She Promised Next Year, but We're Done Now

I was a few drinks in when my friends began complaining to me. "You know, I thought you'd forgotten all about us once you got a girlfriend. You'd better not pull that move on us again, Ethan."I assured them. "You guys can just give me a call whenever there's a drinking session. I'll definitely be there."I made Lily the center of my universe after we got together. I let every part of my life and work revolve completely around her, losing my friends and social life in the process. In retrospect, I realized how foolish I had been.I checked my phone and saw that Lily had refunded the money I transferred to her earlier. I finally returned home at 1:00 am, and when I switched on the light, I spotted Lily sitting on the couch. I stood there bewildered for a second, almost doubting what I was seeing.Lily, seeing how drunk I was, made no move to come over to support me. She just looked at me with a disappointed expression instead. "Why can't you act like a man for once, Ethan? You shoul

Lily's eyes widened in surprise when I rejected her advances, something I used to plead for endlessly. She felt embarrassed and annoyed as she slammed the guest room door hard and stomped off into the master bedroom instead.Once she left, I fell asleep in no time. I found that falling asleep had gotten way easier once I stopped overthinking things.It was early the following morning when Henry Stewart, my university professor, called after learning that I was going abroad. He offered to host a send-off for me, but I turned him down right away, so he dropped the idea. He then mentioned that he was planning an intimate get-together to catch up with our former classmates. He had already put in so much effort, so I really had no choice but to accept his invitation.I hadn't expected Lily to be there when I went that evening, but it was understandable since she was also one of Professor Stewart's prized students.Lily had brought Forrest along as well.I never thought Lily would bri

I zoned out as I stared at the message. I realized that it was probably the very first time Lily had ever checked in with me.In the past, I couldn't even ask Lily how many people would be at the gathering without her thinking I was making a big deal out of nothing. "Do I really have to tell you everything I do in detail? Do you not find this kind of relationship tiring, Ethan?"I had to spend a long time reassuring Lily before she finally calmed down. She repeatedly emphasized that I shouldn't meddle in her affairs.I replied to Lily's message indifferently. "Got it."Lily tried to reassure me again, saying, "I'm only staying because Forrest has been throwing up non-stop and it's getting super late. Please don't read into this, Ethan."I replied indifferently, "Alright."Lily stopped messaging me altogether after that.I repeatedly went to the bathroom to throw up that night. Forrest wasn't the only one who had gotten drunk at the gathering; I had too.I was accustomed to beer

I told Lily, "I'm leaving next Saturday. I've already booked the plane ticket."In that instant, the atmosphere became tense.Lily finally broke the silence after a while and said, "I think we need to talk about this, Ethan. I can't live with this kind of arrangement any longer."I looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean? Is something wrong?"Lily always wanted me to be more sensible, yet when I did, she was still somewhat dissatisfied.Lily furrowed her brows and asked, "Is Forrest the reason you're being like this, Ethan?"She bit her lip and kept going as I remained silent. "If you're bothered by my friendship with Forrest, I'll cut him off for you, so please don't treat me with such total indifference, Ethan."She looked at me expectantly, as if she had done me a huge favor.I said calmly, "You're overthinking it. I genuinely don't mind anymore. You're free to be friends with whoever you want, and it's not my place to tell you what to do, Lily."I never