“Only three years? That’s practically nothing,”
Ethan’s mom said dismissively. “When are you bringing him over to meet us?”
For some reason, thinking about Matt made me smile. Being with him made me genuinely
happy.
“Maybe around Memorial Day,” I said. “If I’m
home, I’ll bring him over.”
Ethan put down his chopsticks and addressed
my parents. “Excuse me, I’m finished.”
<
He got up and left the table. His girlfriend
quickly followed suit. “Excuse me,” she said apologetically, and hurried after him.
I didn’t see either of them for the rest of the
evening. After hanging out for a while longer, my parents and I headed home.
That afternoon, I went outside to pick up a
package. As I opened the front door, I jumped
back in surprise. Ethan was leaning against the doorframe.
“Ethan! What are you doing here?”
“You’re dating someone?” He stared intently at
me, his expression unreadable.
“Yeah.” I nodded.
Ethan was silent for a long moment before he
finally spoke. “I’m sorry.”
<
“Huh?” I was confused.
“About the college applications,” he clarified.
“Oh. It’s okay, it was a long time ago.” I had almost forgotten about it.
“I was young and arrogant back then, thought I knew everything. I felt like you were too controlling, too clingy, and I just wanted to be free, to breathe. So I lied to you about wanting to be a doctor. I knew if I applied to UCLA, you would too.”
It had hurt me deeply. His actions had been cruel. But it had been years, and I had genuinely moved on.
“It’s really okay, Ethan. I’m not mad anymore.”
“My selfishness messed things up for you. I was so focused on my own little schemes, I didn’t
consider your future. You have your own
((
33
dreams, your own path, and I shouldn’t have manipulated you like that.” There was a hint of bitterness in his voice. “I heard med school is brutal, especially the combined bachelor’s and MD program. It takes years, and it’s incredibly demanding. You never wanted to be a doctor before… it must have been so hard for you…”
“Ethan, I love med school,” I interrupted. “Really. I was down for a while during my. freshman year. Facing all that complex material, I even considered retaking the entrance exams and switching majors. But then something changed. I fell in love with it. My dream now is to be a surgeon. Seriously, I’ve gotten scholarships every year since sophomore year. I’m kicking ass.”
Ethan chuckled, a familiar gesture, and patted
my head like he used to when we were kids.
“Really? That’s amazing.”
“It is.” I puffed out my chest proudly.
<
“I’m happy for you,” he said.
“Thanks.” I felt a sudden pang of guilt. “I’m sorry too, Ethan. I was so clingy back then, I must have been a real pain. I was young and didn’t know any better. Don’t take it to heart.”
He smiled. “Hey, you were never a pain. I was the clueless one.”
Not long after we returned to school, Matt and I
were on a date when I got a call from Ethan.
“Are you free tonight? Dinner’s on me.” He
went straight to the point.
“Huh?” I was surprised. “You’re not even in the
same city. How are you going to buy me
dinner?”
“I’m here on business.”
“Oh. Well, Matt and I already have plans
<
10:43
tonight.”
“Matt? Your boyfriend, right? Bring him along.
It’s not like I’m going to bite.”
“Okay…”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at six.”
After I hung up, Matt asked, “Who was that?”
“Just a neighbor, an older guy. He said he’s in
town on business and wants to buy us dinner.”
At six o’clock sharp, my phone rang. Ethan said
he was downstairs.
“I never told you my dorm number,” I said,
surprised.
“That was hard?” He sounded amused. “You
said you were a notorious straight–A student. I
just asked one of your classmates.”
<
10:43
I quickly called Matt and told him to meet me
downstairs.
When I got there, Matt was already waiting. I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the
street.
Parked outside was a sleek black car, its luxury logo and design screaming “expensive.” It was a rare sight on our humble campus, and several students were openly gawking. To make
matters worse, leaning against the car was a
tall, handsome guy in a suit. Not wanting to
become the center of attention, I hurried
towards Ethan, hissing, “Let’s go!”
Ethan opened the back door for me like a
gentleman. Since there was a chauffeur, Matt
and I sat in the back while Ethan sat in the front
passenger seat.
“Why the rush?” Ethan asked, amused, as the
car pulled away.
33
“Your car, and you, are a little too flashy for my taste. I don’t enjoy being stared at,” I replied.
“My bad. I didn’t think of that.” He apologized easily.
The restaurant was even more extravagant than
the car, filled with people in formal attire
–
men
in suits, women in cocktail dresses. Matt, in his athletic wear, and I, in my decidedly unfashionable puffer jacket, stuck out like sore
thumbs.
