Chapter 1
I grew up with Ashur Locke; we were childhood neighbors, inseparable.
His girlfriend, Giselle Laurent, never could stand that.
They fought over me constantly, stuck in a tired cycle of breaking up and making up, a classic push-and-pull drama.
Then, at one gathering, she called me out in front of everyone: "Maeve, why don't I set you up with someone?"
In the dead silence, my eyes flickered to the man beside Ashur, his best friend, Silas Sterling.
I just smiled and shook my head. "No need. I already have a boyfriend."
The next second, Ashur's face darkened, and he crushed his wine glass in his hand.
*****
Ashur and Giselle got back together again.
When I heard the news, I didn't feel a thing.
Chloe Summers was all fired up, texting me the latest drama.
[They were broken up for a full three months this time before getting back together, a new record.]
[I heard Giselle fled abroad, and Ashur chased her to win her back.]
[They've dated two years and broken up five times. Aren't they tired?]
I just smiled and didn't bother replying.
[Bet Ashur Locke will fuss in the chat about buying dinner again.]
[You going?]
I sent a reaction meme to politely turn it down.
[Nah, I'm swamped with piano practice. I've got a competition next month.]
[I'm going to hang out with that crazy couple. I'll share any new gossip with you.]
[Okay~] [Dog nodding meme]
After sending the message, I went back to practicing the piano.
About half an hour later, I picked up my phone again and saw Chloe had sent another message.
She hesitated before finally asking.
[But do you know why they broke up this time?]
[No idea.]
Chloe shot back quickly, [Giselle discovered Ashur's phone password is your birthday.]
On Friday, the group chat that had been quiet for ages suddenly blew up.
Ashur messaged that he and Giselle are back and invited everyone to dinner at the usual spot.
Everyone was cracking jokes and teasing him. [We're used to it, but still, congrats.]
[Ashur, you're slipping! Took you this long to win her back?]
[Seriously, when am I gonna get a break from these reunion dinners?]
I was just about to type out my excuse for not going when Giselle called me out directly in the group chat.
[Maeve, you gotta be there!]
[Sorry, I've been pretty busy lately.]
[Come on, it's just dinner!] She said, [I misunderstood you and Ash before. That must've been awkward.]
[I want to apologize in person. Please give me a chance and come.]
Awkward silence
No one else said a word.
Just holding my phone, I suddenly felt super annoyed out of nowhere.
After a moment, I shot back, [Fine.]
When I walked in, the private room was already buzzing with energy.
The moment I opened the door, the place fell silent.
Ashur, at the table's head, looked up and relaxed slightly.
"What took you so long?" he said, patting the empty seat next to him. "Come sit here."
Giselle briefly hesitated, then smiled and linked arms with Ashur, showing he was hers.
"Maeve, you finally made it! We were all waiting for you to show up."
"Sorry, traffic was a nightmare," I replied.
The whole time, Ashur kept his eyes on me.
I ignored it and walked to Chloe, who waved from the corner.
As soon as I sat down, Giselle walked over, a glass of wine in hand.
"Maeve, I'm really glad you could make it," she said.
"I kept misunderstanding things with Ash and argued with him often. I ended up embarrassing myself."