Chapter 18
The young man’s eyes sparkled as he talked about the neighbor whom he was in love with. Her presence had been like a spark of light that illuminated the darkness of this world.
“I waited impatiently until I finally became an adult, but when I finally got to profess to her, she rejected me.”
At the mention of that, the light in the young man’s eyes faded. He continued, “She said she was 12 years older than me. If we got together, people would gossip about us.
“I refused to accept that reason. I don’t think age is a problem. True love can overcome everything! I also wanted to prove to her that people these days are a lot more accepting. There’s nothing wrong with a younger man being with an older woman. As long as we dared to take this step, we would definitely get our happy ending.”
The young man explained, “That’s why I’ve been conducting street interviews with people to gather everyone’s opinions. Miss, could you spare me a few minutes of your time to write your thoughts about relationships between a younger man and an older woman here in this notebook?
“I want to show her that even though some nosy people might make comments if we end up together, most people in the world will understand us and support us.”
The young man’s words made Cassandra’s heart tinge with pain again. His passionate pursuit of love reminded her of Sebastian, who had bravely professed to her a few months ago.
“You look quite young. Have you turned 20 yet?” Cassandra asked.
“I have,” the young man replied. “I’m 21 this year.”
“21, huh? That’s still so young. Do you know what love is?” Cassandra queried. “Have you ever considered that maybe what you feel for her isn’t love? Perhaps you craved a mother’s love, and you developed a sense of dependency toward your older neighbor. Maybe due to your age, you can’t tell the two apart and end up thinking it’s love you feel.”
This was what Cassandra wanted to tell Sebastian. He was so young–only 18. Did he know what love even was?
At the time, Cassandra had been too afraid to accept his confession because she feared he had mistaken his feelings of dependency for love. Young people were known to erroneously assume the attachment and admiration they felt toward an older person was in fact love.
“I may be young, but I’m not a fool, miss!” the young man protested in dissatisfaction. “Can you people who are a bit older stop treating us younger ones as if we’re idiots?
“We’re not stupid. We can tell what love is. Plus, I’m majoring in biology, you know. I’m a student at Carroll University, one of the best institutions in the country! I can safely inform you that we young people understand love even better than you do. That’s because we’re young and in the prime of our lives. Our hormones react even more strongly when we encounter the person we love!
“That’s why our expressions of love come across as more fiery, wild, and even reckless. But that doesn’t mean we’re fools. We just love more fearlessly!”
The young man’s outburst left Cassandra speechless. She always thought that young people were still too immature. They weren’t rational and didn’t understand love.
But now, she finally realized she was the one who didn’t understand what love was. Rationality? Self–control? True love knew nothing of that.
Love was a burst of passion. How could someone remain rational when in love?
On the contrary, it was her sense of rationality and self–control that was a mockery!
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have questioned your feelings for her,” Cassandra said. “She’s lucky to have met you.”
The young man blushed. Shaking his head, he responded softly, “No. I’m the one who’s very lucky to have met her.”
