After Chase finally became my boyfriend, he was ruthless in hunting down "the other woman." He would throw a fit if I ate with a colleague. He would cry if I said hello to a neighbor. When my ex got hit by a car and I went to visit him, Chase went absolutely berserk. Suffocated by his possessiveness, I got into a huge argument with him outside the hospital room. "I was just delivering a fruit basket!" I yelled. "Yeah, well, I used the 'pretending to be sick' trick to get you in the first place!" he shot back, his eyes rimmed with red. "Don't think I didn't hear him! He just said if he had another chance, he'd cherish you and wouldn't let me take advantage of the situation." "Nora, if we did it all over again, I wouldn't be the 'other man' either! A man needs dignity this time!" As he wished. The next day, everything reset to the day my ex first introduced Chase to me. 1 Last night, Chase stormed out with red eyes, slamming the door. He always runs away when we fight. I was used to it. Thinking he'd soothe himself and come back乖乖 tomorrow, I climbed into our king-sized bed and slept peacefully. When I woke up, I was lying on a twin XL mattress in a college dorm. My roommate pulled back the curtain. "You up? Your boyfriend texted me saying you weren't replying and asked me to wake you." I picked up my phone, bewildered. A message from Ethan popped up instantly. Ethan: Still sleeping? Get up and put on makeup. Ethan: My roommate is treating us to dinner today. Staring at the word "roommate," my heart skipped a beat. I recalled Chase's tearful face last night and the words choked in his throat. "Nora, if we did it all over again, I wouldn't be the 'other man' either! A man needs dignity this time!" After a few seconds of silence, I replied. Me: Sorry Ethan, I'm not feeling well today. Apologize to your roommate for me. Ethan called immediately. I hesitated, then answered. "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" The voice of teenage Ethan wasn't much different from my memory. I made up an excuse and hung up. Lying in bed, I tossed and turned. This year, Ethan and I were the model couple everyone envied. No one expected things to get so ugly six months later. My head was a mess, so I got up to take a hot shower. When I returned, my roommate turned to me. "Your phone kept ringing. No caller ID, so I didn't answer." I walked over and picked it up. Seeing the familiar number, my heart missed a beat. It rang again. I swiped to answer. The person on the other end was silent, like they were in a standoff. I didn't speak either. Finally, ten seconds later, Chase gritted out a few words. "Nora Quinn, good for you!" He hung up. I climbed back into bed and rubbed my temples. Clearly, Chase had traveled back too. Because the Chase of this time didn't know me yet and wouldn't have my number. We were supposed to meet at dinner tonight, introduced by Ethan. But I didn't go. And he was angry again. But this time, I wanted to give him a chance to choose again. In our past life, Chase and I were together for three years. He spent two and a half of them angry. I didn't mind, but I often saw him sitting up at night crying. I was worried he'd die of anger eventually. The next day, Ethan called, saying he was downstairs at my dorm. I hesitated, then asked, "Are you alone?" Ethan paused. "Yeah, who else?" I couldn't describe the feeling. Chase didn't come. It seemed he also accepted that everything was back on track. "Thanks for breakfast." I took the food. Ethan reached out to ruffle my hair. "Why so polite today?" But my subconscious dodge made things awkward. Ethan's eyes darkened for a second, then returned to normal. "I have a basketball game this afternoon. Come bring me water." As a girlfriend, bringing water to declare sovereignty seemed mandatory. But Ethan never used to let me go. I remembered clinging to him and whining, "Are you afraid other girls will get jealous?" Ethan had pushed me away gently, guilt written all over his face, but back then I was too blind to see it. "I..." I didn't want this "honor" anymore. While I was thinking of an excuse, Ethan leaned in. I stepped back abruptly. The darkness in his eyes deepened. "Babe, what's wrong with you today?" I laughed dryly and changed the subject. "What water do you want?" Seeing me agree, his expression improved. 2 I guessed Chase would be at the game. I didn't plan to avoid him. We went to the same school; we'd meet eventually. But from the moment I entered the court, the feeling of a burning gaze sticking to me made me helpless. I looked up, but he wasn't looking at me at all. "Babe, over here!" Ethan waved at me loudly. In my memory, he was never this high-profile. Was that gaze just now for him? I gripped the water bottle and ran over to him. People around us were jeering. "Yo, finally bringing her out to show us?" "I was wondering why he kept her hidden. She's a beauty." Ethan took the water, eyes shining. "I'm so happy you came." I couldn't focus on him. Because I felt a chill down my spine. I turned my head slightly and saw Chase standing there, expressionless. When our eyes met, he looked away indifferently and took water from a girl standing next to him. "Hold my jacket for me, Wifey. I'll take you to dinner after." Ethan's voice pulled my attention back. I was slightly stunned. Wifey? Is Ethan sick? Was he this cheesy before? In my memory, Ethan was very cold when we dated. "Mm." The moment I agreed, a loud crash came from a nearby trash can. Everyone looked over. Chase dusted off his hands. "Just throwing out trash." Me: ... I was too familiar with this look. He was angry again. And not just a little. But the current Chase had no right to be angry. Before, he could argue and fuss with me. Now, we were strangers who hadn't even met. I didn't understand basketball, so I sat in the stands watching quietly. Ethan was my current boyfriend. But my eyes kept drifting to Chase. I rubbed my forehead, annoyed. So I just looked down at nothing. After who knows how long, a pair of basketball shoes appeared in my vision. I looked up and locked eyes with Chase. Compared to the Chase three years later, his features weren't as sharp yet, but he was still blindingly handsome. His gaze was cool. Neither of us spoke. "Excuse me." Finally, he spoke. Voice cold and hard. Knowing him, he was probably about to pass out from anger but was holding it together. Looking at the wide path around me, I silently pulled my legs back. A familiar scent wafted past as Chase walked by expressionless. My heart tightened. Chase had never been this cold to me. It hurt a little. But before I could hurt for two seconds, the man turned back. "Excuse me." Me: ... I watched speechlessly as Chase moved water bottles from his left to his right, one by one. Walking back and forth in front of me. He walked past a dozen times. Until Ethan's voice sounded. "Babe, jacket." I looked up. Veins popped on Chase's hand gripping a water bottle. He stared at us quietly. Ethan smiled gently, taking the jacket and holding it to his chest. "So fragrant. It smells like you." The sound of a water bottle crushing was loud. We looked at Chase. He calmly tossed the empty bottle. Lifted his jersey to wipe his hands, "accidentally" revealing his eight-pack abs. "I'm used to washing my hands with mineral water. Tap water is dirty." It felt like watching someone I know try to act cool. My mouth twitched. I wanted to laugh. Ethan's smile stiffened for a second. He put his arm around my shoulder. "Forgot to introduce. Babe, this is Chase Sterling, my roommate." I nodded. Ethan patted my head affectionately. "This is my girlfriend, Nora Quinn." The air was weirdly quiet. Ethan dropped his hand and held mine tightly. I stiffened. Why did it feel like I was being stabbed by eye daggers eight hundred times?! "Let's go eat." Before we turned, Chase spoke again. "I haven't eaten either." Ethan smiled. "Then go eat." I felt something was off. In my memory... was the relationship between Chase and Ethan this awkward? 3 Chase pursed his lips. "Together." Ethan nodded. "Okay, I'll call a few more friends. My treat." He took out his phone to call, but his hand gripped mine tightly. It felt awkward, but I didn't want to pull away, so I stood there stiffly. I turned and saw Chase taking a jacket from a girl. Turns out, Chase's jacket had been with the water girl this whole time. I looked away indifferently. ... "The heat is on inside. Want to take off your coat and give it to Hubby?" As soon as we entered the private room, Ethan sat on my left and tugged at my cardigan. I was embarrassed. Was Ethan really this greasy before? Calling himself Hubby is really cringe... But before I could take off my coat, someone sat on my right. Seeing who it was, I froze. Ethan pulled my chair closer to him. "He just finished playing, he smells like sweat. Don't want to stink you up, babe." Before he finished, Chase's chilly gaze swept over. "Didn't you just finish playing too? You don't sweat?" "My sweat doesn't stink. My girlfriend won't mind." "People can't smell their own body odor." I sat in the middle, listening to their back-and-forth, like a helpless wife. Trying to ease the awkwardness, I finally squeezed out a sentence. "No, neither of you stink. You both smell fine." The atmosphere got even weirder. A chuckle came from the right. The girl next to Chase smiled at me. "Sister-in-law is so cute. No wonder she caught Ethan." "By the way, teach me how you caught him." She looked at Chase ambiguously. Chase's face got stinkier. This was his sore spot after we got together. Although Chase had many sore spots. But the fact that I pursued Ethan actively was something he always held a grudge about. To use his words when drunk: "I tried so hard to seduce you, but he just stood there and you loved him." Very cringe. But Chase cried hard at the time. He was genuinely hurt. Ethan propped his head up, looking at me sweetly. "She's clumsy. She doesn't know how to chase guys. Her love letter had typos..." Screech. The sound of a chair dragging across the floor was ear-piercing. The three of us looked up at Chase. 4 Chase's face was terrifyingly dark. I suspected he might punch Ethan the next second. But he just stood up, said "Bathroom," and left without looking back. Ethan's friends arrived one by one, but Chase didn't return. Ethan enthusiastically introduced me to everyone. His friends, in both my past and present life, didn't really like me. Ethan didn't like me interacting with his friends. A chubby guy sat in Chase's seat. He smiled meaningfully, raising his glass to me. "Sister-in-law, didn't expect Ethan to introduce us to you. Drink?" Silence for two seconds. A few guys exchanged winks. Ethan frowned and reached for the guy's glass. "She can't drink. Don't bully her." Before he finished, a large hand landed on the guy's head. Chase had just come out of the bathroom, water still dripping from his hands. He shook the guy's head like solving a Rubik's cube. "Chubby, get up. That's my seat." The guy's face changed. He turned around sharply. Seeing Chase's height, he gritted his teeth and moved away. Ethan cleared his throat. "They just like to joke. If you don't like it, I won't bring them next time." Of course I knew what he was covering up. Ethan had an ambiguous childhood friend, "Little Green Tea." His friends all knew. They claimed pure friendship, but it was friends with benefits. That girl had liked Ethan for years. She was "self-sacrificing" and had a "good personality," so Ethan's friends felt injustice for her. But instead of targeting Ethan, the culprit, they targeted me. Seeing his guilty look, I said nothing. A tsk came from beside me. "Has he not washed his hair for days? Filthy. Nora, tissue." Chase poked my arm, forcibly pulling my attention back. The girl next to him handed him a tissue. He pursed his lips, staring at me stubbornly. I pretended not to see. The girl took the tissue back. Now Chase had nowhere to wipe his hands. So, like a three-year-old, he angrily wiped his hands on his own chest. The girl's mouth twitched. Probably a germaphobe, she stopped pestering Chase and turned to talk to the guy on the other side. As soon as a dish was served, Chase frowned and moved it away. Then placed another dish in front of me. In a few minutes, everything in front of me was my favorite. I curled my lips but said nothing. Ethan silently put a piece of meat in my bowl. "Babe, eat." I looked at the meat and calmly moved it aside. Chase's mouth was about to curve up to the sky. He imitated Ethan and put a piece of meat in my bowl. The temperature on Ethan's side dropped a few degrees. I moved both pieces of meat aside. Chase's smile instantly collapsed. It was definitely colder on Chase's side. He was angry again. Anyone with eyes could see the two were competing. The pile on my plate grew higher, but I didn't touch it. Near the end, I stood up to help a girl pack leftovers. She said she had a dog at home. Ethan drank a bit too much; he slurred and pulled my arm. "Babe, really like... really like you." He used force. I didn't react in time and fell onto his lap. Silence. Chase stood up, eyes suddenly red, glared at me, and stormed out. I scrambled off Ethan's lap. Looking at the phone on the table, I chased after him. The night wind was strong. Chase's shadow was elongated by the streetlight. I called him. "Chase?" The man turned around, speaking arrogantly. "Why aren't you with your boyfriend? Chasing me?" "You forgot your phone..." As soon as I finished, Chase's face dropped again. I sighed. "What do you want? You said yourself you didn't want to be entangled this time. Now you're crying..." Chase exploded like a firecracker. "Who's crying?! Who's crying?! I said I'd do it, no entanglement! I absolutely won't be shameless this time!" "You can be with whoever you want, I don't care at all!"
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