Chapter 1
On Ryan's birthday, I booked a hotel room and waited for him.
But instead of Ryan, it was his roommate who showed up.
Ryan and I had been childhood friends and had been dating for four years.
I'd noticed something was off with him for the past six months.
When I asked him to go to the movies, he had his roommate come instead.
When I got sick, his roommate was the one who took care of me.
He said, "Chloe, you're way too controlling. No one would ever like you like this."
Doesn't he like me?
Is he way too trusting of his roommate?
*****
"Did Ryan give you the room number?" I asked.
In the couple's suite, I looked up at the tall guy standing in front of me.
He was 6'3", with broad shoulders and a slim waist.
His face was so handsome that I couldn't look away.
Ethan nodded. "Yeah."
He shifted his tall frame against the wall, keeping a bit more distance between us.
"The hotel's pretty far from campus. I happened to be nearby, so he asked me to give you a ride back," he said.
His voice was low and deep, with a hint of maturity beneath his youthful vibe.
I listened with a blank face and asked, "Did he say anything else?"
Ethan shook his head. "Not really, but this morning, Ryan sent a screenshot of your chat to our group chat."
I held out my hand to him. "Let me see your phone."
Ethan hesitated. "I don't think that's a good idea."
I just grabbed it from him.
Before I could even ask for the password, he blurted it out, "Six sixes."
I typed in the password.
The phone opened straight to the dorm group chat.
Sure enough, Ryan had sent a screenshot of our chat that morning.
It was the message where I invited him to the hotel.
The room number was right there in the message.
Under the screenshot, Ryan had sent two voice messages.
"Man, having a girlfriend is such a pain."
"But all I want to do today is go camping."
In the group chat, Ethan was the only one who stayed silent.
The other two roommates were eager to respond.
Jason Brooks: [Ryan, don't let your girlfriend keep you on a leash all the time.]
Jason Brooks: [Exactly! Go camping! There'll be plenty of hot girls there!]
Jason Brooks: [Exactly! Go camping! There'll be plenty of hot girls there!]
Kevin Grant: [If it were me, I'd go camping too!]
Kevin Grant: [You can hang out with your girlfriend anytime.]
So Ryan let them talk him into it.
He packed up and went camping in the mountains without even telling me beforehand.
It was only just now that he messaged me, saying, "Chloe, I can't get away right now. Don't wait for me at the hotel."
I handed the phone back to Ethan. "Thanks."
Ethan blinked his eyes and kept reassuring me.
"Don't overthink it. Ryan's always acting on impulse. He'll come back once he's had enough fun," he said.
My eyes were starting to sting.
But when I heard him say that, I couldn't help but laugh.
"Are you complimenting him or roasting him?" I asked.
Ethan looked at me, his voice gentle. "Are you really upset?"
I let my smile fade. "Just a little."
Honestly, the warning signs had been there for a while.
For the past six months, Ryan had been avoiding me.
He said I was too controlling.
He wanted some space.
Whenever I needed him, he'd always get someone else to take his place.
And that someone else was always Ethan.
Ethan mumbled under his breath, his tone hard to read. "To be honest, what I say doesn't really matter. At the end of the day, you two are together. Even if he cheats on you, as long as you're willing to forgive him, it's like nothing ever happened."
Hearing that, I couldn't help but think of the video his roommate sent me earlier.
Outdoors, Ryan was making out with a girl in his arms, with his friends cheering him on.
Ryan and I had been childhood friends, but lately, it felt like we were just brother and sister—not really romantic anymore.
We'd mess around and sling our arms around each other, but kissing? That almost never happened.
Just thinking about that video made me feel nauseous.
"How could it be nothing? He's not clean anymore," I said.
I pulled out my phone and called Ryan.
It took him forever to pick up.
When he finally did, his voice was low, and he sounded kind of sheepish.
"Chloe, the signal's really bad here and I'm kinda busy. Can I call you back tomorrow?" he said.
I kept my voice steady. "It's your birthday. What are you so busy with?"
"Chloe, my friends are throwing me a birthday party. They don't really know you, so I didn't invite you because I thought you'd feel awkward," he said.
"So, do you even remember you're my boyfriend?" I asked.
"I'm my own person first. I can't spend all my time on you," he replied.
I frowned. "Have you ever actually spend all your time on me?"
Ryan snapped at my words.
His voice was sharp, full of anger and blame.
"No? Every single day, I have to go to the cafeteria with you, pick you up from your dorm, go to class with you, hit the library, go shopping, try out new spots You treat me like your servant.
"I have to lug your bags around, grab your packages, get you whatever food you want, and tell you about everything I do and everyone I meet. Do you even treat me like a real person?"
I went quiet. So that's what you think being a boyfriend is—just doing chores for me?
So what's the point of having a boyfriend then?
"Ryan, did you really not like any of it?" I asked.
I thought Ryan actually enjoyed being with me.
But Ryan snapped, "I wasn't born to be your doormat. You treat me like a servant and expect me to be happy about it?"
I sighed. "Fine, let's break up."
Ryan was stunned. "Chloe, what are you talking about? Don't play hard to get with me!"
I hung up on him.
He called back, but I didn't pick up.