Chapter 348
348:
Arthur’s words echoed in her mind: she needed to confront Collin directly about her doubts.
Just as Linsey’s thumb hovered over Collin’s contact, ready to dial, a familiar voice sliced through her haze of indecision.
“Linsey? Is that you?”
Startled, Linsey looked up to see a familiar face breaking into a warm smile.
“Shari!” she exclaimed, her own face mirroring Shari’s surprise and delight.
Shari stepped closer, her smile broadening. “It really is you! For a moment there, I thought I was seeing things.”
Shari’s gaze lingered on Linsey’s ensemble, an admiring smile playing on her lips as she remarked, “Linsey, it’s been a long time, and you’ve only grown more stunning.”
Linsey replied, her eyes lighting up with excitement, “Shari! You’ve finally arrived! I’ve been eagerly waiting here for what feels like forever.”
She stepped forward and enveloped Shari’s hand in a warm, earnest handshake. Shari paused, her expression a mix of surprise and nostalgia, as if Linsey’s gentle touch had transported her back through the years.
As she observed Shari’s now slender face, Linsey’s eyes softened with concern. She reached out, her fingers brushing against Shari’s shoulder-length hair. Shari used to have such long hair back in college. Linsey found herself curious about when she had decided to go for the short look.
“You’ve lost quite a bit of weight,” Linsey noted, her tone light yet laced with worry. “Have you been dieting?”
With a playful nudge, Linsey ushered Shari forward. “Come on, let’s head in. Everyone’s pitched in for tonight’s feast—we should make sure we enjoy it to the fullest!”
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Shari’s spirits visibly lifted, her enthusiasm catching up to Linsey’s vibrant energy. “Absolutely, let’s go!”
Linking arms with Shari affectionately, Linsey guided them toward the private dining room. “Honestly, if Kane hadn’t assured me you were coming, I might have thought you’d skip out on us.”
Shari let out a sigh, a gentle note in her voice as she explained, “I’m sorry for the delay—my little one was having a tough night, and my mom was overwhelmed. It took a while to soothe my child.”
Linsey nodded and gently ushered Shari to an empty seat, her hand lightly touching Shari’s shoulder.
The moment Shari entered, a wave of surprise rippled through the room, her arrival prompting raised eyebrows and stealthy glances among the students.
Wait, Shari actually came? And Linsey was the one who brought her along? Although taken aback, everyone managed to mask their astonishment with bright, albeit slightly strained, smiles.
“Hey Shari, it’s been ages! How’ve you been?”
“Come, join us and grab a bite.”
Despite the warm welcomes, a veil of awkwardness soon descended upon the group, the weight of a recent unsettling event still lingering in the air, unspoken but palpable. Shari, with her keen sense of the room’s dynamics, tilted her head slightly and inquired with a hint of concern, “Is something wrong?”
Kane, caught off-guard but recovering quickly, flashed her a reassuring smile and waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, don’t worry about it. Shari, you got here late, so you’re probably hungry. Help yourself to some food. We’ve got juice too!” Kane’s declaration seemed to cast a veil of pretense over the crowd, each one subtly shifting to play along with the unspoken agreement to ignore the tension.
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