Independence

“After every failure, my dad and I would reflect on our mistakes and find a more hidden spot, but my mom would find it every time without fail. It was like she had a camera on her.”

Miranda then paused after noticing Paul hadn’t spoken in a while. “Dr. Jefferson, are you listening?”

She turned her head, only to find herself gazing directly into his deep eyes. She froze.

Her hair had grown past her shoulders, and her hair tie had loosened after dinner. The night breeze had tousled her hair, sending it fluttering in all directions.

At that moment, she looked unexpectedly captivating

“Yeah, I’m listening,” he replied, his voice noticeably hoarse. “Your mom is very sharp, and she probably has a keen set of eyes.

Miranda looked away, her throat feeling a bit dry.

She swallowed before continuing. “Of course, she’s a mystery novelist!” Mystery novels relied heavily on logic and reasoning.

If Lionel had taught her the virtues of integrity and action, Mindy had shaped her very essence, allowing her to boldly become the person she truly wanted to be

“What about you, Dr. Jefferson? What w

our childhood like?”

Paul replied, “More to reading, studying, and taking exams.”

“…That’s it?”

“Maybe there were other things, but I don’t remember them well.”

Perhaps it was the soft glow of the streetlights, or maybe it was Miranda’s bright eyes. As Paul glanced at the neon lights across the river, he felt an unexpected urge to open up.

“I think it was when I was five years old,” he began. “I stumbled upon a physics book in my grandfather’s study–The Way Things Work.”

“That was the first time I encountered a book about physics. I didn’t even know what ‘physics‘ meant, but I discovered how fascinating it was.”

Paul smiled faintly as his eyes exuded sincerity and passion. “It was said that we should discern the beauty of heaven and earth, and analyze the principles of all things. The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible.”

Miranda listened intently. She didn’t understand physics, but at that moment, she could relate to Paul’s

passion.

“Before I discovered physics, my world was dull and monotonous.” He paused as he turned to look at Miranda. “After discovering physics, the world took on a different meaning for me.”

Yet now, it seemed, there was someone else adding meaning to his world. His gaze was intense, burning with unspoken words.

However, Miranda was the first to look away.

The unfinished ice cream was melting in the heat and dripping onto her hand. The cold sensation startled her, and she quickly stood up. “It’s getting late; we should head back.”

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She turned slightly, making it hard for Paul to see her expression. However, he could sense her unease. He realized that he was acting a bit out of character as well.

“Sure, let’s go.”

That night, Miranda found herself unusually restless. She lay with her eyes closed, teetering between sleep and wakefulness, her mind shifting between images of Paul’s face and memories of her past with Hansel.

Thinking about the foolish things she had done and said for a man in the past jolted her awake. Had shel not endured enough heartache over love already?

If she had escaped it once, why jump into another? It would just be moving from one fire pit to another deep well.

It wasn’t necessary, nor was it worth it.

Realizing this, Miranda’s previously restless heart settled into calmness. Since she couldn’t sleep, she got up to work on revising her thesis.

Just as she had expected, studying made her nappler.

The next day at the lab, Miranda swiped her card and walked in, only to be met with Sandy and Silas’s eager stareBelongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“Hmm?” What was going on?