Shadows of Obsession

Oath

Jennifer was packing her luggage in the living room, which included two large suitcases. She was still pulling the clothes she had just collected from the hangers and stuffing them into the suitcases.

The three of them looked at each other. Lauren broke the silence first, saying, "I'll bring her to see the cat."Lauren said.Jennifer's beautiful eyes narrowed in anger as she looked at both of them. Lauren walked over to Jennifer, touched her head, and helped her pack. "Isn't your flight tomorrow?"Lauren asked.

"They changed the schedule.The performance got moved up. I have to leave soon."Jennifer suddenly hugged Lauren. Lauren rubbed the back of her head thoughtfully.After a while, he said to Ella who was still standing at the door: "The cat is on the second floor. You can go up. I'll take her to the airport."

Ella nodded and, after watching them close the door, she began to ascend the stairs to the second floor. The staircase spiraled upward, and halfway up, her legs trembled with fatigue. She sat down on the steps to catch her breath.

"Richie! Richie!"

Ella raised her voice, shouting several times up the stairs, but her throat felt hoarse, like crying into a pillow. She waited anxiously, but there was still no sign of the cat. Reluctantly, she continued upwards, one step at a time.

Back at the car, Jennifer kept her head down the whole way. Just before they reached the airport entrance, she hesitated and finally asked, "Are you getting back together with her?" Her head tilted slightly up, voice hoarse, "Lauren, I'm afraid." Lauren drove in silence for a while, her eyes darkened briefly. "It's all in the past now. Don't be afraid."Lauren said. Jennifer's hand trembled violently, saying,"I'm really scared. It's good that she woke up, but I..."

The screeching brakes sounded like a knife piercing into their hearts, leaving a long gash.

Lauren parked the car, grabbed her suitcase, and quickly walked to the other side.

Jennifer pushed open the door herself, jumped out of the car, and grabbed Lauren's sleeve. After a while, she managed to squeeze out, "Lauren, I'm not like her. I'm only leaving for a few days." "I know."Lauren replied.

Their hands were equally cold. Lauren held the luggage in one hand and Jennifer's hand in the other, walking towards the exit hall. Jennifer suddenly asked him: "If I did something wrong..."

The man stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at her quietly. "Would you..." Jennifer's palms were all sweaty, and she didn't continue speaking.

Going up to the second floor, Ella came to a bright room that was lit from large windows. In the corner, Richie was curled up on a plush cushion. His once-bright golden fur had dulled with age, but he still held his regal bearing. As Ella approached, Richie looked up and squinted as if to recognize her.

"Richie," Ella called softly. The cat blinked slowly, then let out a low, affectionate meow. She knelt beside Richie and gently stroked his fur, hesitant at first with her touch, but more confident when Richie purred in response.

Suddenly, Lauren was standing in the back, watching their reunion with relief and contentment. "He missed you," he whispered.

Ella smiled, tears welling up in her eyes. "I missed him, too." She continued to stroke Richie, feeling a peace she hadn't felt in a long time.

After Lauren woke up, he changed his clothes and washed up. In the kitchen, he poured a glass of fresh milk and placed it on a plate with fried eggs.

Richie, the old cat, was at his feet, licking milk from his bowl. The difference between humans and animals, Lauren thought, is that animals do what they want, while humans often do what they think will make others happy, even if it doesn't make themselves happy.

Richie raised his head, squinted, and slowly walked out. Ella stood barefoot at the kitchen entrance. When she saw the cat, she kicked it lightly and muttered, "Ungrateful creature." Lauren turned and handed her breakfast.

Ella refused to take it, her face tense. "I want soy milk," she said. Lauren didn't withdraw his hand and looked at her quietly. They stood in a standoff for a moment before she snatched the plate from him and stomped over to the sofa. She sat down heavily, grabbed the bread slices with her hands, and took a few bites. "What a strange taste. You could get better food in a hospital," she grumbled.

Lauren replied calmly, "The doctor said fresh milk is better than soy milk. Don’t be so stubborn all the time."

Ella laughed bitterly and rubbed her nose furiously, as if trying to rub off a layer of skin. She felt like a sour apricot being squeezed by a juicer, dripping bitter bile everywhere. "I'm stubborn, am I? Always have been, always will be," she repeated, lifting her right leg over her left and shaking it restlessly. Her anger simmered, with nowhere to vent. She wanted to lash out, but felt her insides softening like mud.

"I've always been this way. Take it or leave it," she muttered. Lauren, half-closing his eyes, pointed at the leftovers. When Ella didn't respond, he cleared the dishes and headed straight to the study room.

Ella stood for a long time before following Lauren. Her shadow was reflected on the bookcase glass, like a thief, with her eyes bare and timid and uncomfortable.

As soon as Lauren turned sideways, Ella immediately pretended to be energetic. "This is a computer, it has become so thin. What system is it now? Let me see, are there any games?" Lauren took off her gold-rimmed glasses, put them aside, pinched her aching nose, saved a file, and signaled Ella to figure it out herself.

Ella leaned over, moved the mouse, and shouted, "Why is there no wire behind the mouse? Interesting." She almost pressed on Lauren, but she didn't touch him.

Lauren looked at the two whorls of hair behind Ella's head and reached out to touch them. Before she touched them, her hand retracted.

"Then I'll sit in your chair?"

Lauren responded, stood by and watched Ella play the mine-stepping game for a while, then sat on the fabric sofa next to her and read the newspaper.

Ella talked a lot, almost verbose: "At that time, there was only one computer class a week, playing Kingsoft typing games." Lauren said: "I remember, Super Mario or something."

Ella turned back and stared at her, "Are you still playing that now?"

Lauren was stunned. "There are better ones, which came out later."

Ella looked bored. "I really thought it could be famous forever." After saying that, she slumped on the back of the chair, slightly closed her eyes, and looked listless.

Lauren folded the newspaper that was blocking her view in half, looked at her in silence for a while, and asked: "Being famous forever, do you believe it?" Lauren's eyes were shiny black, and when she was thinking, her pupils were so dark that they could suck people in. Ella looked up suddenly and saw such a pair of good eyes.

Lauren was asking a question that Ella couldn't figure out the matter of a lifetime, and she couldn't figure it out either.

Back to the past :

After school that year, Ella's friend showed her some photos and said, "Ella, take a look, what do you think?" Ella held a cat in her left hand, took the photo with her right hand, looked at it for a long time, and said, "This boy looks good."

"The real person is even better. He wants to meet you. Are you interested?" Ella smiled shyly and glanced at Lauren subconsciously. The kitten slipped out from under her armpit. The boy Lauren seemed to be lost in thought. He bought a box of milk at the counter and squatted on the ground to feed the cat.

Later, they played a few more games, winning and losing, and shared some gossip. When the rain stopped outside, they waved goodbye, with an unfulfilled longing in their hearts.

Lauren walked in front holding the kitten, and Ella followed behind humming a little song. Turning the corner, the street was empty.

Lauren suddenly turned around, grabbed Ella, and kissed her hard. Ella pushed him away several times, but couldn't. The kitten's soft fur stuck to their chests, purring.

Ella cried out softly, clenched her teeth, and refused to give in.

Finally, Lauren gave up in a huff, and both of them were panting. He reached into Ella's pocket, took out all the photos, and tore them into pieces.

Ella blamed him: "Why did you suddenly go crazy?"

"I'm not crazy."

The two walked in silence. Ella kept wiping the bitten corner of her mouth, pinched it hard, and a few drops of blood flowed out. Lauren's face was ugly, but she looked a little angry. He suddenly turned around and said with a straight face: "But if you are with someone else, I must be crazy."

The oath is always more beautiful than reality.