On our 100-day anniversary, my boyfriend excitedly introduced me to his roommates. "This is my wingman! I only managed to woo you because of his advice!" I looked up, unexpectedly locking eyes with my ex-boyfriend from three years ago. His pupils dilated in shock. The smile on his face froze instantly. Through gritted teeth, he forced out a single word. "F*ck?!" 1 Caleb Vance paused. "What's wrong?" Ethan Hunt and I stared at each other for a second before simultaneously looking away. Ethan forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Nothing. Just... your girlfriend looks a lot like my ex." Caleb's other roommates laughed, trying to smooth things over. "Don't mind him, sister-in-law. Ethan got dumped pretty hard by that ex. He hasn't dated anyone in years. Total PTSD." I kept my voice even. "It's fine." Caleb waved his hand. "Bring out the bottles I saved last time." The bartender nodded respectfully and soon brought out a few bottles of Louis XIII and Hennessy. "Today is our 100-day anniversary. Everything is on me tonight. Drink up, guys!" Caleb wrapped his arm around me, beaming. The others started cheering. "Caleb is the man!" "Adopt me, bro!" "To Caleb and the sister-in-law! Grow old together!" ... Only Ethan sat there with a dark expression, tossing an American Express Black Card onto the table. "No need." Caleb picked up the card and stuffed it back into Ethan's pocket. "Ethan, take it back. I owe you for helping me get Mia. How could I let you pay?" Ethan's face went beyond ugly, but the club lighting was dim, so no one noticed. One of the roommates' girlfriends grabbed an empty wine bottle. "Just drinking is boring. Let's play Truth or Dare! Whoever the bottle points to has to choose!" My heart tightened. Luckily, the first few rounds missed me. Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, the bottle stopped, pointing directly at Caleb. He chuckled, leaning back on the sofa, sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms. "Truth." A roommate shouted, "Caleb, are you still a virgin?!" Caleb laughed, "Of course I am, idiot!" A hint of pride appeared on his handsome face. "Mia and I are each other's first love. Chastity is a man's best dowry. My first time is definitely saved for Mia." Under the lights, his glass-bead eyes looked watery and sincere. Despite his playboy looks, he was surprisingly innocent. My heart softened, and I let him pull me into his arms for a kiss. Beside us, the sullen Ethan suddenly smirked. The next second, the bottle spun and stopped, pointing straight at me. The last dare was getting a number from a stranger, so I instinctively chose truth. Ethan stared straight at me. "So, Mia, is he your first love?" 2 "No." After a moment of silence, I answered calmly. Caleb shot up straight. "I'm not?!" "Then who was it? How long did you date? Why did you break up?!" He seemed to realize he was overreacting. He tried to look magnanimous but failed miserably, his expression twisting. "I mean, I don't mind, obviously. Just curious." I paused. "Because there was always a third person between us. He had a girl he couldn't let go of. I got tired, so I dumped him." Caleb's expression relaxed a bit. "What a psycho. Dating someone while hung up on another girl? He deserved to be dumped." He quickly seized the chance to pledge loyalty. "Babe, I would never make that mistake. Since we got together, I haven't even spoken to another woman!" He was huge, 6'3", but acted like a puppy when he wanted affection. I couldn't help but ruffle his hair. "Okay, good boy." He lowered his head obediently, but his gaze was fixed on me, heavy with pressure and curiosity that didn't match his cute act. "So, babe, do you like him more, or me more?" Here it comes! The question every person with an ex gets asked! "That's a separate question," I deflected. Caleb didn't get mad. He narrowed his eyes at me for a moment, then smirked. "Fine. Next time then." The bottle spun round and round. Just as I was getting sleepy and wanted to leave, it pointed at Ethan. "Truth," he said, lowering his eyes. A drunk roommate excitedly asked, "Ethan, bro, why exactly did your first love dump you?" Under the lights, Ethan's eyes were hidden in the shadows of his brow bone, unreadable. Just as everyone thought he was mad and tried to change the subject, Ethan suddenly spoke. "Because I was stupid. I hurt her a lot. "She got tired." 3 The first time I met Ethan was in my junior year of high school. My dad's job transferred us, so I was the new kid. My assigned desk mate was Ethan. Because the only empty seat was next to him. For the first two months, we barely spoke five words. I thought he was a rich, lazy delinquent. Rumor had it his family was loaded, and he never studied. He called me a nerd. Every time I collected homework, he impatiently told me to get lost. Until one night, walking home, I saw a fight in an alley. A group of guys from another school, armed with pipes and bats, were ganging up on a student from our school. The boy fought hard and well, holding his own even outnumbered. But he was overwhelmed. Someone hit him from behind with a bat, and he stumbled with a groan. A girl in our school uniform was crying beside him, eyes red. "Stop it! Please stop!" I don't know where I got the courage, but I rushed over and shouted: "Stop! I called the cops! They'll be here any minute!" One guy looked up. "Sh*t, who's this busybody? Get lost or we'll beat you too!" I tried to stay calm. "The police station is five minutes away. You still have time to run." Hearing that, the group cursed and scattered. I approached cautiously. "Are you okay?" The boy leaning against the wall looked up. It was Ethan. Messy black hair, sharp features, a cut on his forehead bleeding. He looked wild and dangerous. I frowned, confirming my opinion of him as a troublemaker. Still, I pulled out a band-aid. "You're bleeding." He glanced at the pink Hello Kitty band-aid in my hand, scoffed, and turned away. The girl he was protecting thanked me profusely. She took the band-aid and tried to put it on him, looking heartbroken. But he slapped her hand away impatiently. "I'm fine." He grabbed his bag and walked off. "Ethan..." The girl stepped back, her face pale. I noticed she had a limp. I felt bad. Such a pretty girl, but her leg was injured. I didn't think much of it. But the next day, when I collected homework, Ethan didn't tell me to get lost. He lazily took my homework and started copying it. "Wait." After finishing, he tossed the notebook back to me, raising an eyebrow. "Turn it in, Little Miss Class Rep." I had seen him fight, so I didn't dare argue. I cursed him internally and turned to leave. But he called out to me. His voice was slightly raspy, with a hint of awkwardness. "Hey. About yesterday... thanks." 4 After that, things between Ethan and me thawed. He started talking to me, joking around. Sometimes he’d walk on my left, then yank my ponytail from the right. Every time I collected homework, he’d call me: "Little Miss Class Rep." We got closer. He dragged me to watch his basketball games and walked me home every day. Teenage feelings are like sparks from nowhere that suddenly catch fire. I found myself looking forward to seeing him every day. Until a power outage during evening study hall. I was terrified of the dark. I froze, unconsciously leaning toward Ethan. In the pitch black, someone grabbed my hand. He whispered in my ear: "Don't be scared. I'm here." Ethan's hand was rough with calluses from basketball, his palm hot. I heard my heart pounding violently and slowly squeezed his hand back. A chuckle sounded in my ear. And two heartbeats, intertwined, indistinguishable. ... Ethan and I naturally started dating. He liked me a lot, even studying hard to get into the same college as me. Ethan was smart. His grades improved fast. As we spent more time together, I learned he was a black belt in Judo, played drums, passed level 10 piano, surfed, and skied. He read a lot too. I realized he wasn't the uneducated delinquent I thought he was. I also learned why he fought. The girl that day was Lily, the daughter of his family's housekeeper. Years ago, Ethan's dad expanded his business too aggressively and offended people. Someone hired a hitman to run Ethan over. Lily pushed him out of the way and got hit instead. She survived, but her leg was shattered. She would walk with a limp forever. That day in the alley, the guy had mocked Lily for being a cripple. That's why Ethan fought. When Ethan talked about it, his eyes lowered, expressionless. "She used to be an amazing dancer. Her dream was to be a prima ballerina, to perform around the world. "Because of me, her dream is dead. I owe her my life." I sympathized with Lily. I even planned to help Ethan take care of her. I didn't know then that Lily would be the reason we fell apart completely. 5 Snapping back to reality, I looked at Ethan. Three years apart, he had changed. Still handsome, but the wild arrogance was gone, replaced by maturity. In his black turtleneck, he looked steady, even calm. Everyone was drunk; no one caught his drift. Only Caleb frowned, his gaze darting between us. Before he could speak, I pulled him up. "Let's go. I'm sleepy. Calling it a night." ... It started snowing in Boston. Huge flakes fell, illuminated yellow by the streetlights. The snow that didn't melt immediately formed a thin layer on the ground. Caleb took off his grey LV scarf and wrapped it around my neck. Sandalwood mixed with his body heat. He looked down, asking casually: "I heard Ethan's ex is at our school too. He skipped a grade and transferred here just for her. "You and Ethan are from the same hometown. Do you know her?" I knew Caleb figured it out. He acts carefree, but he's incredibly sensitive about who I talk to. "It's me," I admitted helplessly. Caleb smiled, but his eyes were cold. "So if I asked him how to woo his ex, I'd be digging my own grave?" I knew he was upset. I pursed my lips, silent. Caleb's voice fell coolly on top of my head, colder than the snow. "Babe, so who do you like more? Him or me?" I knew how petty Caleb could be. If I didn't soothe him now, he'd hold a grudge for ages. I hugged him tight. "Of course I like you more! We broke up years ago. If I hadn't seen him today, I would have forgotten he existed." Caleb looked down at me, silent. I knew what he wanted. I tiptoed to kiss him. He didn't bend down. He just looked at me with a half-smile. Caleb is 6'3". I'm a head shorter. If he doesn't bend, I can't reach. I was flustered and angry. "Caleb!" He wouldn't budge. "Beg me." "Forget it!" I turned to leave, but he yanked me back! The snow blurred under the neon lights. The sandalwood scent became aggressive as he leaned in. I was forced to look up. Even through his wool coat, I could feel the muscle definition of his back. His kiss was demanding, brooking no refusal. He backed me up step by step until tears of suffocation pricked my eyes. Finally, he let me go. I leaned against him, gasping. Through my hazy vision, I saw him looking behind me, smirking provocatively. I froze. I turned around. Ethan stood under the streetlight in a black wool coat. Snow piled on his shoulders. He had been watching for god knows how long.
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