Chapter 2

At 11:00 pm, Carly walked in smelling of grilled meat.

She set a clear plastic takeout box on the table.

Inside were a few yellowed lettuce leaves and dry, boiled meat, without even a speck of black pepper.

"I told the chef no salt. Remember to do 40 minutes of fasted cardio when you finish this. You probably drank a lot of water trying on suits today. We can't let your muscle definition get soft."

She spoke as naturally as she had every single night for the past six years.

As I opened the box, the greasy scent of grilled meat drifting off her jacket overpowered the bitter smell of the lettuce.

Carly took off her jacket. A smear of dipping sauce stained the cuff of her blouse.

Realizing it, she pulled out a wet wipe to clean it off, then casually asked if the suit reservation had been changed back.

"I canceled it," I said.

Her movements paused. "Daniel Nash, I already promised I'd go with you on Sunday."

"You promised today, too."

She frowned at me, weighing whether my words were worth an argument.

Finally, she softened her voice. "Aiden just came back. He doesn't know his way around. Let's just say I didn't plan well today. I'll cover the cancellation loss, and we can pick a new suit."

She pulled out her phone and transferred 2,600 dollars right then and there.

That was probably her version of an apology.

I didn't accept the transfer. Instead, I pushed the box of boiled greens back. "Don't ever decide what I eat again."

"Fine."

She agreed so quickly that I looked up.

Carly walked over to the smart scale and kicked it straight with her foot.

"Decide for yourself, then. But you have to make sure your muscle mass doesn't drop, and that your body fat doesn't bounce back. The wedding is only a month away. The suit sizes are already locked in."

It turned out her compromise was just phrasing a command differently.

I took off my engagement ring and set it down beside the takeout box.

Carly's gaze finally darkened at the sight of the ring. "Is it really necessary to blow things up like this?"

"The note in the target field says his name," I said.

"That was a body-shaping template from six years ago. You trained and built your physique using this program, which proves it works. Are you going to throw away six years over a few words?"

Four years ago, I slipped in the bathroom from severe dehydration and slammed my shoulder hard against the tiles.

Carly had helped me up onto the couch, but her first question wasn't whether my body hurt. It was to check my macronutrient logs for the day.

She calculated that my carb intake was too low, which caused the dizziness, but punished me by doubling my cardio every day for a week as the price of "being careless".

That night, she sat by the bed and ice-packed my shoulder three times.

I had interpreted her coldness as strictness and her punishments as high standards for me.

The condensation from the takeout box trickled down the edge, dampening the ring.

I spoke up. "You said that we'd get married once my body fat dropped to 8%."

"You've already done it."

Carly picked up the ring, wiped it clean with a tissue, and reached for my hand.

Her fingertips were still warm.

"The wedding next month goes on as planned. Let's drop today's nonsense. From now on, I'll try to spend less time alone with Aiden."

The ring pressed against my knuckle.

I didn't pull away right away.

Right then, her phone lit up with a voice message from Aiden.

"Carly, you left your jacket at my place. I'll bring it over to the auto show tomorrow, okay?"

Carly's hand tightened slightly.

She didn't reply, but she didn't deny that she'd be spending tomorrow with him either.

I pulled my hand back. The ring dropped onto the table with a sharp click.

"Tomorrow is the wedding menu tasting," I said.

"The auto show wraps up by noon. I'll make it."

"I want you not to go."

For the first time in six years, I explicitly asked her to choose between Aiden and me.

Carly stared at me for a few seconds, then placed the ring back in the box.

"Danny, I already said I'd make it back. Don't turn a normal friendship into something so ugly."

She picked up her phone and opened the fitness app out of habit.

Seconds later, her expression shifted. "You unlinked the smart scale?"

I snapped the takeout box shut and tossed it in the trash. "It's not going to report to you anymore."