Chapter 2

After deciding to leave, Sophia started quietly getting ready. She quit the admin job she'd been at for five years. She'd picked it in the first place because it was close to Victor's company, so she could easily help him out whenever needed.

Celia from HR was surprised. "Sophia, you've been doing so well. Why are you suddenly quitting? Did you find something better?"

"Just need a fresh start," Sophia said, leaving it at that.

Next up was finding a place to live. Holly had moved to Hinston and sent Sophia a few listings. [This one looks great, a two-bedroom apartment. It's perfect for us to share. And the best part is, it's only a ten-minute walk from the office.]

Sophia checked out the photos and the price, then replied, [Looks good. I'll be there by the end of the month.]

Finally, Sophia turned to dealing with the memories she'd built in this city. She spent the whole weekend cleaning out her room, finding all sorts of things connected to Victor.

It included photos from elementary school, a hairpin he gave her in middle school, train tickets from their college trips, and the little gifts he'd given her after they started working.

Each item carried a memory. Sitting on the floor, Sophia looked through them one by one, as if she were reflecting on the first half of her life.

When she was six, Victor chased away the boy who was bullying her. His knees were scraped, but he smiled at Sophia while she was sniffling and crying, and said, "Don't be scared. I'll protect you from now on."

At twelve, when she got her first period and didn't know what to do, she hid in the bathroom. Victor noticed something was off, ran to the store to buy pads, and shoved them into her hands.

At eighteen, on the night after the SAT, Victor came running over, excited, to tell her that the school belle had confessed to him. Sophia put on a brave face and said, "Congrats." But when she got home, she cried herself to sleep.

At twenty-four, after Victor got dumped, he leaned on her shoulder, drunk, and said, "Sophia, why does everyone leave me? You're the only one who'll never go, right?"

She replied softly, "I'll always be here for you."

Now, she was leaving too.

Sophia packed everything away, one by one, into a cardboard box and taped it shut. She didn't throw anything out. Instead, she left the box in Holly's storage room. Cutting ties for good would take time, and she was okay with taking it slow.

Sophia didn't tell Victor about quitting her job or moving. She didn't know what to say and was afraid of how he'd take it. She didn't have the courage to face it.

Over the past month, Victor had asked her out three times, but she always found some excuse to dodge him. The first time, she said she had to work late; the second, she claimed she was sick.

The third, she said that she was heading out of town for training.

Victor texted her, [Sophia, you've been pretty busy lately, huh?]

Sophia replied, [Yeah, a little.]

Victor texted, [What about this weekend? Vivian wants to learn how to make Baked Salmon. Are you free to teach her?]

Sophia stared at her phone, her finger hovering over the keyboard. If this were before, she'd have said yes in a heartbeat, picked up the Salmon ahead of time, and checked out new recipes online.

But this time, she replied, [I'm going to my parents' place this weekend. Sorry.]

After hitting send, she turned off her phone and let out a long breath. "So this is what it feels like to say no. Not as hard as I imagined," Sophia muttered.

Three days before she left, Sophia decided to meet Victor one last time. It wasn't a goodbye, a regular dinner, like always, and then she'd slip away quietly.

She asked him to meet at their usual spot. Victor showed up right on time, wearing the gray sweater she had given him.

"It's been a while, Sophia," Victor said as he sat down, looking her over carefully. "You've lost weight."

"Been pretty busy lately," Sophia replied, handing him the menu. "Go ahead and order. My treat tonight."

Victor raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you're being pretty generous tonight. Something good happened?"

"Nothing special. Just wanted to treat you to dinner," Sophia replied.

Victor ordered all their usual favorites. He remembered everything she liked, but he never really thought about why.

Victor talked about his job, griping about tough clients, then started sharing some funny stories about Vivian, sounding pretty fond of her.

Sophia listened quietly, only offering a few words here and there. This had been their routine for twenty years. Victor talked, Sophia listened. Whenever he needed something, she was always there to help.

"Sophia," Victor suddenly stopped eating. "Is something up with you lately? You haven't seemed yourself."

Sophia's heart skipped a beat. "What makes you say that?"

Victor replied, meeting her eyes, "We've known each other for twenty years. I know you pretty well. When something's weighing on you, you go quiet."

"So he does notice. He picks up on my moods; he knows what my silence means. But why has he never tried to dig deeper?" Sophia muttered.

"It's nothing major," Sophia replied with a smile, trying to sound casual. "Work's been exhausting lately, so I figured I'd take a little break."

"Well, make sure you get some real rest," Victor said, handing her a piece of tripe. "By the way, my birthday's coming up next month. I'm throwing a party, and you'd better be there.

"Vivian insists she's going to bake me a cake, but honestly, I'm pretty sure she'll mess it up. I'll need you to step in and save the day."

Sophia's hand shook slightly. By next month, she'd already be in Hinston.

"Victor," she said softly. "If I ever left and moved far away, would you miss me?"

Victor paused, then laughed. "Come on, what are you saying? Where would you even go? We said we'd be friends forever, didn't we?"

That promise used to warm her, but now it felt more like a shackle.

"I was asking," Sophia said, ducking her head, busying herself with her food to hide the shimmer of tears in her eyes.

After dinner, Victor offered to walk her home, but Sophia shook her head. "I want to walk alone for a while."

"It's late, you know. It's not really safe out," Victor said.

"It's okay, it's a couple of blocks."

Victor gave in. "Alright, but text me when you get home, okay?"

"Okay."

Sophia turned and started walking slowly down the familiar street. She and Victor had walked this way together countless times, going to and from school, shopping, and grabbing midnight snacks. Every corner held a memory.