Until We Met Again ( Rowan and Johnson )
Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Teddy respected Rowan’s bravery but was frustrated that he seemed to disregard his own welfare.

Rowan wasn’t the impulsive type. Every move he made was calculated. Teddy had observed his character and understood that covering the medical bills wasn’t about playing the hero. It was simply because Rowan felt it was the right thing to do.

Teddy couldn’t win the argument with Rowan but that didn’t sit well with him. Teddy was indeed broke, but he had muscle to offer. Rowan’s solidarity that day was something Teddy would etch in his memory.

After saying his piece, Teddy excused himself, but Rowan had questions and caught him at the door, “What did she tell you?”

“Who? Oh, you mean your sister, right? You know, you could’ve just told me she was your sister. Would’ve saved me a lot of wild guesses, Teddy replied, more irked than amused.

Rowan’s brow furrowed at that. “Sister?”

“Yeah, she claimed she’s your sister, just got to France and needed a place to crash, so she’s staying with you for a bit. Is there a problem?”

Rowan’s expression hardened. “She’s not my sister. We’re not related by blood.”

“Not related? Oh, I get it–a blended family, right?” Teddy quipped, raising an eyebrow in mock understanding.

Staring him straight in the eye with unprecedented seriousness, Rowan clarified, “Her name is Karla, and there’s no familial tie between us at all.”

“So why is she living with you?” Teddy’s confusion was palpable.

Rowan turned his face away, maintaining a stoic silence.

རྒྱུ ཧཋ ཤ ༤ ཝཿ ༈ ཎྜ༴ རྗ

Suddenly, Teddy had a eureka moment, his eyes widening in disbelief as he clutched Rowan’s shoulder, forcing eye contact. “Don’t you dare tell me she’s your… your lover! You’re only sixteen, mate! That’s out of the question.” The thought was hard for Teddy to stomach.

“It’s not about the age.” Rowan murmured, his eyes downcast to hide the melancholy within.

When he noticed Karla had not aged in four years, Rowan knew she could traverse time to any period of his life, and that eventually, he would outgrow her. Even when he’d be an old man, frail and gray, Karla would remain unchanged. She was a mere passerby in time.

His heart ached with the thought, but Teddy was oblivious to these layers, interpreting Rowan’s words as a dismissal of age as a factor. Teddy grew frantic, earnestly advising, “Rowan, you’ve always been level–headed. I trust you’re not one to succumb to temptation, but you need to think this through–it’s your future at stake.”

Rowan just shook his head, responding with a terse, “Not your business.”

“Be on your way then.” Rowan’s dismissal was clear, and Teddy, though wanting to persist, met with a closed door.

Teddy thought about knocking on the door, but considering Karla was inside, he decided against it. He planned to talk to Rowan privately later.

As soon as Rowan got in, he saw Karla standing sideways by the window with the curtains drawn. She seemed to be observing something through the gap, her face devoid of any smile, her expression solemn.

This was the first time Rowan had seen this side of her. She typically embodied a carefree and laid–back spirit, her smile persistent, giving off the impression that worries were foreign to her, as she navigated through life with apparent ease. However, in this moment, as he witnessed her display a serious side, Rowan was struck with a sudden realization: he might not know her as well as he had previously believed.

ཋ ཋཆ ༢ཉ Fཅༀ ཆ རྫ་ ཚལ་ ༤་ ཤང

“What are you looking at?” he asked, approaching her.

Karla spun around quickly, blocking his view with a cheerful facade. “Nothing much, just a couple getting cozy downstairs. I was taking a peek. Not suitable for young eyes, so you better not look.”

Rowan cleared his throat. “I’m not interested in that stuff.” With that, he headed to the kitchen.

As Rowan left, Karla’s smile faded. She cast a glance outside, her expression darkening momentarily before she retreated to change clothes.

Hearing the door shut, Rowan stepped out from the kitchen and looked through the gap in the curtains where Karla had been. The street below was empty.

Retracting his gaze, he glanced at the door, a complex gleam crossing his eyes.