16 Chapter 16: Overthinker

As Maverick's thoughts raced, he tugged at the corners of his mouth, his smile faltering. Thinking about the events of this break, he suddenly found it difficult to describe.

Seeing no response from him, Felicia, who had been happily chatting away, stopped.

Although she didn't know what had happened, Maverick's expression clearly wasn't right.

After composing himself, Maverick cleared his throat and said softly, his throat feeling dry, "I had an accident a few days ago. Grandpa York is no longer with us."

Hearing Maverick's words, Felicia felt like her head exploded. What had she just said?

Seeing Felicia's sudden stiff expression, Maverick restrained his sadness and chuckled softly, "It's okay, Felicia. You don't have to blame yourself; it's all in the past."

Felicia felt even more guilty at Maverick's words, her mind in turmoil. "I'm really sorry, Mavie. I can't believe such an accident happened. I... I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Grandpa York, he..."

Felicia had also experienced the loss of loved ones before, spending a lot of time coming to terms with her father's passing. So she could understand Maverick's feelings now.

Of course, Maverick didn't hold any grudges against Felicia. It wasn't her fault.

"You didn't know about the accident, so don't blame yourself, Felicia."

Seeing Felicia's panic and self-blame, Maverick gently said, "On the contrary, I want to thank you for caring about the old man. He would have been happy if he knew."

"He also left the menu for his pizza; if you don't mind, I can make it for you."

Maverick's gentle words calmed Felicia down, but she still felt very sorry for inadvertently causing Maverick to feel sad again, bringing back those painful memories. Although Maverick kept saying it was okay, Felicia noticed the sadness hidden in his eyes.

"But you should be prepared; the old man's pizza flavors were quite unpredictable." Thinking of Grandpa York's craftsmanship, Maverick chuckled as he reminded Felicia.

Felicia gently grasped Maverick's hand in response and said softly, "Even so, I'll definitely finish it."

Feeling the warmth of Felicia's hands, Maverick felt a hint of warmth in his heart.

He already had his own life and friends in this world, no longer a solitary figure without attachments. When the old man passed away, he had thought about following suit, but Venom's appearance changed everything.

Felicia still wanted to say something to make Maverick feel the presence of friends around him, but she didn't expect Maverick to suddenly stand up.

"I'm sorry, Felicia. I suddenly remembered something urgent that I need to take care of," Maverick stood up, feeling a bit embarrassed as he packed his things and apologized to Felicia.

Seeing this, Felicia quickly waved her hand, indicating that it was okay. This sudden turn of events left her a bit bewildered, and she swallowed back the words she had wanted to say.

Seeing Felicia's surprised expression, Maverick smiled and said, "Thank you for chatting with me for so long. I've been feeling a bit down lately, but I feel much better now. Looking forward to seeing you again next time."

With that, Maverick picked up his things and hurried towards the door. As he left, he didn't forget to wave back at her before rushing away.

"What could Maverick have suddenly remembered?" Felicia looked puzzled and a bit worried as she watched his figure disappear at the end of the road.

"Did he feel sad because of what I said?" The thought made her heart tighten.

"But he thanked me for our conversation just now."

"What if he was just saying that, but didn't actually mean it?"

"Is it because he didn't want to continue talking to me that he left in such a hurry?"

"Oh no! How could this happen?" The more she thought about it, the more agitated Felicia became. She inelegantly covered her face and let out a cry, then slumped onto the table, running her hands through her disheveled golden hair.

The nearby staff and other customers couldn't help but look at Felicia curiously, their gossip instincts kicking in. It seemed to them that this pretty girl must have some emotional entanglement with that handsome guy, and the boy's abrupt departure had left the girl in an unbearable and deeply sad state. Otherwise, they couldn't explain the girl's current behavior.

The staff member beside Felicia probably had similar thoughts. She seemed like she wanted to go and comfort Felicia, but she hesitated, unsure of what to say.

After thinking for a moment, she decided not to interfere but silently cheered for the beautiful girl in her heart.

Felicia was unaware that the people around her had already imagined a melodramatic storyline. Her mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, entangled with feelings of remorse and self-blame.

She blamed herself for unintentionally touching Maverick's emotional wounds with her thoughtless words and felt conflicted about his sudden departure.

Although Maverick had said before leaving that he remembered something urgent he had to attend to, Felicia couldn't shake the feeling that she had hurt him with her words.

Once these thoughts took root, they spiraled out of control, and Felicia found herself slumped over the table, feeling like a mess.

After a while, Felicia sat up again and looked at the half-drunk coffee in front of her, thinking to herself, "Even though Maverick doesn't mind, I should still apologize to him. These past few days must have been difficult for him."

Felicia was very familiar with the sadness in Maverick's eyes; she had experienced the pain of losing loved ones herself, so she knew how unbearable it could be.

Maverick was unaware of Felicia's internal struggle. All he could think about was rushing home to check his computer.

The device in his sleeve had signaled that the surveillance system at home had detected someone resembling Rick Frey, or perhaps even Rick Frey himself.

He couldn't believe his luck; the system had only just started running, and already there was a potential lead.

Although the results weren't confirmed to be Rick Flair yet, it was definitely a promising start.

°°°

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