Chapter 9 · He Was Waiting There

Chapter 9

"Freddie, I'm sorry for standing you up ten years ago, and for all the misunderstandings I've had about you over the past decade," I said.Freddie didn't stop walking."If you really feel bad about it," he called out without turning around, "then your punishment is this: from now on, no matter what I say, you're not allowed to get me wrong ever again."His tone was teasing, half-joking, but it made the knot of guilt in my chest finally loosen.I couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I promise."Soon enough, we made it to the top of the mountain.The old signal tower loomed in the moonlight, silent and abandoned.Its frame was streaked with rust and tangled with unknown vines, bearing the scars of years gone by."Here we are," Freddie said, stopping at the base of the tower and looking up toward its peak. His voice carried a barely noticeable hint of wistfulness.I followed his gaze.I could picture it—ten years ago, that night, he waited here from dusk till dawn, just a teenager with all those restless hopes and nerves.And me, the one who started it all, was buried in my books, chasing after some promise that was never real.That night, a ridiculous misunderstanding sent our lives spinning off in two totally different directions."Back then, I sat right here," he said, pointing to a stone step at the base of the tower. "Mosquitoes were feasting on me, and I kept coming up with reasons why you weren't showing up."He chuckled softly, like he was talking about someone else's story.He said, "I thought maybe you got lost, or your parents kept you locked up."And I even imagined, if you still didn't come, I'd run over to your place and toss a rock at your window, just like in the movies."As he recounted those naive, pure feelings from years ago in such a calm voice, my eyes grew misty."What happened after that?" I asked softly."Then dawn broke," he said. "That's when I realized that movies are all just make-believe, and you fooled me too."He turned to look at me, his eyes full of playful mischief.I could tell he'd already let it go.But the guilt inside me kept creeping in, tangling tighter and tighter.I said, my voice tinged with regret, "I really should've written you a letter back then, just to explain everything."But I thought our promise was to 'meet me at pinnacle'. I was scared you'd think I was just making excuses, that I wasn't giving it my all.""Dummy," Freddie teased.He reached out and gave me a playful tap on the forehead.The gesture was so easy and familiar, like it was second nature to him.My heart was pounding again, completely out of control.Instinctively, I took a step back, putting some space between us.The atmosphere turned tense for a moment.He seemed to realize he'd gotten a bit carried away, and awkwardly withdrew his hand, making a fist and bringing it to his lips as he cleared his throat."How have you been these past ten years?" he asked, steering the conversation into safer territory."Same old stuff," I shrugged. "Studying, working, staying up late, scrambling to finish projects—all for a promise that was never real. Honestly, it's like I turned my life into a motivational TV show."Then I shot back, "What about you? You ended up being the real deal—a total legend."Being a legend means you hardly have any life outside work," Freddie said.He leaned against the chilly tower, watching the city lights twinkle below.He said, "When I was building the company, for the first five years, I barely got more than four hours of sleep a night."Sometimes I had no idea where my next meal would come from. At my worst, there was only 700 dollars left in the company account. I couldn't even cover next month's rent."Back then, I used to wonder. If you'd actually come, how would our lives have turned out?"Maybe I would've just followed my parents' plan—gone abroad for a PhD, then come back and teach at a university."Life would've been stable, and I wouldn't have had to struggle so much."His words really struck me, catching me off guard.I never thought that me not showing up all those years ago could actually change his life in some way."So... do you blame me?" I asked nervously."No," Freddie said, shaking his head as he turned to face me. There was a gentleness in his eyes I'd never seen before."Honestly, I'm thankful," he said. "Thankful you never showed up."If you had come, I wouldn't have found the courage to take that leap and become who I am now."And I wouldn't even deserve to stand here in front of you, ten years later."His words were like candy, dissolving inside me and leaving a gentle sweetness that lingered in my heart.Turned out, this missed chance wasn't just about regret after all.

Chapter 9