All Chapters of The Whale Came, But You Didn't: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

We didn't head back either.There were many coincidences in this world.Just as we were about to leave, we saw Riley and a few of her college friends.Jace didn't introduce me, and their eyes just slid right over me without caring much. Two people turned into a whole group.Before I knew it, Jace and Riley ended up walking at the very front, talking in low voices.Without asking me, they decided we would all go on a road trip together for the second half of Highway 1.As they talked, their arms brushed against each other every now and then.I trailed behind, and Jace didn't look back even once.When Riley got into the passenger seat and the car was about to start, Jace finally realized someone was missing.He rolled down the window."Why are you walking so slow?"Move to the back seat. Riley gets carsick easily, so let her sit in the front."They both acted completely natural, like years of habits had already fused into their instincts.The car filled with Riley's perfume,

I ate dinner alone and checked into the hotel.I woke up from a deep sleep due to a sharp, wrenching pain in my stomach, and groggily tried to nudge the person next to me."Jace, my stomach hurts."My hand met empty space, and the side of the mattress was completely cold; he still hadn't come back.I curled my body tightly into a ball.I called Jace's phone, and after ringing for a long time, it went straight to voicemail with no one picking up.My mind, hazy with pain, finally cleared up a little.Jace called me back shortly after."What's wrong?"I didn't have much strength left. "Jace, I don't feel well."He paused for a second."Riley got drunk, and when she drinks too much, she gets a bit difficult to handle."I can't get away right now. I'll have someone from the hotel go check on your room."The line went dead.The next time I saw Jace was at the hospital, and it was already a new day.The doctor said it was acute gastroenteritis with severe dehydration, and I wou

I paused for a moment, figuring out how I should respond, then replied a beat too late, "Oh, congratulations?"Jace's face darkened, tinged with a sharp, brooding hostility."You're going to be disappointed," he said, "I didn't take her up on it."On that final night in Los Angeles, they had been sitting together.Jace kept absentmindedly turning his phone screen on, waiting for it to go dark before turning it on again, prompting a friend to tease him about it."We haven't seen each other in ages, and Jace isn't even bothering to catch up with us."You seem distracted. Who are you waiting for a text from?"Riley answered for him, her voice giving away no particular emotion."Who else would he be thinking of? His girlfriend, probably."Jace chuckled softly without denying it."Yeah. She got sick a few days ago, so I'm still a bit worried."Riley set down her wine glass. After a long silence, she asked softly, "Jace, are you serious about this?"Without looking at him, she fi

I had a lot of things weighing on my mind. For instance I wrote: [He had his assistant pick out my Valentine's Day gift. Honestly, it really bothers me. Even if he didn't get me anything, it would be better than letting someone else choose and turning a gift meant to express mutual feelings into a chore.][When he was with his ex-girlfriend, every single gift was handpicked by him personally.][I asked him about it, and he told me not to hassle him or make him feel like being with me was exhausting.][Is it really true that I'm asking for too much?Jace's heart skipped a beat. He remembered this particular day.I had gotten off work early and gone to wait for him at a reserved restaurant.However, he was tied up at an international conference and couldn't leave, so I waited at the restaurant for four hours until it closed, and he finally rushed over.I didn't make a fuss, telling him I understood how hard he worked and that we could just go back and cook a meal together instea