Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4567 | Page 149

The boy burst into laughter. "Relax, I was only kidding," he smiled, "So, you want this book? You're always
staring at it."
Camellia's eyes widened. "Y-yes! Thank you...!" Clasping the book in her hands, Camellia went in the opposite
direction from the boy. But suddenly something flashed into both their minds and they both turned at the same
moment.
"Your name...!" Their voices overlapped. Frozen, their eyebrows raised. They gazed into each other's eyes for
several moments, and finally burst out laughing.
Ever since Camellia had got the book, she got hooked onto it and fell in deep love with reading. She finally had
something to do in the Book Club.
"Hey Camellia, I've brought you something today to keep you awake during the reading period—" When
Yelena found Camellia reading, her mouth fell wide open. "Oh my god! I can't believe my eyes!
Y-you're...reading?" she staggered back in shock.
Camellia ignored her, or she just didn't notice her, as she was totally lost in her book.
This book's really good, right?" The boy's voice broke her trance.
"Aeneas!" Camellia gasped and looked at the book in her hands, "This book's great! Thanks so much for lending
it to me!"
"I'm glad that you can understand how enjoyable reading is," smiled Aeneas. Looking at Camellia's confused
expression, he explained, "It seems that you hated reading before I lent you the book."
Camellia blushed. She never thought that Aeneas would've noticed her. She bowed her head, letting her hair
screen her face, "Yeah..." A moment later, she looked up and smiled, "But now I've become a bookworm like
you."
In the following days, Camellia's daily routine was reading with Aeneas. Sometimes they stayed at the Huxinting
Teahouse, enjoying their books with the aromatic Chinese tea and the exquisite scenery of the lake; Sometimes
they lay on the huge grassland in Jessfield Park, read while smelling the lovely scent of the freshly-cut grass;
sometimes they just stayed at the Book Club. Slowly, they fell in love, but neither of them expressed their
feelings towards one another. Those were the simplest days, but also the happiest days in Camellia's life. She
wished they could last forever.
But no, they didn't.
"Are you dating Aeneas?" One day, Yelena asked Camellia. Watching Camellia's face reddened, Yelena
frowned, "Have you forgotten? What'll happen if your father knows about this!"
Camellia's heart seized. She had totally forgotten her father. Yelena's words brought back terrible memories. In
Camellia's mind was the horrible scene last time when she went too close to a poor boy. She didn't even love
him, but then her relatives just passed around rumors that she was in love with the boy and was going out with
him. Since Camellia was in a well-off family, the rumors caused big trouble among her family's social circle. She
didn't want to experience that ever again. Seeing her friend's body stiffen with fear, Yelena sighed, "Don't meet
him again okay? You'll eventually move on and your feelings will fade away with time."