- 20.
Ethan pulled out his phone, showing me his chat logs. He’d been talking to his roommates about finally paying off a batch of overdue project invoices for his company. That’s what the messages were about. Somehow, the screenshots had ended up with Ashley, who’d twisted their meaning. “But how would she even know you were paying off my debt?” “I asked her for advice about it. She has…experience
<
11:39
62
with paying off people’s debts.” Ethan drove to his apartment. This was my third time here, but my feelings were drastically different. “Let’s clear the air,” Ethan said, handing me a cup of
coffee. “I have a lot of questions, Maya.” “Ask away.” “Why did we break up?” “I felt like I was dragging you down. Breaking up seemed like the best option.” “Not because you were bored
of me?” I paused, remembering the flimsy. excuse I’d given him. “Bored.” That single word
had sent him walking away without a backward
glance. His voice was low. “I thought you were
just toying with me, Maya. Four years, you got
bored, your family’s situation changed, I
couldn’t help, so you dumped me.” How could
he have thought that? I opened my mouth to
speak, but Ethan cut me off. “Even if that were
true, it doesn’t matter.” He seemed afraid to
hear my answer, rushing to reveal his own
feelings. “Maya, I’ve thought about this a lot.
Even if it’s just as a…plaything, I want to stay
by your side.”
く
