“If he heard you say that, he’d probably scoff and claim I only did it for my own benefit,” Justin chuckled loudly.
The crowd of students around them made it difficult for Stella to spot Bryce. Justin had shown her a photo of his son earlier, and in the picture, he appeared as a little boy. But now, seeing him as a teenager in a school uniform, Stella found it hard to recognize him among the others. It wasn’t until a tall boy with a backpack walked past them casually that she realized it was Bryce.
She instinctively straightened up and stood still, watching him.
Justin noticed him first. “Hey, over here,” he called, stepping forward. Bryce had already seen them, and his smile slowly faded. Yet, he remained polite, greeting Stella first.
“Hello, miss.”
Then, turning toward Justin, he said, “Dad.”
Justin ruffled his son’s hair softly, taking his bag from him. “Get in the car.”
Bryce nodded silently and climbed into the back seat without saying much.
Stella, who had rehearsed some conversation topics in her mind, didn’t get a chance to use any of them. She rubbed her nose awkwardly before sitting down in the passenger seat, not speaking.
Perhaps noticing the slight discomfort between the two, Justin played the mediator. “Shouldn’t the two of you introduce yourselves, since this is the first time you’re meeting?”
Stella was caught off guard. “Do you think I’m a kid? Only children need to introduce themselves when they meet someone new.”
Justin gently ruffled her hair, grinning. “In my eyes, you’re no different from a child. After all, I’m a lot older than you.”
When Bryce noticed how naturally Justin’s hand rested on Stella’s head, his lips pressed into a thin line, and his expression stiffened. He didn’t say anything, though.
After a moment, Bryce spoke up. “My name is Bryce. I’m 12 years old and in middle school.”
Stella sat up straight and introduced herself. “Hello, my name is Stella. I’m 22 years old. I’m a teacher, like your father, but while your dad is a university professor, I teach dance at a training center.”
Bryce smiled slightly, his lips still pressed together. “I see.” That was all he said.
An awkward silence settled in the car. Neither of them was trying to make things uncomfortable, but they were still strangers, and the tension was palpable.
Justin had told Bryce about Stella’s arrival earlier. Despite the school’s strict no-phone policy, they allowed students to keep phones for emergency communication with parents. Justin had even gone out of his way to get Bryce an old phone, one that could only be used for calls and texts—no entertainment apps or games. Many of the students had similar phones.
Bryce had mentally prepared himself for this meeting, but now that he was face-to-face with Stella, he couldn’t shake the unease growing inside him.
Justin, not thinking much of it, drove them to the restaurant he had reserved, expecting that they’d get to know each other better over dinner.
For the rest of the journey, Bryce remained silent. He stared out the window, pulled out his phone, and inserted his earphones.
When Justin noticed this, he frowned. “Don’t listen to music in the car.”
Bryce removed the earphones and shot him a glance. “I’m listening to French recordings.”
Skip to content