After Nikki left, Shermaine took her medicine and read for a while before she felt her eyelids growing heavy. She lay down for a
nap, and when she woke up again, it was already nearly evening.
The outside world was shrouded in darkness, and the room was just as dim. Still groggy from her sleep, Shermaine got up, turned on the light, and sat on the bed, her gaze drifting to the lonely moon outside the window. A sudden pang of sadness washed over
her, unexpected and sharp.
It was strange how one could still feel lonely sometimes.
At that moment, Shermaine didn’t think about Ezra. Instead, she thought about her parents and friends far away. She had only
vaguely mentioned coming to the research institute to them, and they probably had no idea that she wouldn’t be seeing them
again for another five years.
Her decision to come here hadn’t been made on impulse. It had been the result of careful thought over time. But Ezra’s actions
had pushed her further, giving her the final nudge she needed.
Lost in her thoughts, there was a sudden knock on the door, followed by a man’s smooth voice calling out.
“Ms. Stout, are you there?”
Shermaine snapped out of her reverie, quickly getting up to answer the door. Standing there was Nikki’s older brother, Eddie.
Funny enough, they had both attended the same university for their undergraduate studies, so it felt natural for Shermaine to
treat him as a senior.
“Eddie?”
Shermaine blinked, a little surprised, before realizing what was happening. She quickly grabbed the lunchbox she had
set aside and handed it to him.
As Eddie took the lunchbox, he paused, his lips pressing into a thin line as he clearly noticed the weight of it.
Shermaine flushed slightly, suddenly aware of the awkwardness, and quickly tried to explain herself.
“It’s not that I don’t like it. I just… I fell asleep this afternoon and woke up really late, so… I–I didn’t get a chance to eat,” she
stammered.
To her surprise, Eddie, the calm and collected man, adjusted his glasses with a teasing smirk and looked at her mysteriously.
