Chapter 2
Before getting on the plane, I kept typing [Let's break up] in the chat box, over and over, but never had the guts to actually send it.
Then, a second before I switched my phone to airplane mode, everything suddenly made sense. I texted: [Kian, happy birthday. Let's break up.]
Maybe breaking up is the gift Kian really wanted all along. It was my way of thanking him for all the help he'd given me over the years. Time to let things go back to how they should be.
*****
I checked my phone after landing. Kian had replied, no pleading, no questions. He replied: [You sure?]
Staring at those words on the screen, I suddenly started laughing. Laughing through tears, big drops fell onto the screen. My fingers trembled as I typed back: [Yes.]
As soon as I sent it, he replied with a single word: [Okay.]
I wiped away my tears and set up a viewing with a real estate agent. This wasn't the time to cry. I needed to find a place fast and move out of Kian's place.
With my suitcase in tow, I sat on the agent's electric scooter as we checked out a bunch of apartments. My budget was only 300 dollars.
But in Myriath, where every inch costs a fortune, there was no way I could get a place to myself, unless I wanted to share with strangers.
In the end, I spent 500 dollars to rent a one-bedroom apartment on the seventh floor of a walk-up, with nothing but a water heater inside. After paying the rent and deposit, my bank balance was down to double digits.
Once I'd secured the apartment, I rushed right back to Kian's place. This apartment was full of good memories. It was the first time in my eighteen years that I ever had a room to call my own.
Once I calmed myself down, I quickly packed up my things. I hadn't bought much for myself over the years, so all my clothes and shoes fit into two suitcases.
Turned out, almost nothing here was really mine. Most of it had been bought by the housekeeper at Kian's request. I only took what I'd paid for myself. Everything else stayed behind.
All those years of stuff, packed up in a few hours. After that, I mopped the floor, erasing any sign I'd ever lived here.
I took one last look at the place that had supported me for so long, whispered a quiet goodbye, left the keys on the shoe cabinet, locked up, and walked out.
On the bus ride back to my new place, I sent Kian one last message: [I've moved everything out. The keys are on the shoe cabinet.]
Before he could reply, I deleted all his contact info and all his buddies' numbers, too.
Once I'd done all that, a cool evening breeze drifted in through the open bus window and brushed against my face. "I can't let myself get stuck in all this relationship drama," I muttered.
*****
At first, I couldn't get used to living in that rental. I had no money for a bed, so I had to use some cardboard boxes to spread on the floor and sleep on. At night, it was so hot I couldn't fall asleep.
After hustling with some part-time jobs and scraping together a bit of money, I finally got myself a bed, a desk, a chair, a fan, a pillow, and a blanket, little by little.
Life was finally starting to look up, and Kian was slowly slipping out of my life.
Two years after graduation, when I turned twenty-four, my savings finally hit 30,000 dollars. To celebrate, I treated myself to a fancy dinner at a high-end restaurant, a special meal for 200 dollars.
And to my surprise, I actually ran into Kian there.
I was savoring a small piece of steak flown in from abroad, feeling pure happiness. From here, I could see the whole city of Myriath spread out below.
I made a promise to myself: when I saved up another 30,000 dollars, I'd come back and treat myself again.
As I looked away from the neon-lit cityscape, I locked eyes with a man who had walked in. It was Kian.
Three years had passed, and he'd lost that carefree, devil-may-care vibe. He looked so much more mature now. Back when we broke up, I'd imagined running into Kian, but I never expected it to catch me so off guard.
The fork and knife slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a crisp sound, snapping me back to reality.
Three years ago, he was still working on his master's. Maybe he'd finished and come back home. But none of it mattered to me anymore. We were like two parallel lines, never going to meet again.
I smiled, had the waiter bring me a new fork and knife, and acted as if Kian never existed in my world. I kept enjoying my fancy dinner.
After stuffing myself with good food and drink, I put on my headphones and listened to some upbeat music, feeling totally satisfied as I walked to the bus stop.
I caught the bus and headed back to my place in the urban village, completely unaware that a black luxury car had been tailing me the whole way.
Tomorrow was Saturday, so I stopped by the supermarket to pick up some groceries. I wasn't planning to go out for the next couple of days, wanted to chill at home, binge some shows, and play a few games.
As I walked out of the supermarket, I looked up at the sky. The moon was hanging high, so bright and pure. Running into Kian didn't bother me one bit. In fact, I felt a light, almost indifferent kind of happiness.