Chapter 2

The morning greeted me with an Instagram post.

[Does anyone know this couple? They dropped their camera.]

The photos were of Drake and Daphne. Some showed them standing together on the beach, their shoulders touching. Others were portraits they had clearly taken of each other. It was obvious they had enjoyed themselves.

[Not the point, but couple goals?]

[Don't even know them, but ladies, get you a man who looks at you like that!]

…

The comment section was already overflowing with praise.

With a quick tap, I shared the entire post with Daphne.

She called me within seconds. "Okay, you're not seriously believing what the comment section says, right? They're just pictures. We were literally posing for the camera."

I heard Drake chuckle in the background. "Okay, hear me out. The Internet detected the vibe, right? I have to agree with them. Daphne and I make quite a match!"

He snatched the phone from her and added, "Hey, man. Don't get insecure about all this. I'm not into her at all. She's way too manly for me, ha!

"She did tell me she's gonna quit smoking for my sake, though. I honestly can't imagine how you've managed to kiss her without choking on all that nicotine. Blergh."

"Not important," I sneered. "I want the camera back. It was a gift to my mom from her mother."

I ended the call and looked at the open folder on my table. The forms and documents I'd prepared to continue my education were still there. I'd given up on that dream because I loved Daphne enough to marry her, even if my education was the price I had to pay.

Now, I wanted back what I'd lost.

…

A few days later, it was Daphne's mother's birthday.

I arrived at her house early, dropped off a gift, and was about to leave when I ran into Daphne, who had just returned.

She shoved a crudely carved wooden doll into my hand.

"Look what I got you! I searched all over the woods under the blazing sun to find the right block of wood. Then I carved it into the doll you're holding now!" she chirped. "Nothing could be more memorable than this!"

Drake was there too. He'd been lounging on the couch with his eyes glued to his phone, but the conversation caught his attention.

He poked his head up and chimed in, "Pfft. Drilling holes into those wooden blocks messed up my finger. Not recommended. But at least Daphne got me this watch as an apology!"

He showed me the supposed "damage" to his finger. The mark was smaller than the eye of a needle. The watch, however, was impossible to ignore.

Daphne had only ever given me things she'd made herself, like a hand-painted T-shirt or a glazed clay mug. Every one of them looked shoddy, hideous, in fact, in the unmistakable way that came from someone who was simply winging it.

Yet when it came to Drake, her gifts were always expensive. It had gotten to the point where I'd once demanded to know whether she'd actually fallen in love with him.

"Ew, gross! Who would even like that guy? I only started giving him gifts as an extension of your goodwill, Tim! He's your homie, right? Your best bro since you were kids? If it weren't for that, I wouldn't even look at him!"

She'd taken my hand then and looked me straight in the eyes. "The gifts I give you come from the heart, bae. You can't buy them anywhere, and that's what makes them valuable and unique. They exist only for you."

I snickered to myself. I couldn't believe I'd actually bought that back then.

"Hey, man. Your camera!" Drake pulled it from his bag and tossed it toward me. "Catch!"

He was too far away for me to catch it in time. Naturally, the camera slammed into the floor and broke.

"Dude?! What gives? I told you to catch it, right?" Drake complained.

"Oh, quit it. Old things break eventually anyway. It was pretty hard to use, too. No harm done," Daphne interjected before I could even muster a reply.

She pushed me toward the kitchen. "I'm still recovering from the trip, so I'm afraid you're on kitchen duty today, dear sir!"

She handed me a list. "These are Drake's favorite foods. I think you should make something he likes as a reward for taking care of me in your place, you know?"

Out of respect for her mother, I held my tongue and prepared the meal.

Once everything was ready, Drake took a seat right beside Daphne and started chatting with her family as though he'd known them for years.

That was when I realized there wasn't a place for me at the table.

"Oh, sorry about that. We have more guests than we expected, huh?" Daphne said as she took my hand. "You can always eat in the kitchen! There's plenty of space in there."

Drake made a show of getting to his feet. "No! You're making him sound like the hired help! He should take my seat instead."

Daphne pressed a hand against his thigh to stop him. "You're a guest, and guests eat at the table. Don't worry about him, okay? He's not picky about stuff like that. He gets it!"