Chapter 4 · We Ended Seven Years Of Love, His Roommate Started Another.

Chapter 4

The footage was a bit shaky, obviously shot in secret. Raymond was turned away from the camera, tossing dice and joking around with a few friends.

One of the guys asked, "Raymond, Natalie's breaking up with you, and you're still here drinking like nothing's wrong?"

Raymond didn't even turn around, answering with total nonchalance.

"It's not happening," he said.

"Natalie's just throwing a tantrum, probably jealous. I know her better than anyone. She's all bark and no bite. Ignore her for a couple of days, and she'll be the one crawling back, begging to get back together," he said.

Another guy chimed in, "Aren't you worried she'll actually go to Serphira Island by herself?"

"No way," Raymond replied, sounding completely sure of himself. "She's a total chicken and can't even find her way out of a paper bag. Without me, she's totally lost. There's no way she'd go somewhere that far by herself."

"And let's be real, she's obsessed with looking good. If there's no one around to snap her photos, what's the point of going anywhere?"

Just then, the door to their private room swung open, and Giselle walked in, carrying a fruit platter. Her voice was shaky, like she was about to cry. "Raymond, thank you for spending time with me today..."

And that was where the video ended.

I was a bit confused and just replied to Barrett with a question mark.

He replied almost instantly.

Barrett said: [Natalie, I'm not the type to butt into other people's business. Sending you this, I promise there's no hidden agenda.]

[I just wanted to ask, are you still going to Serphira Island?

[I'm actually heading there tomorrow for some photography work, and I'm on the same flight as you.]

[Plus, I'm pretty good with a camera. I've got all the gear, DSLR, drone, underwater camera, the works.

[If you don't mind, how about we team up and be travel buddies for a bit?]

Among all of Raymond's friends, Barrett was the one I barely knew.

He was a legend in the architecture department, and word was that his family was seriously rich. He was the golden boy type, born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

We first met in a photography class.

Back then, I just thought he was cool and aloof, with this air about him, like a character straight out of a comic book.

Not long after that class, Raymond told me Barrett kept to himself, never really mingled with anyone.

He never came to any of the department hangouts.

The only time I ever saw him at a get-together was at Raymond's dorm mixer, where everyone showed up with someone.

Barrett was the only one flying solo, just quietly sitting in the corner while couples laughed and joked around. He really stood out.

That was also when we exchanged WhatsApp info, but after that, we never messaged each other again. Our chat history was basically a ghost town.

Looking at his message on my phone, I thought it over for a second.

I really didn't like traveling alone, and having someone to watch my back would definitely make me feel safer.

Plus, Barrett just seemed like the kind of guy you could count on.

So I replied: [Okay.]

Our flight was at 11 a.m. the next morning, and we met up outside the airport terminal.

I spotted him from far away.

He was quietly standing under a palm tree, pulling a silver suitcase, dressed in a plain white tee and casual pants.

Maybe it was just his looks, but he stood out in the crowd, like he had his own soft-focus filter, almost glowing.

When he saw me, he gave a polite nod and just naturally took my suitcase from me.

"I can handle it," I said, feeling a little embarrassed.

"No worries, it's not heavy," he replied.

After we checked in, we boarded together and ended up sitting right next to each other.

He took a neck pillow out of his backpack and handed it to me, saying calmly, "Looks like you didn't get much sleep. Here, use this and try to catch some rest."

I froze for a moment, surprised.

After fighting with Raymond last night, I didn't sleep a wink. I was totally wrecked.

Waking up with massive dark circles under my eyes, I felt so miserable that I ranted in my encrypted diary app.

I wrote: [Hope I can actually get some sleep on the plane. If only I had a pillow.]

That app was my secret spot for all my private thoughts; even Raymond didn't know it existed.

Barrett definitely wouldn't know about it either.

I figured it had to be just a coincidence.

"Did you make a travel plan? Want to take a look at my itinerary?" I asked, handing him my phone.

He nodded, looked it over carefully, then commented, "You really put a lot of thought into this. It covers almost all the popular spots, but there's just one thing I noticed.

"On the third day, you've got four places lined up, and they're spread out all over the island. Trying to hit them all in one day will be exhausting. It'll just be a whirlwind tour."

"I'd suggest putting Northharbor Village and the Coastal Road together. They're on the same route, so we could rent an electric bike and just ride around, take it slow. The scenery's really nice."

Chapter 4

The footage was a bit shaky, obviously shot in secret. Raymond was turned away from the camera, tossing dice and joking around with a few friends.

One of the guys asked, "Raymond, Natalie's breaking up with you, and you're still here drinking like nothing's wrong?"

Raymond didn't even turn around, answering with total nonchalance.

"It's not happening," he said.

Another guy chimed in, "Aren't you worried she'll actually go to Serphira Island by herself?"

"And let's be real, she's obsessed with looking good. If there's no one around to snap her photos, what's the point of going anywhere?"

And that was where the video ended.

I was a bit confused and just replied to Barrett with a question mark.

He replied almost instantly.

Barrett said: [Natalie, I'm not the type to butt into other people's business. Sending you this, I promise there's no hidden agenda.]

[I just wanted to ask, are you still going to Serphira Island?

[I'm actually heading there tomorrow for some photography work, and I'm on the same flight as you.]

[Plus, I'm pretty good with a camera. I've got all the gear, DSLR, drone, underwater camera, the works.

[If you don't mind, how about we team up and be travel buddies for a bit?]

Among all of Raymond's friends, Barrett was the one I barely knew.

He was a legend in the architecture department, and word was that his family was seriously rich. He was the golden boy type, born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

We first met in a photography class.

Back then, I just thought he was cool and aloof, with this air about him, like a character straight out of a comic book.

Not long after that class, Raymond told me Barrett kept to himself, never really mingled with anyone.

He never came to any of the department hangouts.

The only time I ever saw him at a get-together was at Raymond's dorm mixer, where everyone showed up with someone.

Barrett was the only one flying solo, just quietly sitting in the corner while couples laughed and joked around. He really stood out.

That was also when we exchanged WhatsApp info, but after that, we never messaged each other again. Our chat history was basically a ghost town.

Looking at his message on my phone, I thought it over for a second.

I really didn't like traveling alone, and having someone to watch my back would definitely make me feel safer.

Plus, Barrett just seemed like the kind of guy you could count on.

So I replied: [Okay.]

Our flight was at 11 a.m. the next morning, and we met up outside the airport terminal.

I spotted him from far away.

He was quietly standing under a palm tree, pulling a silver suitcase, dressed in a plain white tee and casual pants.

Maybe it was just his looks, but he stood out in the crowd, like he had his own soft-focus filter, almost glowing.

When he saw me, he gave a polite nod and just naturally took my suitcase from me.

"I can handle it," I said, feeling a little embarrassed.

"No worries, it's not heavy," he replied.

After we checked in, we boarded together and ended up sitting right next to each other.

He took a neck pillow out of his backpack and handed it to me, saying calmly, "Looks like you didn't get much sleep. Here, use this and try to catch some rest."

I froze for a moment, surprised.

After fighting with Raymond last night, I didn't sleep a wink. I was totally wrecked.

Waking up with massive dark circles under my eyes, I felt so miserable that I ranted in my encrypted diary app.

I wrote: [Hope I can actually get some sleep on the plane. If only I had a pillow.]

That app was my secret spot for all my private thoughts; even Raymond didn't know it existed.

Barrett definitely wouldn't know about it either.

I figured it had to be just a coincidence.

"Did you make a travel plan? Want to take a look at my itinerary?" I asked, handing him my phone.

He nodded, looked it over carefully, then commented, "You really put a lot of thought into this. It covers almost all the popular spots, but there's just one thing I noticed.

"On the third day, you've got four places lined up, and they're spread out all over the island. Trying to hit them all in one day will be exhausting. It'll just be a whirlwind tour."

"I'd suggest putting Northharbor Village and the Coastal Road together. They're on the same route, so we could rent an electric bike and just ride around, take it slow. The scenery's really nice."