Chapter 5: The Spare Tire
Quang Huy was quiet for a moment before he spoke:
"I stopped by earlier and Tra said you were out tutoring. All the way at Vinhomes Riverside?"
Kieu Ly smiled and nodded:
"Yeah. It's a bit far, but the host is friendly, the student's well-behaved, and the study space is really nice."
Of course, not everything was as rosy as she made it sound.
But with someone she wasn't particularly close to, she preferred not to go into too much detail.
Quang Huy nodded thoughtfully, then offered:
"Next time, let me take you there. I could use some fresh air too."
Kieu Ly looked up, a bit surprised.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew she had a boyfriend studying abroad.
And Quang Huy? He had a girlfriend back in Central Vietnam. Or rather—he used to.
Last year, that girlfriend had even come up to visit. A rich girl, but warm and friendly.
When she visited, she brought loads of snacks and threw a little party for everyone in the dorm—it might have been hospitality, or maybe a quiet way of staking her claim.
His offer caught Kieu Ly off guard. She gave a polite shake of the head and teased, half-joking, half-warning:
"Better not. If your girlfriend finds out and comes up here to throw hands, I'm done for."
Quang Huy chuckled lightly, then replied with a calm honesty:
"No need to worry. We broke up."
Kieu Ly was tempted to offer some words of comfort, but held back. Better to keep a little distance, avoid any chance of the relationship becoming too… close.
She gently refused again:
"I can manage on my own. My boyfriend wouldn't be too thrilled if I started catching rides with other guys."
Quang Huy fell into quiet thought.
He knew she had a boyfriend. But long-distance? Studying abroad?
Could a relationship like that really survive?
His own had fallen apart just like that. He'd gone to Hanoi for college, she'd stayed in Da Nang—and eventually, she'd moved on.
Girls, he thought, tended to drift toward whoever was nearby, who could care for them.
Then again, he wasn't immune either.
Day by day, he found himself drawn to the gentle presence of Kieu Ly.
And now, he said with quiet determination:
"It's alright. Life is long. You can think of me as… your spare tire."
Kieu Ly didn't quite know how to respond to that.
Luckily, Huong Tra came to the rescue, bringing out the neatly peeled and sliced fruit and setting it on the table with a cheerful grin.
After they all finished eating, Quang Huy returned to his room, giving the two girls space to study.
Kieu Ly brought her small desk up onto the bed, opened her textbooks, and dove into studying.
She planned to finish her own assignments in an hour, then review the 11th-grade materials to prep for her next tutoring session.