Back when I used to trail after Alfred like a shadow, he always turned me down with perfect, gentlemanly politeness.
"Maria, you're a wonderful girl. But there's already someone I like."
He told me he was saving all his firsts for the girl he loved.
Then, the year we graduated from college, Alfred bought nine hundred and ninety-nine roses and started setting up a confession.
Only to catch Maud kissing another man.
Alfred lost it. He charged forward like a man possessed and slammed his fist into the guy's face.
But in the next second, Maud stepped in front of the man, shielding him, her brow furrowed in irritation.
"Alfred, what the hell is wrong with you? You're acting like a rabid dog!"
Alfred stood frozen, disbelief etched across his face. "You're defending him. Over me."
"Defending him? He's my boyfriend."
Maud looked at him like he'd lost his mind. Then she looped her arm through the other man's and walked away.
After that, Alfred watched helplessly as the girl he loved drifted further and further from his world.
Maud started wearing high-end makeup, spending more and more time with men outside their circle.
She even—
He saw her with his own eyes, climbing into a Porsche late one night.