Chapter 2
Leon seemed absent-minded all the way there.
It wasn't until he pushed open the door to the private room and saw the one he had been longing to see that his heart finally came alive again.
Right in front of Anna, Leon turned on his perfect boyfriend routine, acting all attentive and caring toward me.
Leon said, "Babe, your period's almost here, so stay away from cold drinks. I got you something warm instead.
"And this—spicy food's off-limits for you, remember? Don't eat it."
Back then, I was clueless. I actually thought Leon was being so attentive because he loved me.
Turned out, it was his way of making Anna jealous.
Just like now, he was fussing over me, but every so often, his eyes would dart over to Anna.
"Wow, Leon, after all this time, you're still treating her like a queen? Setting the bar high for the rest of us."
"For real, Jane, I'm so jealous. It's not easy to find someone who loves you this much. You two should get married after graduation; we're all waiting for the wedding."
Our classmates kept laughing and teasing us, but as soon as marriage was brought up, both Anna's and Leon's faces fell.
Anna's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. She grabbed her glass and drained it in one go.
She said, "Yeah, I really wish I could be like Jane. She's got someone who loves her so much. Me? I'm all alone. The person who said he'd always be there for me doesn't want me anymore.
"Sorry, everyone. I'm not feeling well. I'll head out first. You guys enjoy your meal."
Before leaving, Anna gave Leon a tearful, weightless glance. That glance was enough to sweep his mind away from everything else.
Leon was caught off guard. He called out, "Anna?"
He shot up and hurried after her, leaving the rest of us exchanging confused looks.
"Uh... what's going on? Jane, do you wanna go check on them?" someone asked.
I was speechless, my fork frozen halfway to my mouth, unsure whether to keep eating or put them down.
There was no need to guess. Leon was probably pulling out all the stops to comfort Anna. Honestly, that was none of my business.
But with everyone egging me on, I finally got up and headed out. Little did I know, I was about to catch something juicy.
They weren't hard to spot, just a short distance away, tucked into a secluded corner.
From behind a few boxes, I could clearly see Leon pinning Anna against the wall, kissing her like he never wanted to let go.
I didn't make a sound and silently hit record on my phone.
"Aren't you supposed to marry her? You treat her so well, say you love her so much; so why are you kissing me?" Anna said, her cheeks puffed out in mock annoyance. Her little act made Leon lean in and steal another kiss.
Leon replied, "Dummy, I'm only nice to her because of you. Wasn't it you who threw a fit last time, saying you'd marry whoever helped you get that college recommendation?
"I'm with her to piss you off. You're the one who kept saying you didn't care about me, so I had to prove you wrong."
Anna wiped away her tears, then broke into a smile. "I was joking. You actually believed me. So, when are you dumping her? I really can't stand watching you two flaunt your relationship all the time."
"Don't worry, I've almost got my hands on her report and thesis. Once you use her work to win the competition, the department will totally give you the spot. When it's all over, we'll finally be together," Leon promised.
Leon patiently coaxed Anna, swearing up and down that he'd use all my hard work as a stepping stone to launch her to the top.
Even though I already lived through this once and knew Leon and Anna were thick as thieves, hearing it all for myself still stung.
I took a deep breath, stopped recording, and headed back to the private room before they realized I was there.