Faye leans forward a little, trying to catch a word, a phrase—anything. The cold bites harder now. Her breath curls in front of her face like smoke. Amanda and Riley are just a few steps away. So close. But the wind doesn’t let her hear much. It rushes past her ears, loud and constant, like the world itself wants to drown them out.
She squints, focuses on Riley’s mouth, the way it moves fast, then slows down, then freezes. Amanda sits still beside him. Faye can not see Amanda's expression, but Riley looks nervous. She can not get any closer, any closer and she'll be discovered.
But even so, Faye still can’t make out what they’re saying. The wind’s too loud. It cuts in and out like a broken radio. And then, just to make things worse, it starts to rain. Not hard, but cold and sharp—tiny drops that sting when they hit her skin.
Faye doesn’t move. Not right away. She closes her
Faye’s breath catches. She doesn’t know how she knows. But she does. She swallows hard, throat dry. And then she can not hear any thing after that.Until... Amanda turns. She gets out of the car and walks back toward the bar. Riley doesn’t follow. He just sits there, motionless, like a statue.Faye stares. She’s still staring when the door to the bar closes behind Amanda. She’s not cold anymore. Or maybe she just can’t feel it now. She is so shocked that her mind goes blank.Her limbs move on their own as she steps away from the chocolate shop and walks toward her own car. Her steps are slow, uneven. Like she’s trying not to trip over something invisible. She doesn’t look back. Doesn’t glance toward Riley’s car.She just walks. Mind spinning. Hands stiff. And something heavy, sharp, pressing down right in the center of her chest.---Amanda walks back into the bar. The warmth inside hits her skin like a blanket, soft and heavy. It’s a little stuffy. Loud again. The low hum of music, p
Faye leans forward a little, trying to catch a word, a phrase—anything. The cold bites harder now. Her breath curls in front of her face like smoke. Amanda and Riley are just a few steps away. So close. But the wind doesn’t let her hear much. It rushes past her ears, loud and constant, like the world itself wants to drown them out.She squints, focuses on Riley’s mouth, the way it moves fast, then slows down, then freezes. Amanda sits still beside him. Faye can not see Amanda's expression, but Riley looks nervous. She can not get any closer, any closer and she'll be discovered.But even so, Faye still can’t make out what they’re saying. The wind’s too loud. It cuts in and out like a broken radio. And then, just to make things worse, it starts to rain. Not hard, but cold and sharp—tiny drops that sting when they hit her skin.Faye doesn’t move. Not right away. She closes her
Faye lets out a tiny, dry laugh. Can’t believe this is what I’ve come to. Standing in a corner like some stalker. Watching Amanda. Me. With my own two eyes. The wind picks up again. Her hair gets into her mouth. She spits it out, annoyed. She stuffs her hands deep into her pockets, fingers stiff from the cold.And then she sees him. Riley. She freezes. Her eyes don’t even blink.She should’ve known. Just from the way he sounded on the phone—sharp, rushed, like every second counted—Faye already guessed Riley would come. Of course he would. Of course he’d come see Amanda.Her back stays tight against the wall as she watches him pull up to the curb across the street. The car stops a little crooked. Riley doesn’t even bother fixing it. His headlights cut across the empty sidewalk for a second before they switch off. The engine dies. Then nothing.Faye ducks
Rex was the first one she messaged. Then Shawn. She tried to keep her tone light, like it was gossip, like she didn’t care.“Hey. Just heard something weird. Riley got married??”Rex sent a meme back. Something dumb. Then a short reply: “He said that, yeah. But dunno who. Never saw a girl or anything.” Shawn said almost the same thing. “He told me. But I thought he was kidding, honestly. Like, no wedding, no photos, nothing. Weird, right?” They didn’t know who the girl was.No engagement party. No ceremony. Not even a group chat message. Just... “I’m married.”That wasn’t like Riley. At all.Faye stared at her phone for a long time.No name. No pictures. No powerful family. Just... silence.Faye felt like she was going insane. So I'm actually one of the few people who knows who his wife is? What the hell is going on? She was so close to thinking that the
Faye wraps her scarf tighter around her neck, walking up the dimly lit street. Her heels click softly on the tile floor, but her mind is loud. She stops in front of a closed chocolate store, stares at the window display through the streetlight without really seeing them.Is it jealousy? Maybe. Maybe it always has been.She and Amanda—same age, same high school, even fell in love with the same boy—Riley. But they’ve always been different.Faye grew up in a world of chandeliers and silk curtains. Her family name opened doors. People remembered her—smiling in glossy magazines, wearing designer dresses at charity balls.Many people tried to please her, not because of who she was, but because of the family she came from. Her family was rich, powerful, and well-known, and that alone was enough to attract attention. Some flattered her with fake smiles, others offered favors without b
Riley turns his head, looks through the rain-blurred window. The bar sign glows red against the wet sidewalk this time.He can still hear the low thrum of music leaking through the walls, the chatter, the laughter.But he doesn’t go back in.There’s nothing left to say. Not tonight.Of course, he wants to know more about Amanda, about her trip, about...that guy.But he lost the right to ask a long time ago. Still, another name slips into his mind—Lily Edwards. Shawn’s sister. And Amanda’s friend.He wonders if she’d be willing to talk. About that man. About the things Riley half-heard at the bar. Something about an online store. Something about fragrance?He realizes now—he really didn’t pay attention.He’s just not good at it. Not when love’s involved.His fingers twitch near his phone.Text Lily?Ask?He almost laughs at himself.What would he even say?Hey. It’s Riley. Long time no see. Mind telling me who the guy in her photo is? And what’s up with the perfume thing?No. Stupid.