Chapter 2 What She Remembered

"Who told you to go through my pockets?" Dakota took the receipt from my hand. Her movements were gentle, but her voice had turned cold.

"It fell out on its own."

"You should've put it back." She folded the receipt and slipped it into her wallet.

I asked, "Why was the watch everyone chipped in for charged to your card?"

"I paid for it upfront."

"It's $680,000. Who's going to pay you back?"

"Friends don't need to keep such careful tabs on each other."

I looked at the $11.80 container of oatmeal on the table. "But we do?"

Dakota followed my gaze and frowned. "What exactly do you want?"

"A bouquet of flowers."

She looked at me as if she hadn't heard correctly. "What?"

"It's been four years. I just want you to give me a bouquet of flowers."

She was silent for a moment. Then, she pulled $500 from her wallet and set it on the table. "If you like flowers that much, buy them yourself."

The bills landed beside the oatmeal. It looked like charity, like she was settling a debt.

"I want you to give them to me."

"Does it really matter who buys the flowers?"

"Then, why do you know what kind Harrison likes?"

Dakota's expression hardened. "He told me. I happened to remember."

"I told you, too."

"What did you tell me?"

The last bit of warmth in my chest suddenly vanished.

During our first year of marriage, I passed a flower shop and mentioned that I liked white lisianthus.

The second year, she asked what I wanted. I still said lisianthus. She told me flowers were overpriced and that we might as well buy some vegetables instead.

After that, I never brought it up again.

I pushed the $500 back toward her. "Forget it."

Dakota visibly relaxed. "That's better. Don't let some pointless ritual come between us."

…

The next afternoon, Harrison invited me to his place. When he opened the door, I saw unopened gift boxes throughout the apartment.

He was wearing that luxury watch and gave me a cheerful pat on the shoulder. "You're not mad I didn't spend your birthday with you yesterday, are you?"

I didn't pull away. "No."

"Dakota says you're the most understanding person." He led me into the walk-in closet and pointed to a row of limited-edition sneakers and men's crossbody bags. "I'm decluttering. Help me pick out a few things I don't want anymore, and I'll put them up for sale."

I looked at the collection, and one pair of discontinued collaboration sneakers caught my eye. I'd lingered over them in a magazine once.

Dakota had taken the magazine away from me. "That style will go out of fashion quickly. It's not worth buying."

Now, those same sneakers sat in Harrison's glass display case, still wrapped in their original protective film.

I asked, "Were these from your ex, too?"

Harrison ran a hand over the shoebox, his smile faint. "It doesn't matter who gave it to me. What matters is that someone remembered what I liked."

The sound of a key turning came from the front door.

Dakota walked in carrying two cups of coffee. Her expression changed for a split second when she saw me. "What are you doing here?"

He took the coffee from her and answered for me, "I invited Callum over. He doesn't mind that you have a key to my place, does he?"

She handed me the other cup. "Harrison always forgets his keys. I keep a spare for him. That's all."

I looked down at the cups.

Harrison's was a hot latte with hazelnut syrup. Mine was an iced Americano with no sugar.

"I can't drink iced coffee."

Her brow twitched. "Didn't you used to?"

"I have a bad stomach. I haven't had iced drinks since we got together."

Dakota froze for a moment.

Harrison immediately took the iced Americano from me. "It's fine. I can drink it too. Dakota has a whole company to run. It's normal for her to get something wrong once in a while."

He held the hot latte she had ordered for him exactly the way he liked it in one hand and the iced Americano she'd gotten wrong for me in the other.

Dakota glanced at me. "It's just a cup of coffee. Let's not make things awkward."

I nodded. "Okay."

As I was leaving, I noticed a pair of women's slippers beside the shoe cabinet. They were exactly like the ones Dakota wore at home.

Harrison noticed where I was looking and gave a deliberate little laugh. "She comes over sometimes to help me organize things. I keep a pair here for convenience."

Dakota said nothing, so I stepped into the elevator.

As the doors slowly closed, he suddenly caught her by the arm. "Dakota, don't forget to come with me tonight to pick out a ring."

Dakota's expression changed instantly, and she looked toward me without thinking.

For one brief moment, our eyes met. Then, the elevator doors closed completely.