Chapter 2

At 6:40 pm, I texted Chase, asking, "Where are you?"

Ten minutes later, he responded. "I'll be right there."

The wedding reception started at 7:00 pm. The chair beside me remained empty.

When my friend, Olivia Parker, came over to toast the guests, she looked around before asking, "Where's Chase? I thought you said we'd finally get to meet him?"

"Something came up," I replied.

"Work?"

I chuckled. "Something like that."

At 7:30 pm, a server stopped at the table and cleared away the unused place setting. I was just about to call Chase when I got a video call from him instead.

The camera jerked around a little.

He was standing on a chair, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and he had a screw clenched between his teeth.

Winnie's new apartment was filled with cardboard boxes.

"I can't get away," Chase said after spitting the screw onto his palm. "I'm only halfway through installing the curtain rod."

I asked, "You said you'd only be checking on the lease for her."

Winnie immediately popped into view at the edge of the frame. "It's my fault!"

She was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, eating a bowl of pasta. Shooting me a wink, she explained, "All the appliances the landlord left behind were broken, so I had to extend Chase's rental and employ him as my repairman.

"I know I've kept your employee working overtime for a few hours. Please don't file a complaint with the labor department, Isla!"

I ignored her. "Chase, you promised you'd be back by 6:00 pm."

"I know."

"It's 7:30 pm."

He frowned. "Isla, you're already at the wedding anyway. Even if I go now, I'll only be in time to eat some of the leftovers."

Several people at the table heard him.

Lowering my voice, I said, "But you promised me."

"I never said I wasn't going to show up." Chase was clearly annoyed, but he still kept his voice gentle as he tried to placate me. "Just sit tight and eat my fill for me. I'll come over to pick you up just as soon as I'm done."

Winnie held out a fork of pasta to him. "Open up. Your hands are dirty."

Chase lowered his head and ate the pasta before realizing the video call was still connected.

Winnie's shoulders shook with laughter. "Oh, no! Your girlfriend saw us."

She pulled out her phone and offered, "Here, I'll pay 300 dollars for the overtime. I'll make the transfer right away."

I dropped the video call. Ten seconds later, I received a notification that 300 dollars had been transferred to my account. The remark read, "Overtime compensation. Since I've been such a loyal customer, please don't leave me a bad review."

I returned the money on the spot, and Chase called me right after that.

"You returned the money?"

"I did."

"Do you have a problem with the money or with me?"

"With you."

Chase fell silent for a moment. "Isla, there's no reason for you to make such a big deal out of a joke. You're making it seem like I cheated on you."

"Did you not cheat on me?"

"Did you see me touch her? I even accepted her money right in front of you! How else do you want me to prove myself?" Chase argued.

I stared at the empty chair beside me. Suddenly, I saw no point in continuing this conversation.

"You're right."

"What?"

"It's just an empty seat at the table. Even if you didn't show up, it didn't ruin the wedding in any way," I said.

Chase picked up on the subtext, and his tone hardened. "Do you really have to act like this right now?"

I dropped the call.

…

By the time the reception ended, it was raining heavily outside. I got home at 11:00 pm, and my heels were completely soaked through.

When I opened the door, the kitchen lights were on. Chase was standing at the stove, making soup.

The moment he heard me, he turned around.

"Why are you completely drenched?" He walked over, crouched down, and took off my wet heels for me. "Why didn't you ask me to come pick you up?"

I looked down at him. His hands felt warm. I smelled the chicken soup on the stove. It was my go-to meal whenever I had an upset stomach.

Chase had also prepared a pot of ginger tea for me.

"You were busy," I said.

"No matter how busy I get, I'll always have time to pick you up," he declared.

After wrapping a towel around my feet, he muttered disapprovingly, "Don't be so silly."

For a moment, my nose prickled. Surely this meant that Chase cared about me after all.

Right on cue, Chase's phone rang. It was Winnie again.

"Help, Chase! Did the bedside lamp get installed incorrectly? I've been trying to switch it on for ages now, but nothing's happening!"

Chase frowned. "Send me a video of the lamp."

"I can't figure it out. Can you drop by for just a moment?"

He glanced at the time. Before I even said anything, he'd straightened up and grabbed his car keys.

"I'll only be gone for 20 minutes. Have some soup, and leave the dishes. I'll do them when I get back."

I looked at him. "Do you really have to go?"

"If the lamp was installed incorrectly, it's a safety hazard," Chase explained.

"She can call the property manager for help."

"But it's already so late at night." He ran a hand through my hair. "Don't kick up a fuss. I already came back for you, didn't I?"

The bit of warmth that had sparked in my heart slowly turned cold again. My lesson for the day was realizing that being loved by someone and being the one they prioritized were two entirely separate matters.

…

The next day, Chase brought home a necklace with a moon-shaped pendant.

"An apology gift for you," he said.

When I opened the box, I was genuinely stunned. Six years ago, when we walked out of the movie theater after our first date, a full moon had hung in the sky.

I'd remarked in passing, "I love full moons."

Every year since, he had given me all kinds of random birthday gifts. I received bottles of perfume, stuffed animals, and various shades of lipstick. Not once had he given me anything related to the moon.

I'd always thought he had forgotten about what I said.

"You still remember that?" I asked.

Chase leaned back against the couch and raised his brows. "I haven't lost my memory."

Then he stood behind me and put the necklace on for me himself. His fingertips brushed against my neck.

"Haven't you always complained that I could never remember what you liked? Looks like I've proven you wrong, huh?"

I looked in the mirror. My eyes were slightly red. When he saw that, he smiled and leaned down to kiss me.

"Is this all it takes to get you so emotional? If I knew that a simple necklace was all it took to appease you, I wouldn't have had to get chewed out by you last night."

I gave him a shove. "When did I chew you out?"

"It's even scarier when you talk to me in a flat tone than when you raise your voice."

Chase wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Isla."

"What?"

"You're the one I love."

My body stilled, and Chase chuckled.

"I really don't know what you're so afraid of all the time. If Winnie and I really had something going on, would I still be meeting up with her openly in front of you every day? It's precisely because nothing is going on between us that I dare to help her."

He sounded so frank and open about it.

At that very moment, Chase's phone started ringing with a call from Winnie. He put it on speaker mode.

"What's up?"

"Does she like the moon necklace?"

My hand froze over the pendant, and Chase stiffened as well. Winnie, however, didn't notice a thing.

"I told you she'd definitely like it. You kept insisting that after all these years, she probably wouldn't remember such a small detail from your first date. You should be thanking me for reminding you about it."

A silence ensued, and I slowly took off the necklace. Chase's smile dropped.

"Isla."

Winnie, who was still on the phone, chuckled before remarking, "Oh, no. Did I say something I shouldn't have? Don't mind me, Isla. All I did was jog Chase's memory a little. I had to listen to him go on and on about all the sweet memories you two share for a full 30 minutes!"

I placed the necklace back in the box.

Chase ended the call.

"What are you doing now?"

"I'm giving it back to you," I said.

"I thought you liked it."

"I don't anymore."

"Just because she helped me choose it?" Chase stared at me, looking like he couldn't fathom my reaction. "Is that really something worth getting upset about?

"All I did was say that I didn't know what to get you, so she asked me what you liked. I happened to mention our first date, so she picked out the necklace, and I paid for it."

"So, you're saying that I should be thanking you right now?" I asked.

Chase's temper flared at that. "Just what do you want from me, Isla? You're uncomfortable no matter what I do with her. Are you telling me that I can't be friends with a woman anymore just because I'm involved with you?"

I didn't answer.

He leaned back against the couch and rubbed his forehead. After a while, he pulled me toward him again.

"Fine. I spoke too harshly just now. Don't give me that face."

He nudged the tip of my nose. "There's no comparison between you and her."

"What if she asks you to be her boyfriend?" I asked.

Chase laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. You're the one I want to marry."

Then he paused before adding, "However, if she's in trouble, I won't just stand by and do nothing. That's a separate matter."

Everything clicked into place for me then.

He saw me as the person he'd spend his future with, but Winnie would always be an exception to him. I would be the wife, but his priority would go to someone else, time and time again.

That night, Winnie sent a message to the group chat the three of us shared.

"It's my mother's birthday tomorrow. I need to rent Chase for a day. Name your price."

Chase didn't answer, and neither did I.

Ten minutes later, she sent another message.

"Can I get a discount, Isla?"

I left the group chat, and Chase laughed when he saw that. "You're seriously going to hold a grudge against her?"

"I don't want to play this game anymore."

He stared at me for a long time before turning off his phone and dumping it onto the bedside table in full view of me.

"Okay. No one can summon me away from you tomorrow." He pulled me into his arms. "Satisfied now?"

I didn't answer him, but that night, I trusted his words again.