Rachel bit her lip, unsure of how to respond.
Instead, she opened her takeout box and began to eat.
Jeffrey's gaze was fixed on Rachel, and with each passing moment, keeping her by his side felt like an inevitability he couldn't escape.
He didn't want her to leave; he just kept thinking about how he could make her willingly stay with him.
Once upon a time, even sharing a simple lunch had become something he looked forward to.
Just being able to sit together, even in comfortable silence, brought him joy.
Looking back, he realized that those days when he was simply "Jeffrey" were perhaps the happiest of his life.
Back then, she would laugh and chat with him, treating him like an ordinary person.
She would affectionately dry his hair and call out his name, "Jeffrey," again and again.
"Jeffrey... Jeffrey..."
Did she know how much he longed to hear her say his name, as if he were the most important person in her life?
