01.

Reily’s POV

Today is my first anniversary with my boyfriend. I'm so excited! A year of love and beautiful memories, ones that have been made and yet to be made.

Noel, my boyfriend, owns a cafe, one at which I took a part-time job. It’s been an amazing experience so far, getting to see him all the time.

The sneaky moment we took to make out while at work, the thought alone made me blush.

To celebrate our special day, I decided to buy him a gift. I chose a beautiful watch that I knew he would love.

It took me so much to save up to be able to afford a watch, anything for my man.

As I entered the store, the salesgirl greeted me. "Hi, can I help you?"

"I'd like to buy a watch, please," I replied.

The salesgirl showed me some options, and I finally found the perfect one. My lips spread into a smile as I imagined how happy he was going to be when I gave him this.

It made me wonder what gift he has for me.

As I was about to pay, the salesgirl made a comment that made me blush, feeling a little shy.

"Wow, you're splurging on this gift. He must be someone special," she said with a smirk.

My face heated up as I tried to keep a natural look, but who was I kidding?

I shrugged and said, "Yeah, he is."

After buying the watch, I headed to the cafe. As I arrived, Selina, my best friend and colleague, greeted me.

"Hey, Reily! Happy anniversary!" she exclaimed.

"Thanks, Selina! I'm so excited for today," I replied.

She chuckled, “I could tell.”

Selina's expression suddenly turned serious. “Anyway, your darling boyfriend hasn’t been here all day.”

My heart skipped a beat as my brows drew together in confusion. Where could he be?

But then I thought, Maybe he's planning a surprise!

My inner conscience giggled at the thought as thousands of thoughts ran through my mind on what Noel’s surprise could be.

I couldn't help but feel excited.

I hope our date goes well tonight.

"Thanks for telling me, Selina," I said, trying to sound calm.

Selina smiled. "No problem, Reily. I'm sure he'll make it up to you tonight."

I nodded, feeling a little more at ease.

The rest of the day went by like a blur, as I packed my stuff up, ready to leave; I received a call.

I groaned, wondering who it could be this time.

I picked up the phone from the counter, my lips forming into a smile seeing Noel’s name appear on the screen.

I slid the answer button, placing the phone on my left ear, but instead, I heard a familiar voice.

It was Martin, his best friend.

"Hey, Reily, sorry I am calling; something came up!" he said, sounding hesitant.

"What is it?" I asked, worry laced in my tone.

"Noel is drunk at a bar. I think you should come pick him up," he said.

I felt annoyed. Why was he at a bar on our anniversary?

Gosh! What is the matter with him? He is supposed to be getting ready for a dinner date, not getting drunk in a bar.

I hissed in annoyance; I didn't want to ruin our special day, so I decided to go pick him up.

I finished up and rushed out to hail a cab.

When I arrived at the bar, I spotted my boyfriend sitting at the counter, laughing with his ex.

My heart sank. What was going on?

My face fell into a deep frown as I walked closer, my heart squeezing at the sight of them sharing a kiss.

No!

Please, no!

My lips quivered as rage surged within me; I grasped a nearby glass of drink and poured it all over them.

"Reily, what the...?" Noel stuttered, shocked.

Tears were already beginning to accumulate at the brim of my eyes. “How could you, Noel?” I asked, my voice shaking with anger.

He pushed his ex slightly off of him, getting up from the seat.

“Reily—“

I cut him off, “Do you even remember what day it is?" I demanded.

He looked taken aback, then guilty, and finally annoyed.

"It's our anniversary, okay?" he said like it was no big deal.

I felt humiliated. "And you're spending it with your ex? What is wrong with you? Today is supposed to be our day."

He shrugged. "We were just catching up."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

“Catching up? You call this catching up? You were fucking kissing her!” I fired as a lone tear slipped down.

“Look, Reily, you are overreacting,” he stated.

I hissed bitterly, letting out a humorous, painful laugh, “Overreacting? Wow, Noel, just great. I find you kissing your ex on our anniversary, and…” I stuttered, unable to find the words.

Betrayal dawned on me.

"You know what? I don't even care about that right now," I said, my voice rising.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, looking confused.

"So you’ve been with her these past few days, and you’ve been oddly distant; all of it is because of her," I accused.

He looked taken aback, but then he just shrugged.

"No, I haven't," he said like it was no big deal.

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut.

Seeing them together made my heart squeeze. This is the man my heart belongs to, the one I love so much.

His ex chimed in, smiling smugly.

"So you're the substitute?" She said, looking at me with disdain.

"I broke up with him because I went abroad, but now I'm back; you can piss off," she added.

I felt furious.

My hands lifted to land a slap on her face, but Noel held my hands, restricting contact.

“That’s enough, Reily, you are making a scene… Go home; we’ll talk when I get back,” he orders

I scoffed, “Fuck you, Noel!”

“Reily—” he trailed off.

"We're done," I told him, my voice firm.

He looked annoyed, but I didn't care.

I turned and walked away, leaving him and his ex behind.

He didn’t come after me; he stayed with her like I never did matter.

The question is, did I ever matter?