Chapter 3

Cole's POV

"Harry felt really bad about what happened last night," Giselle said. "He specifically came today to apologize to you. It's about time you stop making a fuss. Don't keep dragging this out."

The door clicked shut behind us.

My ankle collided with the table leg when Giselle shoved me into the seat. I hissed in pain when my bone made a loud cracking noise.

Giselle paused and turned to look at me. She was about to make her way over to me when Harry, who was sitting opposite her, suddenly spoke up.

"My stomach's been sensitive to the cold lately, Giselle. Cole won't mind if I switch places with him, right?"

Giselle didn't say a word as she walked over to Harry. She helped him to his feet and led him to where I was, saying, "Move."

I gripped my bag strap as I stared at her and said, "I can't move. My leg hurts."

Giselle's expression soured. "It's really gross that you're being so petty, Cole."

She told Harry to take a seat before grabbing me by the collar and dragging me toward the other side.

"You have to treat him gently, like how you treat me, Giselle! Don't hurt him," Harry said.

Although Giselle clicked her tongue in annoyance, she did become gentler.

Bracing myself against the table, I forced myself to stand. Disgust roiled in my gut.

The menu was delivered to us. A cake and a bouquet of sunflowers were placed to the side.

Using his sensitive stomach as an excuse, Harry barked his orders at Giselle until she had no time to deal with anything else except his requests.

"I want the spicy chicken wings, Giselle! Oh, but Cole's spice tolerance is quite low, right? We can just order a glass of water for him. Can you get me the condiments? Do you still remember the ones I like?"

"Spicy mayo, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, and blue cheese dip. You also want a side of celery and carrot sticks, right?"

Harry was grinning from ear to ear as he looked at me. "You're amazing, babe!"

I picked up the jug and poured myself a glass of water.

"You're slacking off, Giselle," Harry said, sighing. "You didn't show Cole the same attentiveness that you showed me when we were together."

I looked up and made eye contact with Giselle. She pursed her lips and said lightly, "That's because… he's easier to appease."

That was why she didn't bother remembering that I had low spice tolerance and suffered from gastroenteritis.

That was why she didn't pay attention to how my glass was empty after getting the condiments for Harry.

That was why she didn't worry about me getting upset when she treated someone else better than me.

My phone chimed, informing me that I had received a message. It was from my boss, Freya Winrow.

"Are you sure that you want to give up on this opportunity to hone your skills abroad, Cole?"

I looked up and saw Giselle feeding a chicken wing to Harry. I looked down again and replied, "I'll go, Ms. Winrow."

Giselle slapped my wrist when I tried to grab one of the chicken wings. Her gaze darkened as she looked at me, snapping, "That's Harry's!"

A teasing smile stretched across Harry's lips as he crossed his arms and said, "It's fine. He can have it."

Giselle didn't say a single word. Instead, she grabbed all the chicken wings and placed them on Harry's plate. She even took the one that I tried to grab earlier.

"It's your birthday, but the chicken wings belong to Harry," she said. "He's been whining about wanting to eat at this restaurant for two months."

I watched as she continued placing more chicken wings on Harry's plate. The feelings that had briefly stirred in my heart earlier completely disappeared at that moment.

Giselle was so busy piling food on Harry's plate that she accidentally knocked over a glass of hot water. The water splashed on the back of my hand, and the skin instantly turned bright red.

My entire body jolted. I was just about to get up when she grabbed my hand. There was a complicated look in her eyes as she stared at the angry boils that were beginning to form on the back of my hand.

"You're already an adult. Why weren't you paying attention to your surroundings?"

Giselle didn't let go of my hand and tried to drag me away from the table. My leg was still in pain, so I just sat in place and didn't move an inch. In the end, she marched over to my side and half-supported and half-dragged me to the sink.

As she pulled my hand under the running water, she told the waitress to prepare some ice. Her movements were very gentle, as if she was afraid of hurting me.

She sighed when I remained silent. She massaged my palm and said, "I ordered a plate of non-spicy chicken wings for you. You just have to wait a little while more. I bought your favorite mousse cake and sunflowers too. Don't be mad at me anymore, okay?"

My throat tightened. Some of the thorny vines that had wrapped themselves around my heart snapped and fell away.

The table was an utter mess when we returned. The ice and non-spicy chicken wings were nowhere in sight. The cover of the cake box had been removed, and someone had taken a few bites out of the mousse cake. The sunflowers were in the trash, stained by a mixture of condiments and soiled tissues.

Harry stretched lazily. His words dripped with insincerity when he said, "I cancelled the ice and non-spicy chicken wings because I'm already full. I also accidentally ruined the cake and flowers when I dropped them…"

Giselle waved her hand before I could even get a word in. "It's fine. Cole's always been very understanding. He's not petty."

Understanding and not petty—those were the labels that Giselle had permanently attached to me.

It didn't matter how outrageous Harry's actions were. She expected me to be understanding and forgive him with a smile—expected me to just quietly wait for him to hurt me even more next time.

I looked at Giselle as I recalled what she had said to me a few minutes ago. She didn't look at me. Instead, she walked over to Harry's side, pulled his arm over her shoulders, and looped his bag around her neck with a practiced ease.

I just stared at them.

Eventually, Giselle noticed my heavy gaze. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head.

Some people treated their loved ones with deep care and thoughtfulness. On the other hand, they set boundaries, demanded respect, and forgot the affection that they showed just a few minutes ago when they were dealing with someone they didn't love.

"Keep up, Cole," Giselle said as she brushed past me while supporting Harry.

Harry looked incredibly smug as he leaned his weight on her and waved at me.

I didn't follow them. Instead, I turned and headed in the other direction.