Home / The One They Always Left Behind / Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

All Chapters of The One They Always Left Behind: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Silence fell over the train car. Giselle Carter broke the silence, her tone cheery. "Don’t give us that look. "Derek knew you’d overthink things when you found out that we were sitting together. He told me not to tell you, so you wouldn’t lose sleep over it." I stared at the jacket over her shoulders. Before setting off, Derek Storm took the jacket out of my luggage. According to him, I might catch a cold from the freezing AC on the train. Yet, there it was, draped over Giselle. I met Derek’s eyes, my voice raspy. "So you lied to me sixteen times?" Derek spoke in hushed tones, "That’s enough. Everyone’s staring. Must you cause a scene on the train?" Giselle rose to her feet. She brushed her skirt straight and stepped aside with a smile. "Fine, you two sit together. "Derek and I have sat next to each other for sixteen trips, so missing one wouldn’t hurt." As she stood up straight, the wired earbuds linking her to Derek were yanked out. Derek grabbed her wrist

Chapter 2

With my grip loosening, the album slid out of my hands. The photos within scattered all over the floor. Giselle bent down to pick them up. Derek pulled a long face. "You don’t have to look at the pictures if you don’t want to. Why throw them to the ground? "It took Giselle four years to put the album together." My gaze fell on the floor covered in photos. "What about me? I tried calling you more than a dozen times when I was running up a fever. "Did you ignore my calls because you were busy posing for these pictures for her?" Derek paused. His brows quickly furrowed. "That happened a long time ago." He leaned down to help Giselle gather the pictures. The pair kept their heads down, organizing the photos without giving me the time of day. My phone buzzed. It was a text message from Mom. "You need to decide by the end of your graduation trip. "Are you coming back with us or sticking with Derek and moving to his work location?" Two weeks ago, I had the

Chapter 3

Derek pulled my suitcases off to the side and said curtly, "Everyone’s giving you facts."Don’t come here and give us an attitude." Brushing him off, I grabbed my bags and took the elevator up. Derek managed to catch up before the elevator doors closed. It was just the two of us inside the shaft. He held me from behind, resting his chin against my hair. "Are you still upset? What happened on the train was my bad. "Those guys have no filter. Don’t take what they said seriously." Despite my attempts to break free, Derek locked his arms tighter around me. "You’re soaking wet. Why didn’t you change out of your wet clothes? "I got your room key. I made sure the heating pad is fully charged. "I’ve made you a cup of tea and put the cold medicine on the table. Have some after your shower and try to get some early rest." At that exact moment, I felt a lump in my throat. Habits built over four years weren't something I could simply cut away.When the elevator stopped at

Chapter 4

The next morning, I emerged from the room to find Derek and Giselle waiting for me by the elevator. Derek pulled a long face, clearly upset over last night’s breakup talk. Grinning, Giselle gave him a nudge. "Alright now. She brought it up in the heat of the moment. You’re a man. Are you seriously going to pick a fight with your girlfriend?" She linked her arm through mine. "I spent the whole morning playing peacemaker, and he finally agreed to let it go." Derek said, "Since Giselle asked, I’ll let last night slide. "Quit threatening to leave me every time things don’t go your way." I simply glanced at him without bothering to explain. Our itinerary for the day was to visit the historical district, the museum, and the boardwalk. They were places I’d been dying to check out when I planned the trip. The plan was to take pictures with Derek at every stop. However, when we reached the historical district, Derek stayed behind with Giselle to wait in line for an exclu

Chapter 5

Derek stood at the front desk, lost in silence for quite some time. "When did she check out?" The receptionist glanced at the log. "Around three in the afternoon. Her family came to get her." Derek took out his phone to call me. It rang only once before the call was cut off. By the time Derek tried my number again, the connection wouldn’t go through. Standing around, Giselle pouted. "She’s holding out for you to run after her. "If you go running to her now, she’ll make a habit of this every time you fight." Paying Giselle no mind, Derek turned and made his way to the elevator. "Pack your bags. We’re heading back to school tonight." Giselle was taken aback, "We still have two more days left on our graduation trip."I thought you couldn’t stand drama." Derek stopped in his tracks. "You can stay if you want to, but you’re on your own." For once, Derek ditched Giselle for me. However, I was no longer there to see it. When they finally made it back to ca

Chapter 6

After the photo session, Derek came up to me again. "We need to talk." Dad placed himself between us. "She has already made herself clear." Derek gripped the flowers in his hands hard. "Mr. Miller, I just need a word with her." I told my parents to wait at the side. Derek presented me with the bouquet, but I didn’t accept the flowers. He placed the flowers on a nearby bench before murmuring, "I gave up the apartment. "I’ve wired you the money for the security deposit and furniture. "The job offer at Westbrook is yours to keep. Mom has already gotten in touch with the people there." I met his eyes. "I won’t be taking the job at Westbrook. "Derek scowled. "I thought you had always wanted to work in the same city as me?" "That was before. I don’t anymore." Derek opened his mouth. The seniors were just coming out of the auditorium when our student representative called everyone together for one final group picture Giselle was there too. Cradling her grad

Chapter 7

A month later, I settled into a new job back home. My job was designing and managing cultural walking tours and sightseeing routes around the city. I led visitors through the old part of town, the museum, and the old train station. I also prepared tour s and gathered feedback to improve the routes. The day my first tour route officially launched, I spotted a familiar name on the booking list. It was Derek. I didn’t reach out to him, nor did I cancel his reservation. Since he paid for a spot, he was no different from any other customer. At nine in the morning, I was at the assembly point distributing audio guides and tour brochures.Derek fell in at the back of the line. When it was his turn, he didn’t put his hands out to accept the items. "I’m not here for a tour." I shoved the itinerary guide into his hands. "I’m on the clock right now. Everything else can wait until the tour is over." Derek had no choice but to trail behind the tour group. Along the way, I

Chapter 8

Three days after Derek took off, our campus group chat blew up out of nowhere. Giselle posted a long message. According to her, there had never been anything inappropriate between Derek and her. As for the sixteen train journeys where they sat together, she claimed that Derek bought the tickets. It wasn’t as if she had a say in the matter. Apparently, Giselle had no idea I hadn’t been invited to parties. She was only notified at the last minute, and she had no idea I hadn’t been invited.The job and the apartment were Derek’s decisions. She was only following his lead. She even made it a point of tagging me. "We were besties for four years. I’d always considered you my closest friend."I don’t get it. Why did you dump all the blame on me over some guy?" It didn’t take long for others to stand up for her. "It sucks to be Giselle." "Derek was the boyfriend. Why is it Giselle’s job to manage his boundaries?" "It’s been a month since the breakup. It does feel a bit mu

Chapter 9

Six months later, the new route I’d been working on officially went live. That day, our itinerary took us past the railway station. Once the tour group got off the bus, I led them across the old platform, sharing stories about the railway’s history and the routes that once ran through the station. Someone asked, "You are very knowledgeable on the subject. Do you often take the train?" I grinned. "I used to." After the tour ended, Desmond passed me a letter. "Your mother had this delivered." The envelope bore nothing except Derek’s name. There was no long explanation, just the address of a café and a short note. "Just one last talk, then I’ll leave you alone for good." I wasn’t planning on going. However, when the time came, I arrived at the meeting place on time anyway. Derek was already sitting there. He had lost a lot of weight in the last six months since we last met. Spotting me, Derek rose to his feet. "Thank you for coming." I took a seat across

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