Chapter 2

Charlotte called, "Honey, our class reunion lets us bring family. Can you come?"

After I hung up, WhatsApp buzzed. It was a cheerful voice message from her.

She might be excited because her old flame was back.

I said sure and grabbed a cab to the party.

As soon as I walked into the bar, Charlotte rushed over to greet me.

She hung onto my arm, acting all lovey-dovey and clingy.

"Wait, is this really the queen of chaos from back in the day? Look at her now, so gentle and ladylike," someone teased.

Charlotte just smiled and said, "You don't get it. That's what love does, it makes you want to change for someone."

Her classmates started teasing us, playfully saying our love was so sweet that it could melt hearts.

I tried to curve the corners of my lips into a smile, but it came out stiff and fake.

Charlotte really had changed for love—but deep down, I knew that love wasn't for me.

Almost instantly, my eyes landed on a guy standing right in the middle of the crowd.

He had this chill, almost icy demeanor, with smoldering eyes that held a soft, charming gleam. No wonder that he would completely spellbind Charlotte.

As soon as he caught my gaze, Samuel Stone stood up, flashed Charlotte a playful smirk, and arched his brow. "Well, looks like you just might have a shot at winning that wager we made ages ago."

His words dripped with innuendo, and Charlotte's expression darkened right away. She glared at him and snapped, "Knock it off, Samuel."

Samuel looked a little annoyed for a second, but then he flashed me a grin and said, "Not many guys can handle a wildcat like Charlotte. Respect, man. Cheers."

Everything in his tone—every little smirk—just screamed how close he and Charlotte used to be.

That was her youth, a chapter of her life I was never a part of.

That was when the bet was made—the reason Charlotte ended up lying to me.

I took the drink and knocked it back, keeping a cold eye on Samuel, wondering what his next move would be.

Samuel's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Hey, word is you know how to breakdance, right? Everyone's vibing tonight. How about giving us a little show?"

"No way," Charlotte cut in before I could get a word out.

Samuel just shrugged, his grin stretched wider. "Come on, everyone's having fun. I just figured he could heat things even more."

"Yeah, Charlotte," one of her old classmates teased, "let your man strut his stuff. Don't act like he is your baby doll."

Their words were laced with laughter, but through their fake smiles, I could see the obvious malice in their eyes.

They were just waiting for me to embarrass myself.

Charlotte reflexively tried to refuse, but after her classmates kept provoking her, she finally bit her lip, hesitating before asking, "Honey, do you want to—?"

I cut her off. "Are you sure you want me to dance?"

Back then, I wrecked my back saving Charlotte.

The doctors made it painfully clear: dancing was out of the question for me, forever.

But she hesitated for a second, and then nodded.

I let out a soft chuckle, leaned in close to her ear, and quietly whispered, "This is the last time I'll dance for you."

Three days from now, she would never get another shot.

Before Charlotte could even really catch my words, I was already making my way up to the stage.

Totally oblivious to what was actually happening, she just watched me with those soft, encouraging eyes.

"Go for it, honey. Gotta work on that shyness of yours now and then," she called out, cheering me on as ever.

Back in the day, Charlotte used to put so much effort into taking care of my busted back.

She'd spend ages picking up massage tricks online, and no matter how worn out she was, she'd still give me those sweaty, exhausting massages every day.

But now that her old crush was back from abroad, she tossed all those promises out the window.

The intense moves quickly wore me out—I was leaning over, holding onto my lower back, and gasping for breath.

That was when Charlotte finally remembered I had a bum back.

She rushed up to the stage, grabbed me, and practically dragged me out of there.

"Honey, is your back acting up? Let's go home. I'll give you a massage," Charlotte said.

Before today, I really cherished the way she looked after me.

But now, just thinking about Samuel made me feel like I'd swallowed a dead fly—nauseating to the core.

I quietly slipped my arm out of her grip, my tone cold as ice.

"No need. I'll go home and put on some medicine myself. You stay and enjoy your reunion," I said coldly.

But Charlotte couldn't care less about any of it. She brushed off her classmates trying to hold her back, didn't even give Samuel a look, and just shoved me straight into the car.

On the road, her fingers kept impatiently tapping on the steering wheel, the soft thump-thump filling the air. Every time we hit a traffic jam, she'd curse under her breath.

I was in too much pain to say a word, just listening to Charlotte chatter nonstop next to me, "Don't worry, honey. I keep medicine at home. Once I put it on for you, you won't hurt anymore."

Back home, she bustled around, got me to lie down, and started giving my back a careful massage.

As she worked out the knots in my muscles, my heart twisted with a bitter ache.

I was confused and couldn't figure out what all this was about.

She's clearly into someone else, but now she was so nice to me.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Charlotte finally sat down and grabbed a sip of water.

Right at that moment, her phone started ringing out of nowhere.

The screen lit up with Samuel's name, bright and unmistakable.

She hesitated for a beat and then quickly put on an innocent face as she declined the call. Smiling, she fussed over my blanket and said, "Just a spam call. So annoying."

I nodded, and Charlotte added, "Honey, I'm going to the bathroom."

She was back a moment later, pausing at the door with an apologetic look. "Sorry, something came up at work. I have to go deal with it."

Her guilt and apology were so real.

If only this weren't all because of Samuel.

Clinging to the last bit of hope, I asked softly, "Can you stay?"

She just gave me that reluctant, bittersweet smile and shook her head without hesitation.

I didn't know how long I'd been zoned out, just staring up at the ceiling, before the WhatsApp alert finally snapped me back to reality.

It was a friend request with just one line in the note. [Samuel.]

For some reason, I hit accept.