my new house after two or three months," she shrugged. She was not worried about the items in the box. She had taken out those she needed to use for the time beings before she moved into her real house.

"Do you need my help when moving?" he asked, looking for a chance to spend more time with her. Despite it would be another few months but he should not waste it.

"No need to trouble you. I'm going to use a moving company," she replied.

His face fell. It did hurt when she kept rejecting him.

Maybe he should not just keep quiet and make his move to make her realize his feeling. Maybe she was still unaware of their chemistry and thought it was just normal friends.h.i.+p.