Chapter 2

He flipped his phone onto the table.

On the screen was a post Alex had just put up on social media.

Two movie tickets, captioned with only two words.

Official announcement.

In the corner of the photo, a girl's wrist showed too.

On it was a couples' watch.

It was the gift she'd bought last month with her competition scholarship.

I'd been quietly happy, thinking she meant it as a birthday present for me.

But today, I finally understood — the person she wanted to wear a matching one with wasn't me.

The others were already crowded around the phone, chattering their guesses.

"Who is this? She's not from our school, is she?"

"Hasn't he always been close with Flora Henson? I always figured the two of them were already a couple."

I spoke calmly.

"It's Flora Henson."

They looked up at me, gossip in their eyes, and then froze.

"Ronnie, why are your eyes so red?"

I lowered my head, picked up my chopsticks, and took a piece of vegetable.

"The hotpot's too spicy."

No sooner had I said it than the door of the hotpot restaurant swung open.

Flora and Alex walked in one after the other.

Alex had her bag slung over his shoulder and was carrying her coat in his hand.

A server came over and asked what they wanted to eat.

Alex glanced at the menu and said with a smile, "The couples' combo meal looks a little cheaper. Let's get the couples' combo."

A few classmates nearby immediately started ribbing them.

"Flora, we knew a long time ago something was going on between you two!"

When Flora saw me, she paused for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and walked over to my side as if nothing had happened.

"What a coincidence. Let's eat together."

She was so open about it.

So open that it was as if all the awkwardness was just me flattering myself.

The others couldn't help but ask her.

"So you're really with Alex now?"

Flora glanced at Alex's post and let out a low laugh.

"This? Alex means it's the official announcement for the movie."

She raised her eyes and swept them over everyone, finally landing on me.

"You didn't all actually believe it, did you?"

Alex just smiled and offered no explanation.

The mood at the table got even livelier.

Flora sat down next to me and slid her hand out from under the table, trying to pinch my fingers the way she always used to.

I moved away.

Her hand stopped in midair, her face going a little cold.

She pulled it back and moved straight over next to Alex.

The two of them pressed their arms tightly together, and Alex's ears turned red.

For the whole meal, every topic revolved around her and Alex.

Someone asked if they'd applied to the same university.

Someone else joked that with the top humanities student and the top science student joining forces, their kid's IQ would be terrifying.

I sat off to the side, like a stranger who'd been squeezed in at the table.

I looked down at the food in my bowl, and my stomach ached in waves.

Flora lowered her head to eat, her long hair slipping down beside her face.

She leaned naturally toward Alex's hand, letting him tie her hair up for her.

Watching his hands, I suddenly remembered that I'd once wanted to help her tie her hair.

She'd frowned and stepped back: "Ronnie, you know I treasure my hair more than anything. You'll wreck it if you're careless with it."

Alex picked up the iced cola beside him and was about to open it when Flora frowned and snatched it away.

"Didn't you say your stomach was bothering you the other day? Don't drink anything cold."

When she finished, she glanced down at me, as if she'd finally remembered I was still here.

"Your face looks all red. Did the spice get to you?"

She held that bottle of iced cola out to me.

"Have something cold."

I looked at the bottle of cola still fogged with cold, and the corner of my mouth twitched.

I've had stomach trouble since I was a kid — I can't touch anything cold.

Flora used to remember that.

She used to fix me warm water every day, frowning as she watched me finish it on time.

But now she remembered some offhand remark Alex had made a few days ago about not feeling well.

And she handed that bottle of iced cola to me.

I didn't take it.

Flora frowned again.

"Ronnie, how long are you going to keep being difficult like this?"

I shook my head, pressing down all the bitterness, and stood up.

"I'm not feeling well. I'm heading back."