See You Again... Not

I took a bite of my hot dog as I watched Jennifer York's name flash across my phone screen. It was slowing me down.

I was about to ignore the call when I accidentally brushed the screen with the base of my thumb and answered it.

With no choice but to pick up, I asked, "What is it?"

Jennifer sounded completely normal. She didn't sound the least bit guilty. "Something came up at work. I'm sorry I can't be with you again. I'll make it up to you another time."

I finished my hot dog and reached for another one.

"Oh, okay. It's fine."

There was a hint of confusion in her voice. "Where are you?"

I glanced around at the street. The restaurant we'd planned to go to was nowhere near this noisy.

"Uh, I just felt like getting something to eat, so…"

The hot dog was delicious.

"Why do you always do whatever you want? I had my friend make that reservation for me. If I don't go, it'll be a waste of her favor. What am I supposed to tell her?" she roared, clearly annoyed.

"Then just tell her the real reason you didn't go. I'm sure she'll understand."

"What real reason? What are you on about?"

I sighed. "Is Felix feeling any better?"

Her voice dropped, and she started sounding a little guilty as she said, "How did you… No, that's not it. Let me explain."

"You don't have to. I understand. I'd better eat before my food gets cold. See you."

I hung up.

"Sir, your order's ready!"

"Thanks!"

Ah, hot dogs. My favorite.

It wasn't hard to figure out why Jennifer had stood me up.

On the way to the restaurant, I saw a post from Felix Kenner.

"It's already mealtime, but I feel so bad that I don't even have an appetite."

I told the driver to turn around and take me straight to the food trucks instead.

By now, it was practically a reflex.

Ever since Jennifer got to know Felix, she'd always put him first.

Felix had started working at Jennifer's company as an administrative assistant. He was an energetic fresh graduate.

At first, Jennifer thought, "He's so damn clueless. Sometimes I feel like I should just fire him."

Then, it changed to, "He's actually trying. I feel bad for him."

That was when I knew she'd fallen for him.

Without me even realizing it, Jennifer became the first person Felix turned to whenever he ran into trouble.

All I could do was watch it happen.

It wasn't like we had never argued about it, but every time we did, Jennifer just brushed it off.

"He's a recent graduate. He doesn't really have any friends here. I'm just looking out for one of my employees," she would argue.

"Anniversaries aren't that important. If it really matters to you, I'll make it up to you later. He had a stomachache, so I went to take care of him. You've had stomachaches too. You know how miserable they feel.

"You sprained your ankle. He had a fever. You know which one was more serious."

I had gotten used to it. I didn't even care anymore.

Getting stood up was nothing. Compared to everything else, it was hardly worth mentioning.

…

The next morning, I was surprised to find Jennifer in the living room.

That was unusual. Whenever she stood me up before, she'd come straight from Felix's place.

She barely reacted when she saw me.

"I got back late last night, so I slept in the guest room."

I hummed a response.

She paused before adding, "You got up pretty late, too. You didn't have time to make breakfast, did you?"

"I'll eat on the way," I replied casually.

She smiled. "That's a shame. I kind of miss those simple breakfasts you used to make."

I rested my hand on the bathroom door handle.

"What's there to miss? You already had breakfast, didn't you?"

I closed the door.

I used to get up early every morning to make breakfast for her, but ever since Felix became part of our lives, she gradually stopped eating breakfast.