Until We Met Again ( Rowan and Johnson )
Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Once safely back in her room, Karla casually asked him, “Who was that just now?”

“My mother,” he replied.

Karla wasn’t particularly surprised. She had guessed as much. There was a resemblance between him and his mother, but she could tell he took after his father more. Having seen a grown–up Rowan, she didn’t need to speculate what his dad looked like.

However, something struck Karla as odd. If that was his mother, why hadn’t she come to see him at all these past few days?

From what Karla understood, Rowan had emigrated with his family when he was six. His father was a business tycoon, a magnate, so Rowan should have been a privileged rich kid, pampered and adored.

But the interactions over the last couple of days didn’t suggest that to Karla. The atmosphere here was suffocating and lifeless, not a spark of vitality to be found. His daily schedule was more than what a normal person could endure. It felt like he was trapped in a cage,

restrained, with no freedom at all.

Drying her hair, Karla ventured to ask, “Don’t you get along with your mother?”

He lowered his head, and after a long pause, he said, “I’m the result of a man forcing himself on her. Every time she sees my face, she wants to strangle me.”

Karla’s hand stopped in the middle of drying her hair, taken aback. She stared at him, a single thought flashing through her mind: What had he been through?

In the middle of the night, as Karla lay on the couch, sleep eluded her. She lay there with her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

The Rowan she had come to know these past few days seemed to have a mild tendency towards being reclusive, always quiet and hardly ever smiling. This reminded Karla of the adult Rowan: a gentleman, elegant, and with a warm and modest demeanor. It was hard for Karla to imagine what kind of growth had transformed this Rowan into the man he was now.

face was furrowed with w P

With that thought, Karla sat up, walked over to the bed, and watched Rowan sleeping. His

his hands clutching the blanket as if he were having a nightmare, restless in his slumber.

Although she didn’t know what this young boy had endured, it was clear to Karla that his past was fractured. She felt compelled to do something. Otherwise, she feared to think what Rowan might become.

At six in the morning, Rowan woke up on schedule. The first thing he did was look for Karla on the sofa. Not seeing her, panic set in, and he sat up abruptly. Then he heard Karla’s voice from behind the couch, “Fifty–eight, fifty–nine, sixty…”

He walked over and saw Karla on the floor doing push–ups. Frowning, Rowan asked, “What

10.071

are you doing?”

“Push–ups. I haven’t exercised in days. My bones are getting stiff,” Karla replied, standing up and stretching. “Come join me. Don’t just focus on your studies. You need to keep your body fit”

He hesitated, “I don’t want to.”

“I could tell you haven’t exercised much just by looking at you. You’re as sturdy as a leaf in the wind, looking all frail and peaky. Don’t be afraid of a little sweat. It’s rejuvenating.” Without taking no for an answer, Karla coaxed him into a workout, and soon he was drenched in sweat from the early morning exertion.

Exhausted, Rowan collapsed on the floor, gasping for air. When he looked up, he saw Karla shadow boxing and doing high kicks, clearly adept in martial arts.

Once he caught his breath, he asked her, “Are you good at fighting?”

“Of course, I’m all about mixed martial arts, boxing, you name it. You’ve got to be strong to protect the people around you,” Karla said proudly.

Rowan pondered her words. No one had ever spoken to him like that, nor had anyone encouraged him to be physically strong. But hearing Karla’s words, he felt a desire to change.

“So, you…” he started

“What?” Karla paused her routine, waiting for him to continue.

Rowan looked her straight in the eyes, took a deep breath, and asked, “Could you teach me?”

“Sure thing.” Karla agreed readily, happy to take on a student and use it as a way to pass time.

the

From then on, whenever they were alone and the tutors weren’t around, Karla would come over to keep him company.