Chapter 1

By the time I dragged my 30-inch suitcase to the airport, the handle had rubbed my palms raw, leaving them red and sore.

Three waves of arrivals had come and gone, but I still hadn't seen any sign of Audrey Collins, my girlfriend. So, I called her.

The phone rang seven times before she finally picked up. The first thing I heard through the receiver was the soft chime of an air conditioner kicking on.

"I'm here. Which exit are you at?"

"We've already left," Audrey replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Nathan got airsick and was feeling awful, so I took him home to rest for a while."

Nathan Cole's cheerful laughter came through the phone. "Vincent, you're way too slow! But if you can sit on an economy-class train for 20 hours without a problem, walking a little farther shouldn't be a big deal, either.

"Unlike me. My legs were still wobbly when I got off the plane, and I had to lean on Audrey just to walk."

Audrey chuckled helplessly. "He's just joking around. Don't take it personally."

She then added, "Nathan wants a seafood platter from that place on Southcrest Boulevard, so just head over there, and we'll meet you."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead. "Audrey, my back hurts…"

She hung up before I could explain any further. I was left with the rest of my words stuck in my throat.

As I made my way there, I kept thinking my phone was vibrating. Every time I pulled it out to check, all I found were app notifications.

40 minutes later, I dragged my suitcase into the seafood restaurant.

Nathan hurried over to greet me, grinning as he draped an arm over my shoulder.

"Vincent, it's been so long! I've missed you so much," he announced.

"It's all Audrey's fault," he continued, turning to her. "She insisted on taking me home to rest first. Otherwise, I wouldn't have missed you when you arrived at the airport."

Audrey followed behind him, gently guiding him out of the way of a server carrying a platter to the table.

"Alright, now. Everything is my fault."

Then, she looked at me and frowned. "How did you manage to make such a mess of yourself?"

She took my suitcase and used a tissue to wipe the sweat from my face.

"You're a grown man. How do you still not know how to take care of yourself?"

I turned my head slightly to avoid her hand.

With a resigned sigh, she tossed the tissue into the trash.

"What are you sulking about now?"

Nathan teased me, "He must be upset because he didn't get to see you earlier. You owe him dinner today, so you'd better make it up to Vincent."

Audrey played along. "Fine. You two can order whatever you want."

Nathan immediately circled the spicy seafood platter on the menu twice.

"Let's get the spicy seafood platter. And let's add some beef to it. Vincent likes beef."

"I don't eat spicy food," I stated.