“Alright, that’s it for now. Jason’s calling me. I’ll see what he needs.”
She hung up in a rush. The busy tone echoed, and the last trace of pretense slipped from my face.
The next two days passed quietly.
Emily didn’t call again, but she reminded me on chat about reserving a seat, worried my negligence might ruin Jason’s studies.
Jason posted a photo on social media, background a downtown coffee shop—the one I’d always told Emily I wanted to try.
The caption read, “I’ve been working so hard, but nothing works. Feeling a bit down. Thankfully, someone’s been here for me. Let’s get some fresh air during the break.”
Below, Emily’s comment was striking: “It’s okay~ I’ll go eat something yummy with you during the break~”
Several likes and caring notes from mutual friends lined up neatly.
I scrolled past it blankly, not even opening the picture.
The afternoon before leaving school, a knock came at my dorm door.
I opened it and was surprised to see Emily and Jason. Jason saw me and quickly offered an apologetic smile. “Liam, did we bother you?”
Emily peeked into my room, eyes pausing on my clearly visible suitcase, her brows knitting slightly.