The Way, Way Back

Author：Fei Chang Xiang Shui Jiao

My ex-boyfriend had blocked me five years ago. And I had never expected to meet him again at the music festival.

He was a shining new star on the stage, while I was an audience standing in the front row holding a light board with his competitor’s name on it.

All the people around me were singing. Jonah's clothes were soaked in sweat, so his muscles were partially visible under the translucent white shirt.

Maybe it was because I was in the front row that our eyes met. He avoided my gaze without a trace, and I looked away as if nothing had happened.

.

But suddenly, he flashed in front of me and sang, "Long time no see. I want to know how you are doing."

1.

Hearing the familiar voice, I looked up and met his twinkling eyes. They were reflecting the light of the audience’s glow sticks.

In a trance, I did not know whether he was singing or greeting me because he had not seen for many years.

He bent over amidst his fans’ screams and pushed the microphone to my mouth through several pairs of waving hands. I was sure he had recognized me and seen the board I was holding.

.

The fans around me sang together, "I'm fine. And I still love you very much."

The bitterness from many years ago swept over me again, so I was stunned. But Jonah kept stretching out his hand in the crowd with shining eyes as if waiting for my response.

.

All the people around turned to look at me enviously.

But I knew he was deliberately embarrassing me. Five years ago, he had blocked me and left without saying a word. Now, he had become famous and popular. He had abandoned me and left me drowned in tears. He had deliberately sung the line of lyrics to me and playfully reopened my old scars with malice, looking condescending and aggressive. He had walked forward with determination and had never looked back, not caring about me at all.

.

When I came to my senses, I had tears in my eyes. But the microphone was still in front of my face.

I showed a self-deprecating smile and said, "I'm not your fan, so I can't sing."

The accompaniment music changed, and the fans around me were in an uproar.

Jonah blinked his eyes, nonchalantly withdrew his hand, and continued to sing the next song.

After the episode, the audience became as lively as before. Under the starlight, one paid attention to me anymore.

I had been deliberately avoiding the news about him over the years but still hoped he could give me an explanation at heart.

Today, he had finally given it to me. And the explanation was that I was humiliating myself.

When I came to my senses, the person on the stage had become Victor. He looked at me from time to time. When our eyes met, he jumped off the stage. Everyone looked at me again because the board I was holding read "Love Victor for 10,000 years".

.

He slightly raised his eyebrows and embraced me amidst the screams.

I heard voices coming from all directions through the speakers. But the most powerful one was beside my ear with warm air when he said, "Please allow me to introduce my fiancée to you."

.

The screams all around almost pierced my eardrums. If what Jonah had brought to me just now was envy, what Victor was bringing to me was absolute hatred.

The uneasiness in my heart had reached the extreme, but Victor did not forget I had lost the bet.

So, he looked down at me with his eyes flashing with slyness and said, "She came back from abroad a few days ago. She promised me to yell "Victor is the most handsome man" three times today. But Jonah had scared her so much that she forgot about it."

I cast a hard look at him, but he was unmoved. He gradually tightened the grip on my shoulders, turned to face the stage, and said, "Jonah, you owe me this time."

.

His relaxed and teasing tone relieved my embarrassment.

If he hadn't said so, there might be a battle online tonight because Jonah's fans would harshly curse me.

.

But I had not expected my long-lost reunion would bring out more farces.

After Victor completed his performance, I followed him backstage.

The members of his band didn't know it was because our families wanted to connect by marriage that we had gotten engaged. They thought we were a real couple, so they teased him for his heroic "feat" of jumping off the stage.

"Victor, you should have told us earlier! If so, we would have played "Dream Wedding" for you!"

"Yeah! We will produce a rock version!"

"Is Jonah blind? Your fiancée was holding such a big light board! But he still put the microphone in front of her..."

...

Victor took the board over with one hand and clasped my wrist with the other. He did put forth much strength, but I still could not break free.

To stop them, he said with a simile, "She's thin-skinned. Watch your mouth."

"Who is thin-skinned?" I asked him in a faint voice. Because there were outsiders around us, I couldn't teach Victor a lesson. So, I had chosen to remind him in this way.

But Victor didn't take the hint. And he even reached out to flick my earlobe.

“You,” he deliberately drawled when his eyelids lazily drooped.

I gave him a hard look.

When I looked ahead, I saw Jonah standing in front of us with a cigarette flickering between his fingers.

"Sorry, my fiancée can't sing your song," Victor indifferently said and pulled me inside.

When passing by Jonah, the strong smell of nicotine hit my face.

Suddenly, he clasped my other wrist. When I raised my head in panic, I met his scarlet eyes.

"It's me that should say sorry. Can I buy you a drink as an apology?"

They both had apologized. But one sounded sarcastic, and the other angry.

They grabbed me at the same time, so I felt as if I were about to be torn in half.