Chapter 3
There were messages from my bestie, Amelia Rosewood, who was doing a short course in Alether.
There were some from Percival, too.
Right after I lay down, he texted: [Did you get home?]
Half an hour later, he just sent a single question mark.
After that, he wrote: [Are you doing this on purpose? Trying to make me worry?]
After he called me a few times, but failed, he wrote: [Fine, if that's how it is, we don't even need to be friends.]
After wrestling with my thoughts for a while, I finally replied: [Sorry, I just saw this. I didn't mean anything like what you think.]
That red exclamation mark was impossible to miss.
Right in the middle of the screen, a small line read: [Message sent, but the recipient has blocked you.]
My throat felt like I'd swallowed a razor blade.
I froze for a moment, completely stunned.
I felt that maybe this was for the best.
Being sick lingered for ages. I finally felt like myself again after a month.
I didn't reach out to Percival.
I tried to piece my life back together, one small step at a time.
During the weekdays, I worked myself to the bone.
On weekends, I'd shop around, hike, go trekking, or camp out with friends.
Some people said that a breakup would feel like coming down with a nasty cold.
At first, I felt rough, but the symptoms barely showed.
As time went by, the ache and bitterness were like a pounding headache, and missing them was like that annoying tickle in my throat that would keep making them cough.
When it got worse, I had to pop pills just to get through the day.
To stop things from spiraling, I had to start cutting out anything that had to do with him.
When I finally recovered from that breakup cold, all the bitterness and pain would be gone for good.
Every now and then, mutual friends would ask why I wasn't hanging out with Percival anymore.
I'd just smile and keep quiet.
They were not asking to gossip or anything.
Before I could even answer, they'd start unloading all their own problems.
They said that Percival's girlfriend was super possessive. She made him cut off all his female friends from his contacts.
If a girl had a boyfriend, she figured there was no point keeping her as a friend.
If she was single, even less reason to keep her around.
A person wrote to me: [But honestly, that girl kind of reminds me of you.]
I just shot back a sticker and locked my screen.
Amelia just finished her course in Alether and came back home today.
She came running over and gave me a huge bear hug.
Then, with a playful smirk, she said, "Babe, why are you so skinny? Were you missing me so much you lost your appetite?"
I didn't mention Percival to her.
I didn't talk about him when we were together, and now that we had broken up, there was really nothing to say either.
"Yeah, but I think starting today, I'm gonna put the weight back on," I replied.
She eyed my chest with a playful grin. "A little extra weight is good, nice and squishy, just the way I like it."
*****
After half a year stuck eating plain food in Alether, Amelia was craving something with real kick, so she went straight for the bold, flavorful local dishes.
A young, energetic waitress showed us to our table.
She gave us the rundown on the menu and checked if we had any food allergies, super attentive and thoughtful.
Amelia came up with a reason to ask her to snap a group photo for us once all the dishes arrived, and slipped her a generous tip while she was at it.
We snapped some pics, touched them up, and posted them online.
By the time Amelia was done fussing with the photos, I was already pretty stuffed.
I kept helping her with food and chatted about the latest gossip, just so she wouldn't feel awkward.
Obviously, I skipped anything about Percival.
But then Amelia suddenly put down her fork, going full detective mode.
"Alright, partner, what's your take on Percival's new girlfriend looking just like you?" she asked,.
"I have no take on this," I said flatly while picking up a piece of fish.
"I've told you before, if you like someone, just sleep with them. Keeping them in your heart just messes you up," Amelia said, then picked up her fork again.
She reached for the fish, too.
She said, "It's like good food, looks tasty on the plate, but once it's in your stomach... You get the idea."
Her words were rough, but she wasn't wrong.
Still, it kind of killed my appetite.
I rolled my eyes at Amelia and got up to head to the restroom.
When I got back, I nearly did a double-take. There were suddenly two extra people at our table.
It was Percival and his girlfriend.