All Chapters of Expired Love: Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

Dirty and anxious, Jethro wanted to hug me, but he was worried about getting my clothes dirty. He panicked and said, "I'll never break up with you, even if I die."That was the first time I'd ever seen the usually calm and quiet guy yell out in desperation.I froze, then demanded, "Then why do you keep disappearing? Why don't you answer your phone?"Jethro fell silent, lowering his head.I turned to leave in a huff. Disregarding his dirty state, he rushed up and held me from behind. Burying his head in my neck, he whispered, "Please, don't leave me. When I don't have class, I work on construction sites. It's dangerous, so I'm worried if I answer your calls, I'll get distracted, and I'm even more worried you'll get mad if I don't pick up, so I just turn off my phone."The revelation shocked me. Jethro was poor, but not poor enough to risk his life like this.Confused, I asked, "Why would you do something so dangerous?"He carefully took my hand, blushing. "So many people are be

The second year after Valerie passed, I developed severe anxiety. Sleepless nights made it hard to tell reality from fantasy.The smell of her that used to fill the house had long since disappeared with the passing years. I tried to hold onto something, but it was all in vain.Only the necklace she had lost remained. It was my only connection to her.I thought this was the price I had to pay for failing her.It was just another ordinary day, but I remembered it was an important day.It took me a moment to realize it was Valerie's birthday. If she were still here, this would have been the ninth birthday I spent with her.I bought a cake and some flowers before heading to the cemetery.As I walked, I thought back to our seven years together. The first time I saw her, she had just come out of the dance studio, all sweaty.When our eyes met, my heart skipped a beat. I knew that I'd fallen for someone out of my league.Dane had supported me for 20 years. His daughter was definitely