Chapter 1
It was the middle of the night, and I suddenly had a craving for barbecue.
So I gave my ex, Jorden Schultz, a call to see if he was up for some late-night barbecue.
Jorden's voice was icy. "No, my girlfriend won't let me."
"Oh, then can I borrow your student ID? They do 31% off after midnight," I asked.
Jorden snapped on the other end. "Stella, are you out of your mind?"
"Geez, no need to get all personal about it," I shot back.
Jorden just slammed the phone down in anger.
I let out a sigh and grabbed a cab to barbecue alone.
Last month, I found out Jorden got into grad school here. It took me a while to work up the nerve, but I finally called him.
I never thought he already had a new girlfriend?
About an hour later, my phone buzzed. It was Jorden calling back.
"Which table are you at?" he asked.
I was busy picking out duck intestines from the barbecue sauce, and it was a real hassle to separate them.
"Let me check," I said.
"No need, I already spotted you," Jorden replied.
I looked up and saw Jorden striding right toward me.
He didn't just lend me his student ID. He even picked up the tab for me.
I blurted out, "Wanna eat together?"
Jorden shot me an impatient look. "No, I've got someone waiting for me outside."
"I'll send you the money later," I said.
His eyes narrowed, and he sneered, "Thanks for the reminder. We should just block each other's numbers too."
"Don't bother calling me again," he snapped.
"Sorry," I mumbled.
But that did nothing to cool Jorden off. He just got even more frosty. "You hit me up this late at night? My girlfriend is gonna think something's up."
"Yeah, that's probably not a good look," I admitted.
I pointed at his neck. "Then hand over that scarf you're wearing."
Jorden paused for a second. "Why should I?"
"Isn't it kinda awkward to be with your girlfriend while still wearing a scarf your ex gave you?" I said.
Jorden shot back, "You gave it to me, so it's mine now. Why are you all up in my business?"
Just then, his phone started ringing, and we both looked at the caller ID.
It was Cerys Martin.
Jorden's face softened as he picked up the call and walked away without another word.
I stared at the food, and suddenly I just lost my appetite.
When I stepped out of the barbecue joint, a light snow was falling.
Jorden came out of the coffee shop next door, carrying a cup of coffee.
His new car was parked by the curb, and in the passenger seat sat a girl with long, curly hair.
Jorden handed her the coffee, walked around the front of the car, and got behind the wheel.
As the car drove off, the snow started coming down harder.
As I walked along the street, out of nowhere, I remembered something that happened back when Jorden and I were still together, right before we split.
It was another snowy night, just past midnight, 12:30 AM.
I'd just finished my shift and couldn't bring myself to spend 36 dollars on a cab.
So I called Jorden and asked him to come pick me up.
Jorden showed up on his old secondhand scooter to pick me up.
The road was iced over, and on the way back, the scooter suddenly slipped out from under us.
We totally wiped out, bike and all. I was mostly fine, but Jorden got messed up pretty bad.
He had a huge scrape on his palm, and his chin, knees, and even his mouth were all messed up.
He was the one who got hurt, but I was the one bawling my eyes out.
While the doctors were patching him up at the hospital, he was gritting his teeth through the pain and still trying to calm me down.
When we finally left the hospital, I was feeling miserable, full of regret and guilt.
If I'd known things would turn out like this, I never would've tried to save those 36 dollars on a cab.
Jorden, his face all scraped up, pulled me into a hug and tried to comfort me. "Stella, it's not your fault. Blame the scooter's tires. They were worn out. That's why we slipped."
"I'll work hard and save up to get us a car before next winter," Jorden said, his voice gentle.
"By then, you'll be riding shotgun, coffee in hand, music playing, drifting off to sleep. Next thing you know, you'll wake up at home, safe and sound. No more worrying about taking a spill."
*****
I reached a fork in the road, and just like that, the memories came to an abrupt stop.
Every road has an end, and so does every relationship.
I transferred the money for dinner to Jorden's bank account.
Two days later, I got a package from a city runner.
When I opened the box, there was the scarf I gave him, freshly washed and neatly folded inside.
Guess Jorden was worried I'd keep bothering him, so he made sure to cut me off completely, nothing left between us.
I tucked the scarf away in the back of my closet.
People move on eventually. Since he had already moved forward, there's no reason for me to keep clinging to something that's over.
A week later, I was packing up my stuff when my phone rang. It was Andrew Lancaster.
He was freaking out. "Stella, I need you to do me a solid. Pretend to be my pregnant girlfriend and help me make a scene!"
I glanced at my half-packed suitcase and was about to turn him down. "Nah, I'm about to leave this place."