22 BREAKING UP BEFORE DATING!

Next Morning°°°

"Man, I'm so hungry," I say, stuffing a sandwich into my mouth while gulping down a glass of milk. Apparently, I have to consume several servings to feel alive again.

Another glass of milk, fried eggs, pancakes… Now I feel something.

"I wonder how you eat so much and still stay the same," Marcus comments, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Marcus, don't start. Leave him alone," Mom warns, making me feel a little vindicated.

"Ah… better," I sigh, feeling satisfied.

"You said your phone broke?" Dad asks, his expression serious. I nod in response. "Do we need to get you another one, or can it be fixed?" he adds.

"Dad, he's working now. Let him sort out his problems himself. You were the one who said we should stop spoiling him, and now you're doing exactly that," Marcus chimes in.

What the heck is wrong with him lately? He's been so snarky toward me. Okay, we fight a lot, but not to this extent.

"I wanted him to get a job. At least he tried. I'm happy because he finally did something right," Dad says.

"Yeah, Dad's right. Finally, you did something meaningful," Cara says, patting my head with a teasing smile.

"Thanks. I'll buy one for myself," I reply, feeling proud of my newfound maturity. For the first time, I can buy something with money I earned myself.

"Do you need a ride? I'm going out," Marcus offers casually.

"No, thanks."

"Weren't you going to buy a phone?" he presses.

"Not today," I reply. Today, I just want to relax.

"Won't Mr. CEO be worried if he finds you off for too long? Or did you talk to him with a laptop?" he teases, making me confront a thought I've been avoiding. I couldn't sleep well last night because of it.

"I have nothing to say to him right now, so I'm in no hurry," I reply, shrugging off the topic. He probably won't even call me—I messed up yesterday.

"Changed my mind. I won't go either," Marcus declares, sitting back down.

I knew it. He just wanted to take me and probably pay for it himself. He pretends to hate me sometimes but I know I matter to him a lot.

"You didn't want to go. You just wanted to take me," I accuse, and he pretends I'm wrong.

°°°

Later That Day

The day flies by, and Saturday disappears just like that. The next day, we're all in the living room watching our favorite comedy series, Friends.

"Honey, are you sure you're okay?" Mom asks for the thousandth time today.

"Mom, really now? Can we stop talking about that? I'm fine."

"Then why are you staying indoors all weekend? This isn't like you. If you're still worried about Ada—"

"Don't mention him, please."

Every time someone mentions him, my body goes numb. The idea of him thinking I'm some sort of slut has refused to leave my brain. It's disturbing, so I'm trying to avoid thinking about him altogether.

Suddenly, the room goes quiet. The laughter and comments on the series stop abruptly.

I look up, confused, and find everyone staring at the front door with wide eyes. My head turns involuntarily, and I lock eyes with none other than Adams Smith.

The remote in my hand falls to the floor.

He's got to be kidding me. How does he even know where I live? And why the hell is he here? He doesn't look so good either.

Our guard stands in front of him, but Adam, taller than him, stares at me over the man's head.

"Uh… thank you," he says to the guard, who steps aside after Dad nods.

"Uh… hello. I'm sorry for coming over unannounced. I'm Adam Smith, Julian's employer," he says, his gaze fixed solely on me, even though he's addressing everyone else.

"We already know who you are! My goodness, you look even better in person. Welcome, have a seat," Cara gushes, smiling broadly. Almost blushing. Is she forgetting she's engaged?!

"I can't stay. I'm supposed to be somewhere for a meeting. I just came to confirm that Julian got home safely. He left the company late, and his phone's been off since then. I couldn't help but worry that something might have happened to him. I care about all my employees, and that's why I ran over. Now that I've confirmed he's fine and… happy, I'll take my leave. Thank you."

He emphasizes "happy" with sarcasm, and it stings.

He turns without sparing me another glance. He's furious—and worse, he looks disappointed.

I get up as soon as he turns, my legs weak but moving.

"Adam? Wait… Adam!" I call out, but he ignores me, walking even faster.

I catch up to him at the door, grabbing his hand to turn him around. Tears linger in his eyes, not yet falling but glistening.

"Everything is a joke to you, isn't it, Julian? You never take anything seriously. After what happened on Friday, I thought we'd moved a step forward. But no, it was just part of your routine, wasn't it? I was terribly wrong.

You turned off your phone! I've been worried sick, thinking something might've happened to you. I had a sleepless night and a restless day for someone who's clearly fine and having fun! And then you tell them not to mention me? Well, very well, Wilson."

"Adam, you've got it all wrong," I try to defend myself. "I fell on the stairs, and my phone broke. It's not working. I was going to get a new one—"

"You have a laptop, don't you? You could've at least let me know! Besides, didn't you just say not to mention me?"

"It's not what you—"

"I'm done with you, Julian. Not even for a moment did I think you'd talk about me like that. Is this how you've been talking to your friends about me?"

"What friends are you talking about?"

"Those two. If you had something to say about me, you could've just asked me."

I find myself snapping too, "And if you had something to say to me, you should've said it. You think it's been easy for me? You had a sleepless night? Well, so did I! And all this wouldn't have happened if you just talked instead of going around the bush!"

"So you knew there was something I was trying to communicate, yet you still went out with Camilla Claris? You even slept with her after I made it obvious how I felt!"

"You were spying on me?! Well, maybe you should know I did it because of you! Every time you made those jokes, you had no idea how they made me feel! If you had something to say, you should've just said it!"

"I actually did have something , but I don't anymore. I don't. All this ends here."

He says it seriously, walking away. I call after him, but he doesn't listen.

When he speeds off in his car, I head back inside to find my family eavesdropping. I pretend not to see them and go straight to my room.

"I knew it wouldn't go far. I can't believe you're crying over something like this," Marcus says..

"Shut the fuck up, Marcus!" I yell, not caring about the consequences.

Mom calls after me, but I just want to be alone—to cry my heart out over everything that's bugging me.

○