After he left, my life seemed to return to its normal rhythm.
I still went to class every day.
I still returned to the boarding house in the afternoon.
I still did the familiar things I had always done.
But something had changed.
The room across the corridor no longer opened its door.
The familiar hallway had become quieter.
In the evenings, there was no one sitting outside talking with me.
Only then did I realize how accustomed I had become to his presence.
Before that, I had always believed I lived very independently. But when he was no longer there, I began to feel a small emptiness in my life.
Perhaps because, for the first time in my life, someone had cared for me and looked after me in such a thoughtful way.
Not loudly.
But gently, patiently.
A few days after he arrived overseas, he called me.
When I heard his voice on the other end of the line, it suddenly felt very familiar.
As if the thousands of kilometers between us didn't exist.
He told me about his first few days there.
About the long flight.
About the new city.
About unfamiliar streets.
His voice was still soft, just like when he used to talk to me in the boarding house corridor.
But somehow, I felt there was something slightly heavier in his voice.
As if he was a little sad.
I asked him,
"Is everything okay there?"
He smiled softly.
"It's okay."
"Everything just feels new."
I nodded, even though he couldn't see me.
We didn't talk for long.
Before hanging up, he said,
"If anything happens, just call me."
I answered simply,
"Okay."
Conversations like that happened from time to time.
Not very long.
Not about anything important.
Just simple questions.
But they were enough to let me know that he still remembered me.
A few days later, his cousin came to the boarding house again.
When I opened my door, he was standing there holding a small box.
"Khang asked me to give this to you before he left."
I was a little surprised.
"Khang sent it?"
He nodded.
"He told me to give it to you after he left… but I only remembered today."
I took the box.
Inside was a small book.
Not exactly a book.
More like a notebook.
Inside were many handwritten notes from him.
The things he wrote were very simple.
Reminders for me to eat properly.
Reminders to rest when I was tired.
Reminders to take care of my health.
On the last page, he had written his phone number again.
I was a little surprised.
Because I had already saved his number before.
But he still wrote it again.
Underneath it he added another sentence:
"I wrote it down just in case you ever lose my number."
I stared at that line for a long time.
He had thought about even the smallest details.
His cousin stood beside me and laughed.
"Khang worries about you a lot."
I just smiled softly.
I didn't know how to respond.
Inside, I felt something strange.
Not exactly sadness.
Not exactly happiness.
Just a warm feeling… mixed with a small emptiness.
Like realizing that someone very far away was still thinking about you.
That afternoon, his cousin invited me to go out for a walk.
"You stay in your room all the time. You must feel bored."
I smiled.
"Not really."
But I still went with him.
We ate at a small restaurant nearby.
Then walked around the neighborhood.
He talked easily.
Very different from Khang — he spoke much more.
After a while, he looked at me and said,
"Lilly."
"Yes?"
"To Khang… you're probably someone very important."
I was slightly surprised.
"Why do you say that?"
He smiled.
"Because I know him."
Then he added,
"He's not the kind of person who easily cares about someone like that."
I stayed silent.
I didn't know what to say.
He looked at me for a moment before continuing.
"I hope you can understand his feelings."
I remained quiet.
Then he said one more thing.
"I hope the two of you can wait for each other."
I looked at him, confused.
"Wait?"
I repeated.
"Wait for what?"
He only smiled.
"You'll understand later."
But at that time, I truly didn't understand.
In my mind, the relationship between Khang and me was still simple.
We were very close.
A special friend.
Someone who always cared about me.
I didn't think about waiting.
I didn't think about a distant future like that.
I only knew that he was somewhere far away.
And that we were still in touch.
To me at that time, that was already enough.
I didn't understand that sometimes someone has already begun waiting long before we realize it.
Message of Chapter 14
Some people understand their feelings very early.
But others need a long time before they recognize them.
Sometimes waiting has already begun
long before someone realizes
they are being loved.