Before the summer break, I decided to surprise Neil at his university. Instead, I walked in to find his undergrad lab assistant pestering him, demanding to know who was prettier between her and me. Neil let out a careless, lazy laugh. “Olivia, obviously. She’s way prettier than you.” The freshman girl instantly pouted, her lower lip trembling. I pushed the door open, only to see Neil resting his hand gently on the top of her head. “Are you going to cry over that? Olivia isn’t just pretty, she’s fiercely independent.” He chuckled. “Unlike you. Without me, you’re just a helpless little disaster.” 1 The girl’s whiny, flirtatious voice echoed through the empty lab. “You only ever bully me! I am not a disaster!” Neil laughed softly. But as he lifted his head, he caught sight of me standing frozen in the back doorway. “Liv?” When he said my name, his hand was still resting in her hair. He quickly closed the distance between us. “What are you doing here? Are your finals already over?” “I guess I shouldn’t have come,” I said flatly. He smiled, completely missing the ice in my tone. “What are you talking about?” He turned back and waved at the girl in the room. “I’m heading out. You handle the rest of the data. My girl is here.” The room was silent. Neil wrapped an arm around my waist and guided me into the hallway. “Who was that?” I asked. “Oh, that’s Lily. Just a freshman in our program.” My footsteps hitched. I knew that name. For the past year, that name had been slipping into our conversations with alarming frequency. Even though I had never met her, she was always there as a shadow in my relationship. “Do you like her?” He looked at me like I had grown a second head and let out a laugh. “What? How is that even possible? She’s literally a kid.” He stared at me, highly amused. “Are you actually jealous? God, Liv, you’re always overthinking things.” “Neil…” “Let me text the guys. We’re taking you out to dinner tonight to celebrate you being here,” he interrupted, staring down at his phone. He typed furiously, then looked back up at me. “Let me look at you. Did you lose weight again? Have you been secretly dieting? I told you your weight was perfect. Are you trying to turn into a stick figure so I can use you as a cane?” I took a deep, shaky breath. “Right now, I’d really love to take a cane and beat you half to death with it.” He burst out laughing and pulled me in, leaning down for a kiss. Right at that moment, a sickeningly sweet voice echoed from behind us. “Senior.” 2 Neil and I turned our heads simultaneously. Lily was standing there, holding a lightweight jacket in her hands. “You left your windbreaker at my workstation again,” she pouted, her eyes wide and innocent. “You’re always forgetting your stuff.” “Oh. Thanks,” Neil said, taking the jacket. “And who is this?” She turned her gaze to me, blinking dramatically as her eyes raked up and down my outfit. “You don’t know how to greet my girlfriend?” Neil teased, lightly tapping her on the head with the rolled-up notebook in his hand. “Ouch! Why are you always hitting me?! You’re so violent!” she whined, rubbing her head playfully. “I honestly thought she was an upperclassman from our campus. The science building doesn’t allow students from other universities inside. Did you secretly make her a spare key, Senior? I’m totally telling the professor on you!” Neil seemed to finally realize the logistics. He looked at me, confused. “Wait, how did you actually get into the building?” “I tailgated a guy through the side door,” I replied evenly. I locked eyes with him. “I texted you half an hour ago asking where you were. You didn’t reply. You didn’t answer my calls either.” “Huh?” Neil looked genuinely baffled. “I am so sorry!” Lily chimed in, flashing an apologetic, guilt-ridden smile. “Senior and I were at a super critical point in our data calculation, so he probably just missed it. Please don’t be mad at him over this. The professor has been putting so much pressure on us lately…” “That’s weird.” Neil pulled his phone out of his pocket, tapping the screen. “Wait. Why is my phone on Do Not Disturb?” He muttered to himself as he changed the settings. “Must have hit it by accident in my pocket.” “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just go.” I turned around. But the moment I turned my back, I heard Lily’s hushed, murmuring voice behind me. “She’s honestly so average. It’s literally all just makeup…” 3 My boots planted firmly on the tile. I stopped and turned back around. Neil looked confused. “What’s wrong?” I stared directly into Lily’s eyes. “I am not deaf. First of all, whether I look good or not, you don’t have the right or the pedigree to talk trash behind my back. Second, any girl with an ounce of self-respect knows better than to compare her looks to another guy’s girlfriend right to her face.” Lily froze. Instantly, her eyes welled up with tears, and she looked at Neil with absolute, trembling devastation. Neil let out a heavy sigh. “Liv, what is this about? I didn’t see your messages. If you want to pick a fight with me, then fight with me. Don’t bully the poor girl.” I slowly turned to look at him. “Oh. Look how fast you jump to her defense. It really makes me look like the unreasonable villain here, doesn’t it? I’m not a saint, Neil. I don’t have the bandwidth to smile and nod while my boyfriend ignores his phone to entertain another girl, leaving me standing outside in a hundred-degree heatwave for half an hour. I don’t care about the precious security of your lab, and I won’t ever step foot in here again. And we both know Do Not Disturb doesn’t just turn on by ‘accident’.” Neil’s face stiffened. “What is that supposed to mean? I have no idea how the setting got flipped. Do you actually think I muted you on purpose?” “Are you misunderstanding something?” Lily cried softly, looking the picture of pathetic innocence. “Drop the act,” I told her, my voice eerily calm. “Whether I’m misunderstanding or not, you know exactly what you did.” The hallway fell dead silent. “Seriously, why are you escalating this?” Neil reached out, grabbing my waist to pull me against him, playing the weary peacemaker. “Lily couldn’t figure out the equation earlier, so she borrowed my phone to listen to some music while she worked. But there’s no way she put you on Do Not Disturb. You can’t just be paranoid and blame her for everything. It was probably just a glitch…” “Neil, let’s break up.” I heard my own voice say the words. It sounded incredibly steady. Neil froze. His arm went slack around my waist. “Are you kidding me? You flew all the way across the country to see me, and just because I missed a text message, you’re dumping me?” He let out a scoff of absolute disbelief, like he was dealing with a toddler. “You touched her hair.” “That’s it?” His eyes went wide. “Yes.” I looked at him, feeling absolutely nothing. “It makes me feel dirty. Is that not enough?” 4 I didn’t go to the welcome dinner that night. After I told Neil we were done, I turned on my heel and walked away. He didn’t chase after me. Because Lily had started sobbing, her shoulders shaking in that fragile, pitiful way that demanded immediate rescue. Neil was actually incredibly good at coaxing people. He knew exactly how to make someone feel safe. When he wanted to. My high school best friend, Harper, attended the same university as Neil. I dropped my luggage off at her dorm. When she heard I hadn’t eaten a thing all day, she dragged me out to a trendy new restaurant near campus. Harper went to the restroom while I sat on the bench by the entrance, staring blankly at the menu. Of course, the universe had a sick sense of humor. Neil had booked a table at the exact same place. A group of guys from his program came strolling past me. “Hey man, I thought your girl was flying in? Where is she?” “She’s throwing a tantrum. She’s not coming,” Neil’s voice drifted over, laced with exhaustion. “Damn, what happened?” “She’s pissed because I didn’t reply to a text fast enough.” “Just over that?” The guy laughed loudly. “Women are exhausting, bro. Good thing you’re long-distance. If you had to deal with that every single day, you’d lose your mind.” “They’re all like that. They just want you to grovel,” another guy chimed in. “Just get on your knees and coax her a bit, she’ll fold.” “Coax her? Why don’t you go coax her?” Neil smacked the guy playfully with a closed umbrella he was holding. “Let her cool off on her own. Over the last three years, her temper has gotten way out of hand.” I looked up. The umbrella in his hand was small, pink, and adorned with little cartoon strawberries. It was absolutely not something Neil would ever buy for himself. Trailing right behind him, her hands completely empty, was Lily. She was skipping lightly. “Honestly, I don’t think you did anything wrong. If you’re not wrong, why should you apologize first? It’s not like the person who gets angry automatically wins the argument.” I stood up. Harper had just walked back over. “Is our table ready?” I shook my head. “Almost. But Neil is inside.” “Oh.” Harper hesitated. “Do you want to go somewhere else?” “No need.” The restaurant was open to the public. There was no universe where his presence meant I had to run away and hide. Five minutes later, the hostess called our names. Harper and I were walking down the main aisle of the restaurant. Just as we passed the self-serve draft beer station, a frantic voice screeched through the noise. “Oh my god, I can’t hold them! Move out of the way!” Before my brain could even process the words, Lily, carrying two massive glasses of draft beer, charged straight into me. The heavy mugs collided with my chest. Golden beer and foam cascaded down my neck, soaking my dress entirely. 5 The commotion was loud enough to pull the guys out of their private dining booth. By the time Neil stepped out, Lily’s tears were already falling in perfect, fat drops. “I swear I didn’t do it on purpose! The floor by the kegs was so slippery, I couldn’t stop myself! I already said I was sorry!” “You didn’t do it on purpose?” Harper exploded, her face red with fury. “There is ten feet of open space in this aisle! You carried those heavy glasses and made a beeline straight for Olivia! She couldn’t have dodged you if she tried! Do you think we’re blind?!” “What’s going on?” Neil pushed through the crowd. He saw me, dripping wet, and froze. “What are you doing here?” My clothes were sticking to my skin. The smell of cheap yeast was overwhelming, and I was entirely out of patience. “Why? Did you buy out the restaurant, Mr. VIP? Am I banned from eating in the same zip code as you?” His brow furrowed. “Why are you firing off like a machine gun? I never said you couldn’t be here.” He stepped closer. “Why are you completely soaked?” Harper let out a venomous laugh. “Why don’t you ask your precious little lab assistant?” “Senior, I swear it was an accident! My foot slipped!” Lily cried, burying her face in her hands. “I had no idea she was even walking down this aisle. She just appeared out of nowhere…” Neil exhaled a long, suffering sigh. “I told you that you couldn’t carry both glasses. Why do you always try to prove how strong you are? You should have just let me carry the drinks.” “Are you actually shameless?” Harper screamed at Lily. “Appeared out of nowhere? We were walking in a straight line! You deliberately rammed into her!” “Harper, watch your mouth,” Neil snapped, his voice dropping into a cold warning. “What the hell does that mean?” My own temper finally snapped. “Harper is defending me. Lily knows exactly whether she did it on purpose or not. You didn’t even ask what happened, and you immediately take her side? Have you completely lost your grip on reality?” “How am I taking her side? I’m trying to be reasonable!” he pleaded, throwing his hands up. “Liv, if you want to take your anger out on me, fine. But she didn’t mean it. Could you please just stop finding every little excuse to make her life miserable?” I stared quietly at the man standing in front of me. We had met in high school. We had known each other for six years. We had survived three years of grueling long-distance in college. In just one more year, I was supposed to get an early admission fellowship to his university for grad school. We had talked about marriage. We had mapped out our future. We had even joked about what our kids would look like. And now, he was standing in a crowded restaurant, looking at me—his girlfriend, dripping wet with beer, humiliated in public—and begging me to stop making things difficult for another girl. “I’m not making her life miserable,” I said, my voice dead and hollow. “This dress is ruined. It wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t designer either. It was four hundred dollars. Compensate me for the dress, and we’re done here.” Lily gasped, her eyes going wide with manufactured terror. “Four hundred dollars? That’s… that’s two months of my grocery money.” Her eyes instantly darted to Neil, rimmed with red. “Senior, my dad is going to kill me…” “Hey, it’s fine, it’s fine,” one of Neil’s friends jumped in, puffing out his chest. “Don’t panic. We can pool some cash together to cover it. It’s just four hundred bucks.” “Yeah, if we all pitch in forty bucks, it’s covered. Don’t cry, okay?” Neil’s frown deepened into a scowl. “Liv, Lily’s family isn’t exactly wealthy. Four hundred dollars is a massive amount of money to her. It’s just a dress. Let it go. I’ll buy you a new one later, okay?” I let out a cold, bitter laugh. “If she knows four hundred dollars is a lot of money, she should have watched where she was going. It’s my property. I have every legal and moral right to ask for compensation.” “It’s not even your dress,” Neil said suddenly. I froze. “Liv, if I remember correctly, I bought that dress for you.” His voice was quiet, but every single syllable felt like a serrated knife dragging across my chest. “Gifts exchanged during a relationship can be legally and morally revoked.” He paused, staring down at me, as if offering me one final chance to repent for my sins. “If you really want to be ruthless about this… take the dress off and give it back to me.” 6 I stared at him in absolute silence. A second later, I turned around, grabbed Harper’s wrist before she could physically attack him, and walked out the door. “Liv, how could you just walk away!” Harper was hyperventilating with rage the entire walk back to her dorm. “Did a horse kick him in the head?! Forget the fact that he didn’t care you were drenched, how could he say something that disgusting to you?!” My footsteps suddenly stopped. “Liv?” Harper looked at me, her anger melting into panic. “If you need to cry, just cry…” I shook my head. “I’m fine.” I went to her dorm, took a blistering hot shower, and changed into spare clothes. I took the beer-soaked dress, stuffed it into a plastic bag, and dropped it off at the front desk of Neil’s dorm building. Then, I went straight to the bus station. Flights were too expensive last minute, and the express trains were sold out. I bought a cheap ticket for an overnight Greyhound bus back to my city. The bus was chaotic and loud. A baby screamed two rows up, someone was arguing on their phone, and the whole cabin smelled faintly of stale coffee and cheap fast food. Neil’s texts started rolling in right around midnight. What kind of tantrum is this? Did you really think I wanted the dress back? I just felt like you were being way too aggressive. There were so many guys from my program there. I can’t just blindly side with my girlfriend when she’s being unreasonable. It makes me look bad. I bought the exact same dress online. It’s being delivered to Harper’s dorm tomorrow. Just go down and get it. He sent a few more texts, but the screen was starting to blur. Water droplets were hitting the glass of my phone. My eyes were swimming in tears. I couldn’t read them. I didn’t want to read them. I tapped his contact name, hit settings, and dragged him to the blocked list. When I woke up, it was 2:00 AM. My eyes burned, and my head was pounding. The streetlights flashed through the dirty bus window, casting rhythmic shadows across the quiet cabin. Looking at the empty seat next to me, I suddenly remembered the last time I took a cheap overnight trip like this. I was with Neil. It was sophomore year of high school. We had traveled out of state for an academic decathlon. Getting return tickets was a nightmare. The chaperone teacher managed to get two early tickets and told Neil and me to head back first. I had drifted off to sleep that night on the bus. When I woke up, I realized my head had been resting squarely on his shoulder for hours. I was mortified. I scrambled back and stammered out an apology. He just looked at me, a soft, teasing smile on his lips. “Having good dreams?” I shook my head furiously. “Well, I was,” he laughed quietly. “It was a really good dream. If you keep leaning on me, I might be able to finish it.” After that trip, we grew incredibly close. He was handsome, outgoing, and the star of the basketball team. Every time he played, a crowd of girls would rush the court to hand him Gatorade. I would go watch him sometimes, but I always stood in the back row, hidden in the bleachers. Until one day, as I was turning to leave, I heard a voice boom across the gym. “Olivia!” I froze and looked back. Neil was jumping up above the crowd of cheerleaders, waving his arms with a massive grin. “Look at me!” He caught the inbound pass, drove the lane, and sank a flawless three-pointer. The crowd erupted. After the game, he asked me why I never stayed until the end. “There are too many people. I can never see over the crowd.” “That’s an easy fix,” he said. “I’ll have the guys reserve a front-row seat for you.” The next game, I was escorted to the very first row by one of his teammates. “Neil specifically saved this for you,” the guy winked. At halftime, a swarm of girls rushed the bench with sports drinks. Neil waved them all off, grabbed a towel, and walked straight toward me. “Where’s my water?” “Huh?” I blinked. He sighed dramatically, resting his large, sweaty hand on top of my head. “Miss Olivia, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. You’ve been admiring my athletic prowess for an hour and you didn’t even buy me a water? I am heartbroken.” Before long, handing him water turned into us studying together. On the day we submitted our college applications, he cornered me by the back door of the classroom. “What are you thinking?” he asked. “About what?” He let out a frustrated laugh. “Do you think I have a neck problem from always turning around to look at you? Olivia, even the ants on the sidewalk know how I feel about you.” My face burned hot. “But we’re going to colleges in different cities…” “Wow. Are you really going to hit me with that heartless rejection?” He pulled me into a sudden, tight hug, burying his face in my hair. “Distance is just geography. I only need you to answer one question. Do you like me or not?” The setting sun poured through the classroom windows, casting a golden glow over our faces. I nodded, my cheeks flushed. When his lips pressed gently against mine that afternoon, I genuinely believed I was the luckiest girl in the world. 7 I arrived home at 6:00 AM. My parents picked me up from the bus terminal, wincing at my appearance. “Those overnight buses are pure torture. Look how red your eyes are,” my dad sighed. I forced a smile. “I just need to catch up on some sleep.” “Why didn’t Neil come back with you this time?” my mom asked. “His finals aren’t over yet.” “You two work so hard,” she said affectionately. “Just hold out until next year. Once you get your grad school fellowship to his university, it’ll all be fine. He’s guaranteed a spot in their master’s program, right?” I stayed silent for a long moment. “Mom, I think I’m going to apply for the fellowship at my current university.” My mom looked surprised. “Really? But Neil’s university has a better overall ranking.” “Mine is top three in the country for my specific major. The faculty is incredible, and the job placement rate is higher.” “Oh? Is he going to transfer to your city then? Otherwise, won’t you guys still be long-distance?” I stared out the car window, unsure if I was ready to say the words ‘we broke up’ out loud. I spent the next week resting at home. Neil remained firmly on my blocked list. He didn’t find another way to reach out, and I didn’t reach out to him. My mom grew increasingly worried. “Why are your eyes swollen every single morning? Do you have an infection?” I shook my head. “I’m fine. Just a little stressed. It’ll pass.” That weekend, my high school class organized a reunion. Harper called me. “The class president said Neil couldn’t make it,” she reported. Then she sent me a screenshot of Lily’s Instagram story. “Are you guys officially done? My roommate sent me this and asked if the golden boy had a new girlfriend.” The picture showed Neil and Lily throwing peace signs in the campus laboratory. The caption read: Who else is stuck doing lab work as a freshman?! T_T Science is torture! So grateful to my knight in shining armor, Neil, for helping me finish my summer project early. As a good lab assistant, I bought my senior his train ticket home! Hehe. I texted Harper back: It’s good he’s not coming. I really wanted to go see our old teachers without the drama. The reunion was held at a nice banquet hall near our old high school. All the teachers knew Neil and I were high school sweethearts. Every time I ran into one, they naturally asked about our future plans. The words “we broke up” were right on the tip of my tongue, when a painfully familiar voice drifted over my shoulder. “She’s prepping for the grad school entrance interviews next semester. She’s coming to my university.” I turned around. Neil, who supposedly wasn’t coming, was standing right there.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “459936”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel
Leave a Reply