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Chapter 2

Author: The Listening Cypress
After that day, he kept sending me messages.

I never replied.

His messages continued late into the night and through the next day. His desperation gradually gave way to hesitant, cautious questions.

[Is it… because of Ivy?]

I stared at that line.

He didn’t know the man I saw wasn’t him.

After a whole night, he settled on the likeliest explanation and cautiously asked.

[I don’t know if you know her, or if you heard something from someone…]

[After all, I went to the college right next to yours.]

[Ivy and I were close in college because of our families.]

[We rarely kept in touch after graduation, and I haven’t seen her since she moved abroad.]

[I admit I never clearly turned her down back then, and I never told you about her after we got together… But it wasn’t because I still had feelings for her… I just didn’t know how to bring it up.]

[I’m sorry.]

I kept my eyes lowered. The words "I’m sorry" lingered on the screen for a long time.

I put down my phone.

Ivy and Liam sat across from me.

Yesterday afternoon, Ivy found me in the library and placed a cup of hot tea in front of me.

"Renee, now that you know… do you want to have dinner together?"

She sat across from me and fiddled with her straw. "The three of us."

I looked at her.

"You told me once that any guy I liked would have to get your approval."

I did.

During the second semester of freshman year, she hunched over her desk and wrote a love letter in crooked handwriting. When I asked who it was for, she blushed and refused to let me see.

"He hasn’t said yes yet! You’ll be the first to know when he does."

I told her that wasn’t enough. She would have to bring him over so I could personally put him through his paces.

Her eyes crinkled with laughter as she hooked her pinky around mine. "It’s a deal."

Almost three years later, she brought up that promise, and I couldn’t say no.

Ivy chose the restaurant. Our small private room had warm lighting and a checkered tablecloth.

She was already there when I arrived, with the man in the white shirt beside her.

The Liam from 2026.

He gave me a distant nod when he saw me.

"This is my best friend, Renee Carter," Ivy introduced me, then turned to me. "Renee, this is my boyfriend, Liam Hayes."

He raised a hand in greeting, picked up his fork, and didn’t look at me again.

At that moment, I felt a rush of relief.

The dishes Ivy ordered arrived quickly. I glanced over them.

The chilli fried pork on the left was just how I liked it, while the sautéed shrimp on the right suited Liam’s tastes.

She thoughtfully arranged the dishes for each of us. There was no need to ask which was meant for whom.

Ivy talked throughout the meal, moving from her upcoming thesis defense to her internship before circling back to Liam.

She told me about the time he went into the wrong restroom as a child and the job offer he secured before graduation.

"That’s enough," Liam said as he placed some food on her plate.

"Why? Can’t I show you off a little?" She winked at me. "Back me up here, Renee."

I smiled a little.

My gaze settled on Liam’s face.

His features matched the selfie on my phone, but the man himself was a stranger.

The man who sent me photos of the moon and wished me good night wasn’t the same as the man before me, who couldn’t even be bothered to look my way.

I lowered my head and reached for some food. Maybe this was for the best.

"You have a sensitive stomach. Go easy on the spicy food."

My fork stopped in midair.

Across the table, Ivy reached for the spicy rib, but Liam moved faster and pulled the plate toward himself.

Ivy froze for a moment, then laughed. "You’re not the boss of me."

"Your stomach will hurt tomorrow morning, and you’ll ask me to buy you medicine again."

Ivy kicked him under the table. He shifted slightly without really trying to dodge.

The spicy rib was no longer in front of me.

I drew my fork back, lowered my head, and took a bite of pasta. I chewed it for a long time.

Three months earlier, he had sent me a voice message.

I was just recovering from a stomach bug. When I played it, he said the exact same words he had just spoken at the table.

The pasta felt dry in my mouth. I swallowed and took another bite.

Ivy laughed across the table. "Slow down, Renee."

I nodded and kept eating, my mouth full.

I was afraid I would lose control if I didn’t keep myself occupied.

Steam from the soup rose into my face, blurring my vision.

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