All Chapters of My Love, Your Afterthought: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Elizabeth's POV:"Table 3601? Anyone here for 3601?"I handed over my ticket and followed the hostess to my seat."Would you like the classic cheese fondue or the broth-based fondue?""Broth-based."Brooke couldn't eat a meal without something rich and indulgent, and I couldn't stomach more than a few bites of it. Whenever the three of us ate together, we ended up catering to her taste instead. I set my coat down and waited for the fondue pot to arrive."Elizabeth!"I looked up at the sound of my name. Brooke Jennings was waving as she came toward me. Daryl McCabe followed behind her, Brooke's purse slung over his shoulder and her coat draped over his arm.He stopped in front of me, a flicker of annoyance crossing his handsome features. "Elizabeth, just this once.""Hm?""We already ordered over there. Bee insisted on coming to keep you company. Don't make a scene about it next time."I was his girlfriend. He was the one who should've had a nickname for me. Instead, he alw

"See?" Daryl looked at me with an expression that all but said I told you so. "Sometimes cutting your losses early is the smarter choice."I nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I guess it was time to cut my losses."He seemed pleased with my response and, for once, praised me. "You'd be so much easier to deal with if you were always this well-behaved."We paid the bill and stepped outside. Snow drifted down under the streetlights in thick, feathery flakes. Brooke and I stood side by side while Daryl positioned himself in front of her, shielding her from the wind. The cold cut across my face like a blade, and I couldn't stop shivering.Daryl fastened the last button on Brooke's coat, then stepped over to me. He unwound his own scarf and wrapped it around my neck. "It's late. It's not safe for Bee to walk home alone this late. I'll see her back. Go home, get some rest, don't wait up for me."Brooke lived in the opposite direction, though about the same distance away.I hesitated, then

At dinner, Daryl ordered takeout. He'd gotten eight or nine fondue platters, more than the table could really hold.Brooke's eyes lit up. "Daryl, you really know how to order. I'm obsessed with every single one of these."I scanned the spread over and over. In the end, I just picked at a few bites of plain bread and vegetables. Every platter was smothered in a thick layer of melted cheese — the rich, heavy kind that I could barely stomach.A moment later, Daryl slid a glass of water toward me. "Elizabeth, you should try building up a tolerance for rich food. It'd make things a lot less complicated when the three of us eat together."My fork froze halfway to my mouth. Something tightened in my chest, a dull, suffocating weight.There it was again. He remembered every single platter Brooke loved, but somehow could never remember that I couldn't handle heavy cheese at all. He even seemed to think I was the inconvenient one. It was almost funny.I pushed the glass further away. "It w

Yesterday's fondue platters still sat on the table. Daryl went to clear them away. He gathered the leftovers together, then stopped short.His eyes landed on the glass of plain water still sitting on the table, the one he'd poured for Elizabeth to cut through the richness. Aside from the temperature, it looked exactly the same as when he'd first pushed it toward her. Not a single trace of grease on it.That was when it hit him. Elizabeth hadn't eaten a single bite.The sight of that untouched glass cut at him. How had he been so careless, not to order even a few platters that weren't smothered in heavy cheese?Once he'd cleared the table, he went into the kitchen and started pulling out ingredients one by one. Rich cheese fondue, a creamy cheese omelet, a baked brie with truffle oil. All of it Brooke's favorites.What did Elizabeth like? She couldn't handle heavy cheese. What else? Beyond that, what else was there?Daryl searched his memory carefully. Two words surfaced. Medite

Daryl lowered his head, his voice catching. "I was wrong. I'm sorry. Come back with me. I'll change, I promise."He reached for my hand again, and I pulled away, cold."Daryl, not every mistake gets a second chance. We're done. Completely.""No. We're not done." His voice rose sharply, trembling. "Elizabeth, I know I was wrong, and I've promised to change. I flew all the way to Zwinterland to find you. Can't you give me one more chance?"My refusal was firm. "No."He looked at me, and after a moment, his eyes went red."Elizabeth, I know I was wrong. Badly wrong. I understand if you don't want to forgive me easily. But I'm not giving up. I'll show you I can change."That night, after a long day of work, I made myself a cup of coffee. My phone rang. It was Brooke.I hesitated for a while before answering."Lizzie, we're best friends. Can't you just let me have Daryl?"Brooke called us best friends, and in the same breath used that friendship to guilt me into handing over my ow