Chapter 3

Alex and his friends stayed up late, having fun.

At two in the morning, the manager was worried I hadn't fully recovered yet, so he let me go home first.

I had barely stepped inside when Alex walked in right behind me.

He was carrying a smashed birthday cake, with Rachel's name still visible on it. "It was Rachel's birthday. The cake was barely touched, so I brought it back for you. I thought you rarely get the chance to eat birthday cake like this.

"I remember you like sweet stuff."

Was I supposed to think he's being considerate?

He didn't explain himself at all, like he just assumed I'd forgive him for anything.

I almost asked if he remembered it was my birthday too. But I understood there was no need to, as we would never see each other again.

I responded quietly. I opened the closet and began packing my things on my own.

In the closet, there were only a few pieces of my clothes: a cheap padded jacket and a few pilled sweaters. I couldn't imagine how I had made it through one winter after another like that.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked.

I paused for a moment and took nothing out, deciding I would buy new ones later. "Nothing. Just checking for some clothes."

Alex grinned and grabbed my hand. "Forget about it. You're off tomorrow, so how about I take you out for some fun? We can pick up some new clothes."

Before I could even respond, his phone started ringing. I glanced at the screen and saw it was Rachel.

He turned away to answer the call. His voice went all sweet and gentle. "You want to see me? Okay, I'm coming over now."

I was surprised that he wasn't even trying to hide it from me.

He walked to the door right away and only said, "Get some sleep. Don't wait up for me."

Before I knew it, the words just slipped out. "Alex, do you love me?"

He looked stunned for a moment, then asked, "What's wrong?"

Suddenly, I couldn't hold back anymore, and tears streamed down my face. I broke down, all the bottled-up pain spilling out. Clutching his hand, I pleaded again and again, "Alex, just say you love me, please. Just once."

I kept begging, afraid of ending up so pathetic.

But he gently unclasped my fingers from his hand and said, "Sorry, I just can't bring myself to say it."

He turned away, never looking back.

I curled up on the floor, crying until my eyes were so swollen I could barely open them. It seemed there were no more tears left to cry.

When morning came, I grabbed my driver's licence and gave this tiny apartment one last, lingering look and left for good.

At 8:30, just half an hour before my flight, I got a message from Alex. [Where are you? Are you working late again? I'm feeling fine now, you don't have to overdo it anymore.

[I remember you like the latte from East Street, so I grabbed one for you.]

I didn't reply. At 8:50, Alex sent me another photo. It was a small cake. [You barely touched the cake yesterday, so I thought maybe it wasn't your thing. I picked up another one for you.

[Do you want me to swing by at your workplace? We can come home together.]

At 8:55, I finally replied: [Alex, yesterday was my birthday too. I know all about the promises you made to Rachel. It's over between us. I'm leaving.]

Then I turned off my phone.

As the plane taxied down the runway and took off, I stared out the window, and a single tear slid down my cheek.

I decided never to see him again.

*****

After the plane touched down, I powered up my phone, and it instantly blew up with messages from him. [Emma, stop this. I saw your clothes are still in the closet.

[Where are you? Don't make me worry like this.

[Emma, please text me back. You know I'm not good at sweet talk.]

Not good at sweet talk? But when it came to Rachel, you could say all the sweet words.

It was just that I never mattered enough for you to bother.