Chapter 4

I worked as a column editor at a city magazine office. My main job was writing character profiles and city life features, basically a person who documented other people's lives.

The upside of this job was that I'd seen so many absurd real-life stories. The downside was that my work habits would kick in the second trouble landed on my own doorstep.

Last night, when I saw Alex holding Sophie, my first thought was that the scene was solid, the conflict was clear, and I needed to flesh out the characters' motives.

Clara joked that my emotions arrived late to the party.

*****

When I got to the magazine office, Daniel Lindsey, the editor-in-chief, slapped a stack of files onto my desk. "Rosy, you're covering the traffic police's special feature on civilized driving."

I almost spilled my coffee. "Who?"

"The traffic police. Aren't you pretty close with them? Your boyfriend works over there, right?"

The clacking of keyboards in the office died down a little.

My coworkers had gossip sensors sharper than a navigation app: pinpoint accurate and constantly updating.

I flipped open the file, and the cover read: [Young Traffic Cop Alex, Guardian of Nighttime Commuters in the City].

The word "Guardian" made my eye twinge with irritation.

Daniel continued, "This piece needs heart. Don't make it read like a boring official press release. You're close to him, and you can dig up details."

I smiled. "Sure, I can make it."

Daniel nodded, looking satisfied. "That's the proper attitude."

I glanced down at the file. There was a photo of Alex in his uniform, standing at an intersection and saluting. His gaze was steady, and he was tall, upright, and striking.

I used to love this photo so much. I saved it to my phone and showed it off to Clara, gushing that my boyfriend looked like he had a built-in beauty filter in uniform.

Clara texted me back then: [Don't crank that filter up too high, or you'll miss all the messy hidden flaws."

Looking back, I realized that sometimes Clara wasn't being a pessimist but a soothsayer.

*****

At noon, Alex called me.

I let the phone ring almost all the way before finally picking up.

His voice sounded tired. "Rosy, we need to talk."

"I'm at work," I said.

"I'll pick you up this evening."

"No need. I'm afraid you'll switch things up at the last minute."

He paused. "Are you still mad at me?"

"Nope."

"Then why did you act like that last night?"

I leaned against the window in the hallway, watching the traffic below. "Alex, I watched you, my boyfriend, carry your ex into a bar.

"But I still neatly packed up all your belongings for you. You should give me props for keeping my cool."

His voice dropped. "I've told you, nothing is going on between Sophie and me."

"Yeah."

"You don't believe me?"

I stared at my reflection on the window glass, noticing faint dark circles under my eyes. "It's not that I don't trust you. I don't want to keep making excuses for you anymore."

There was silence on the line. After a long pause, he said, "I'll come see you tonight."

I hung up. Daniel's voice came from behind me. "Your interview subject?"

I turned around to find him holding a mug and watching me.

I nodded. "Sort of."

He shot me a glance and didn't press for details. He only said, "There's no rush on the article. If the person is layered, write them that way. Don't sand off all the rough edges to make the story look neat."

I gave a faint smile. "Don't worry. I've got more than enough sharp edges now."

*****

At 3 PM, I headed over to the traffic police station.

Out front, a few police motorcycles were parked, their blue-and-white bodies gleaming, lined up neatly like a bunch of well-behaved sea creatures.

Alex wasn't there to meet me.

Instead, his colleague, Matthew Carroll, came out. He had a round face, and when he smiled, his eyes crinkled into crescents. "Mrs. Carter, Officer Carter is in a meeting. I'll show you in."

Being called Mrs. Carter struck a raw little nerve inside me. I used to get shy when others called me that, but now it felt somewhat ironic.

I smiled and corrected him. "Please call me Ms. Snyder."

Matthew paused for a second and then quickly switched his wording. "Ms. Snyder, this way."

The station's publicity office was on the small side. Night patrol snapshots and accident warning posters covered the walls.

I sat down and started going through the files as Matthew handed me a glass of water. "Officer Carter's been swamped with work lately. He was out leading patrols until after two in the morning last night."

I looked up. "He was leading the team last night?"

"Yep." After saying that, Matthew seemed to remember something and scratched his head. "But he took some time off in the middle of the night for something personal and came back later."

I picked up my glass. "It must've been pretty important personal business."

Matthew missed the sarcasm and nodded earnestly. "He is super responsible and barely takes time off. I think a friend of his was having some trouble last night."

I asked, "Sophie?"

Matthew's hand froze mid-air. His face was so honest, like someone caught off guard when put on the spot with no clue what to say. "You know her?"

I smiled. "I've heard a lot about her."

Matthew looked more awkward. He lowered his voice. "Ms. Snyder, if I may add, Officer Carter and Sophie did date ages ago, but they split up years back.

"Sophie got wasted at a bar last night, and some guy was hitting on her, so she called Officer Carter, and he went over to help her out."

Matthew's story had an extra twist Alex left out: she was being harassed by someone else.