After we were seated, I whispered to Ethan,
“Why such a fancy place? You said casual dinner.”
He smiled. “This is casual.”
I worried Matt would feel uncomfortable, but he
seemed perfectly at ease, enjoying the food
with gusto. I had been overthinking it.
Back on campus, Matt asked me, “That Ethan
guy… he’s really only three years older than
you?”
“Yeah, we’re the same age,” I confirmed.
“Seems like a decent guy, but kind of immature,
don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?”
Matt put his arm around me. “He likes you. I
could tell. That whole dinner thing… it was a
show of wealth, trying to intimidate me. Well, it
didn’t work. I’m not that easily rattled. Besides,
knowing you like me is all the wealth I need. He
can’t compete with that.”
“That’s ridiculous! He has a girlfriend. He
brought her home for the holidays.”
“A man’s intuition is never wrong.”
<
10:43
After that dinner, Ethan started coming to our city on business more frequently. He’d even show up on campus, just to see me. I saw him more in those six months than I had in the
previous four years. And every time we met, he brought me gifts. I had posted a picture on social media of myself at the mall, and the corner of a display case with a star–shaped bracelet was visible in the background. Two days later, Ethan showed up with the bracelet. It was absurd. It was a random picture, and I hadn’t even noticed the display case myself.
I started to realize something was off. The next time Ethan contacted me about a business trip, I made an excuse. After I declined three times
in a row, he called me.
“Are you avoiding me?”
“No, I’ve just been really busy,” I feigned
ignorance. “I barely have time to see Matt. He’s
been complaining about it.”
<
“You don’t have to make time. Just tell me
where you are, and I’ll come to you. I just want
to see you for a few minutes.”
“Ethan, we’re in the middle of a closed
experiment. My advisor is really strict. It’s not a
good time.” I continued to refuse.
“I’ll wait outside your dorm. You have to come
back eventually, right? I’ll just see you for a
minute and then leave.” His tone was firm.
I sighed. It seemed this confrontation was
unavoidable.
That evening, as I walked back to my dorm,
Ethan was waiting downstairs. This time, he
wasn’t in his flashy car and had traded his
tailored suit for casual clothes. He was clearly
trying to be less conspicuous.
“Chestnut cakes. My mom made them for you specifically.” He held up a box. “It’s a gift from
<
her. You can’t refuse this time.”
I thought for a moment. “Ethan, let’s talk.
There’s a cafe nearby.”
We walked to a small boba tea place near the
back gate of the campus. Ethan’s long legs
barely fit under the tiny table.
“I can tell you haven’t been to a place like this
in a while,” I started. “We’ve become people
from two different worlds. You’re a high-
powered executive, and I’m a struggling grad
student.”
“Chloe, don’t put up walls between us.” Ethan’s
voice was low. “Hearing you say that hurts.”
“But it’s true. Growing up together was fate, but after high school, that fate ran its course.”
“That was the biggest mistake of my life,”
Ethan said, his eyes filled with a sadness I
<
couldn’t decipher.
“Huh?” I was lost.
“If I had known what being apart from you
would be like, I would never have done it. I was
young and foolish. I’m only now realizing how
those four words can ruin a person’s life.” He
kept his gaze fixed on me. “I regretted it almost
immediately after starting college. Chloe, do
you know what it feels like to miss someone? I
used to be annoyed by you following me
around, I wanted to shake you off and be free.
But after you were gone, after you weren’t
there anymore, I realized how much I needed
you.”
He rubbed his forehead. “I didn’t realize how
important you were to me. You were like air,
unnoticed, but essential. I used to dread seeing
you every day. It wasn’t until college that I
realized how happy those days were. Seeing
you now… it’s so hard.”
