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Stood In The Back Row Of His Love
Stood In The Back Row Of His Love
作者: Canal

Chapter 1

作者: Canal
The notification for my close friends' updates went off, letting me know that my best friend, Olivia Morgan, had posted something new.

It was a nine-photo carousel with the caption, "Happy graduation! I can't believe we already have 132 pictures together."

I stared at the photos one by one.

In one, Nathaniel Carter, my boyfriend, was helping her straighten the ribbon on her graduation gown. In another, he leaned down slightly, listening intently as she talked. In yet another, he playfully flicked her forehead, his eyes crinkling with amusement.

I quietly opened my own photo gallery and scrolled through it again.

Nathaniel and I had known each other for 14 years, and we'd spent three of those years dating in secret. Yet somehow, after all that time, we didn't have a single decent picture together.

My throat tightened as I stared at the empty space where those memories should have been.

Nathaniel was leaning against the parallel bars, taking a drink of water while Olivia stood beside him, gently wiping the sweat from his jaw with a tissue.

I stopped a few feet away, watching them for a moment before Nathaniel finally glanced up and noticed me. "What's wrong? You look so down."

"Let's take a picture together." I tried to keep my voice light, but I only wanted one picture—something I could keep as a memory of the 14 years we'd spent knowing each other.

Nathaniel gave a quiet, mocking laugh. "Don't you know? The closer two people are, the fewer pictures they need."

Olivia smiled and immediately backed him up, "Exactly, Eve. Nathaniel's right. When two people are truly close, they don't need pictures to prove it."

Nathaniel casually ran a hand through his hair, and the ring on his finger caught the light again.

"Besides, you always hide whenever you see a camera. You freeze up like a piece of wood. Taking a picture of you would just be a waste of film."

My expression fell, and Olivia quickly slipped an arm around my shoulders as if to smooth things over. "Eve, you're just being too sensitive. Nathaniel only said that because he cares about you. He's worried you'll hate how you look in the pictures."

I lowered my eyes, quietly locked my phone, and slipped it back into my pocket. "Got it."

We wouldn't take a picture together.

And maybe I didn't need to hold on to those 14 years anymore, either.

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  • Stood In The Back Row Of His Love   Chapter 11

    A week later, Olivia called me. "Nathaniel has blacklisted me throughout the industry. Everyone in our class keeps calling me a homewrecker, and I can't even get the deposit back on my apartment."She sounded desperate as she pleaded, "Eve, please. Can you talk to Nathaniel for me? I'm really out of options."I stared at the solution in the petri dish in front of me as it slowly changed color, saying nothing. When she realized I wasn't going to respond, Olivia quickly changed tactics and appealed to our past. "Eve, don't you remember when we first started college? You got sick and had a fever, and I stayed up with you all night in the dorm."Don't you remember when your boss shorted you on your pay from your part-time job? I was the one who went there and argued with him for you."I was always so good to you. You can't just stand by and watch me lose everything!" "Olivia," I finally cut her off. She fell silent. "That time freshman year when I had a fever? You were faking

  • Stood In The Back Row Of His Love   Chapter 10

    Three days later, I walked out of the building carrying several heavy anatomy textbooks when Nathaniel immediately approached me.He pulled a small velvet jewelry box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a simple silver star necklace—the exact same design he'd given me during my freshman year of college. "I had the jeweler make another one from scratch." There was a trace of smug satisfaction in his eyes, as though he expected me to be impressed by the effort. "This isn't the one Olivia took. I threw that one away. This one is brand-new. You're the only one who gets to wear it." I took the jewelry box from his hand, dropped it straight into the trash, and dusted my hands off. "I don't need it anymore." His face instantly went pale. I looked at him calmly. "Anything you give me is trash to me."Just then, Olivia tagged Nathaniel in the class group chat. "Nathaniel, are you coming to pick me up after work tonight? I got your favorite cupcake." The message immediately set o

  • Stood In The Back Row Of His Love   Chapter 9

    Nathaniel eventually went home. His mother, Catherine Parker, came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly cut fruit. She glanced past him toward the doorway, then frowned when she realized he was alone."Why are you the only one home? I haven't seen Evelyn in over six months. I thought you'd bring her home for dinner today?"Nathaniel froze halfway through taking off his shoes. His eyes drifted toward the bottom shelf of the shoe cabinet, where a pair of pink bunny slippers sat tucked away in the corner.They were mine. Every weekend, I used to come here without fail to keep his mother company. I'd arrange flowers with her, drink coffee, and listen to her talk about everything from neighborhood gossip to whatever she'd cooked that week. It had become such a regular part of our lives that no one had ever thought twice about it. Now, a thin layer of dust had settled over the slippers. "She's been a little busy lately," Nathaniel said, loosening his tie as though it wer

  • Stood In The Back Row Of His Love   Chapter 8

    Nathaniel didn't go back to Crown City. Instead, he stubbornly booked a room at a five-star hotel near Westbridge University. He seemed convinced that if he stayed long enough, I'd eventually give in and come back to his side. …Three days later, in the early evening, I walked out of the library carrying several heavy hardcover books, accompanied by one of the senior students in my research group. Daniel Whitmore was a cheerful local who had been chatting with me about our research topic, his words carrying a slight local accent. "Evelyn, that data model you proposed last night was brilliant," he said. "Our advisor even went out of his way to praise you at today's meeting. He said you're the most talented student in our cohort."I smiled, genuinely happy. "Thank you, Daniel. It's because our advisor has been such a great mentor." "Evelyn Bennett!" A dark, icy voice cut through our conversation.I looked down the steps and saw Nathaniel standing there, glaring at Daniel and m

  • Stood In The Back Row Of His Love   Chapter 7

    At 10:00 am the next day, I'd just finished an experiment when I pushed through the glass doors and spotted Nathaniel sitting in the corner. His expression was already dark. "Did you get the 9,000 dollars I wired you? The extra 400 dollars should be enough to buy yourself a few decent outfits at Westbridge University."I stopped in front of him. "I got it. The original amount is settled. I already sent the extra 400 dollars back to you. I don't take handouts."Nathaniel's jaw tightened. The bloodshot veins in his eyes made him look almost feral. He was used to seeing me meek and apologetic, always willing to explain myself. Clearly, he couldn't stand this colder, more indifferent version of me. "Evelyn Bennett, you've gotten pretty damn bold, haven't you?" he snapped. "You applied to Westbridge University behind my back and took off without even giving me an explanation?"He stepped closer, his shadow falling over me. "So what if you got into grad school? You really think you

  • Stood In The Back Row Of His Love   Chapter 6

    Nathaniel slammed his phone down on his desk, the screen still displaying the call that had just ended. Irritably, he loosened his tie, his expression darkening at being defied.A moment later, Olivia walked into the office carrying a cup of coffee. Her wine-red dress hugged her graceful curves, and her perfectly made-up face was framed by a bright, confident smile. Nathaniel took the coffee from her, his gaze lingering on her for a moment. Now, this was the kind of woman he could take out in public—the kind who turned heads and made him look good in front of his friends."Nathaniel, is Eve still throwing a fit?" Olivia asked. "Let her." He lit a cigarette and took a slow drag, smoke curling lazily into the air. "Once she runs out of money for rent, she'll come crawling back to me."After 14 years by his side, Nathaniel had long since grown tired of me. He hated the way I dressed, always in faded cotton dresses that made me look plain and old-fashioned. He hated the way I hunche

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