at me. “I like you, Ashley. Do you want to go
out with me?” “But… I thought you and Lily
were…” Ethan’s eyes widened. “Who told you
that?” His reaction… “I saw you. Kissing. On
the roof of our building.” “That’s slander,”
Ethan said. “She kissed me. I dodged. Faster
than activating a revive.” His voice was clear
and steady in the night air. I couldn’t help but
laugh.
It wasn’t until three months into our
relationship that it actually felt real. Ethan,
despite his usual aloof demeanor, was
surprisingly clingy when it came to
relationships. Good morning, good afternoon,
good night texts. Pictures of his meals.
Weather updates more reliable than the
forecast. Our winter break started at the end
of December. I booked a train ticket for the
next morning. After a quick hug and kiss
goodbye at the station, I boarded the train. As
soon as I got off, Mom called. “Ashley, I’m
waiting for you outside.” She’d called me
once a month this semester, probably
く
because Lily was at cram school and had
taken up all her attention. I pulled my suitcase
out of the station and saw Mom standing
there, wearing a trench coat. She looked at
me, almost as if she didn’t recognize me.
“What… what did you do to your hair?” I’d
dyed the ends purple a week ago. With my
hair down, it was pretty noticeable. “Just a
change,” I said casually. She looked like she
wanted to say something, probably about my
hair, but after months of barely speaking, she
seemed hesitant to criticize.
When we got home, Lily was on the couch,
eating strawberries. Mom put down her car
keys, frowning. “Honey, don’t you have two
practice tests to finish?” “Mom!” Lily whined.
“It’s just two tests. I can finish them in an
く
hour.” She looked up, her eyes falling on me.
She frowned and looked away, as if I wasn’t
there. I went to my room to unpack. Dad was
home for dinner. With the holidays
approaching, everyone was trying to keep
things light, so the past unpleasantness was
temporarily forgotten. “Mom, are you really
going to play mahjong with Aunt Sarah
tomorrow?” Lily asked, chewing on her
chopsticks. Mom nodded. “Of course.” “Does
that mean I’ll see Ethan?” Lily asked, her
voice full of excitement. “No,” I said calmly.
Lily froze. “He hasn’t started his break yet,” I
continued. Lily gripped her chopsticks. “How
do you know?” I smiled. “He told me.” Lily’s
smile faltered. “You two are pretty close,
huh?” “Of course,” I said, leaving it at that.
<
Lily’s breathing quickened. She slammed her
chopsticks down. “Ashley, who do you think
you are? You’re not good enough for him!”
Good. She was finally riled up. I didn’t
respond, just looked at my parents. They
were stunned, clearly not expecting such
venomous words from their usually sweet and
affectionate daughter. Lily was practically
seething. “I’m calling Ethan right now and
telling him what a liar you are!” “I can do it
for you,” I said, pulling out my phone and
dialing Ethan’s number. I put the phone on
speaker. After a few rings, Ethan’s voice filled
the room. “Hey, babe. What’s up?” All the
color drained from Lily’s face. “Nothing much.
My sister’s here. She wants to know what our
relationship is,” I said slowly, my eyes fixed
<
on Lily. “What kind of relationship? The kind
where we hold hands and kiss, I guess,” Ethan
replied casually. I could hear the faint sound
of announcements in the background; he
must have just gotten out of class. I watched
as Lily’s lips trembled, her expression a
mixture of disbelief and devastation. So, this
is what it felt like to have something someone
else desperately wanted. For the first time, I
understood. Because I was quiet and
reserved, Lily had always easily captured
Mom and Dad’s attention. This time, however,
they’d heard Lily’s cruel words with their own
ears. Their faces hardened as they turned to
Lily, ready to reprimand her. Lily started
crying and screaming. “You’re so biased!”
Hearing her words, I suddenly felt a wave of
<
pity. It was more fun talking to my boyfriend
anyway. I took my phone and went to my
room.
On New Year’s Day, I left the house early.
Ethan took me hiking. By the time we reached
the summit, I was sweating. He handed me a
bottle of water. I took a sip, looking out at the
mist–shrouded trees. “You still haven’t told
me why you like me,” I said. “There’s no
specific reason,” he shrugged, a smile playing
on his lips. “You’re probably not even aware
of it, but you’re a terrible actress. You always
stare at me. When we were kids, you were
always giving me candy and snacks. Now that
we’re older, you play it cool, pretending you
like beer when you clearly don’t.” “I always
wondered why such a seemingly shy girl had
く
such a quirky personality. I stared at you too,
you know. Then, that day at the pool hall, I
noticed you have really nice legs.” I glared at
him, pinching his cheek. “Pervert!” He leaned
in and kissed me. “What? Don’t you like
perverts?” he teased. I laughed. Lily had been
throwing tantrums every day since the phone
call. Mom and Dad were starting to lose
patience with her, but they couldn’t just
ignore her. They were exhausted, but
obligated to deal with her. I was tired of it all
too, but there was no escaping family. Ethan
squeezed my hand. “Happy New Year,
Ashley,” he said, his eyes crinkling at the
corners. “Happy New Year, Ethan,” I replied.
The air at the summit was crisp and cold,
invigorating. Life was full of disappointments,
squeezed my hand. “Happy New Year,
Ashley,” he said, his eyes crinkling at the
corners. “Happy New Year, Ethan,” I replied.
The air at the summit was crisp and cold,
invigorating. Life was full of disappointments,
but a few good things were enough to make
it worthwhile. He was the good thing in my
otherwise messy life.
(The End)
