At our high school reunion over the holidays, I drew a "Truth" card during a game of Truth or Dare. A classmate asked if I still liked Ethan Vance. I smiled and shook my head: "I haven't liked him for a long time. I have a boyfriend now." No one believed that I, who had once been madly in love with Ethan, would give up so quickly. Everyone thought I was just putting on a brave face, and even Ethan smiled disdainfully. Later, my boyfriend pinned me against his car and kissed me passionately: "Trying to coax me? You'll have to put a little more effort into it, Chloe. That's not enough." I was kissed until my lips were slick and my whole body went weak. And right at that moment, Ethan Vance was standing right outside the car window. 1 "Chloe, do you still like our guy Ethan?" That one question silenced everyone in the room. Eyes darted between me and Ethan, eager to hear my answer. Because Ethan and I were childhood friends, and I had indeed been crazy about him in high school. But now, I just smiled faintly and shook my head without a shred of hesitation: "I haven't liked him for a long time. I have a boyfriend now." "Who is it?" A classmate pressed. I reminded them: "You only get one question for Truth." Everyone's faces immediately fell, and someone couldn't help but voice their doubt. "You're probably just making it up, right? You obviously don't have one, but you're still pretending." Ethan had been focused on his phone the entire time, but when he heard someone doubting me, he seemed to let out a mocking chuckle. I didn't argue, placing my card on the table: "You guys keep playing, I'm going to the restroom." I don't understand why they didn't believe me. Is a person only allowed to like one person their entire life? Everyone has moments when they're blind, right? 2 Coming out of the restroom, I saw Ethan standing a short distance away. He had great physical attributes; standing there, he caught the eye immediately. In just that short time, several girls had already approached him to strike up a conversation and ask for his number. He smiled, added their contacts, and let their hands wander over his chest. After saying goodbye to them, Ethan pulled out a pack of cigarettes and locked eyes with me. I frowned, suddenly feeling that he wasn't really that handsome after all. I was about to leave, but he grabbed my wrist as I passed by. "Why did you lie to everyone and say you have a boyfriend? "What? Trying to make me mad? Hoping to see me look sad and regretful after hearing that? Chloe, maybe you should watch fewer soap operas." I looked up and met his slightly provocative gaze. He was always so confident. Just like when I confessed to him in high school. Ethan and I grew up together. He was always the brightest presence in any crowd, yet he would get into bloody brawls if anyone ever bullied me. He would also climb the wall into my room, ignoring the danger, just to bring me my favorite candy when I was crying after being scolded by my parents. We used to share everything and promised to be together forever. As we grew older, our friends would always tease me about being Ethan's "little wife." He never denied it, continuing to carry my backpack and buy me lunch every day. If any guy asked about me, Ethan would pull him into an alley the next day and threaten him. I thought Ethan liked me too. So, after confirming my college entrance exam scores were high enough to get into the same university as him, I gathered my courage and confessed my feelings. Ethan accepted quickly, as if he had anticipated it. But the joy of that success didn't last long. The very next day, I received a photo from Mia, the school's "it" girl. In the photo, she and Ethan were acting intimately, their bodies practically pressed together. When I rushed to the private karaoke room, I saw Ethan with his arm around Mia, kissing her passionately. The practiced way they moved made it obvious it wasn't their first time. 3 My body felt like it was plunged into an ice cellar, and my mind went completely blank. In my ears, I could hear Ethan's friends cheering them on. Someone couldn't help but ask: "Ethan, aren't you afraid Chloe will get mad? She literally just confessed to you yesterday." Ethan wiped the moisture from his lips and scoffed lightly: "She's been following me around like a lost puppy for years, do you think she'd actually leave?" "True, Chloe looks pretty desperate. She finally got you, she'd probably be willing to be your side piece, let alone tolerate you cheating." In the past, if anyone dared to talk about me like that, Ethan would be the first to throw a punch and beat them until they couldn't speak. But this time, he just laughed nonchalantly: "Who said accepting her confession means I can only be with her? "Actually, Chloe is fine, just too obedient. She's boring. Not like Mia, who's sexy and feminine. College is so great, it'd be a waste to settle down before I've even tasted what's out there. "But for marriage, I'd still choose Chloe. After all, a wife is different from a hookup; you still need someone obedient and domesticated." Saying that, Ethan pulled Mia in by the waist and blew into her ear. The laughter in the room grew even louder. I don't know how I got home. All I knew was that the perfect boy I had hidden in my heart shattered completely in that moment. That night, my pillow was soaked. But I also told myself that I was only allowed to be sad for this one day. I wouldn't torture myself over someone else's mistakes. None of this was my fault. The sun would rise tomorrow, and no one is indispensable. The next day, with eyes swollen like walnuts, I changed my college preferences. I changed my top choice from Boston, where I had promised to go with Ethan, to New York. I had originally wanted to apply to a school in New York because their art programs were better. I only chose Boston for Ethan. But when Ethan heard I was majoring in fine arts, he still smiled disdainfully. He thought fine arts was a dead-end career and that he'd be mocked if his college classmates found out his girlfriend was an art student. Well, now Boston and New York are far apart; he doesn't have to worry about being mocked anymore. 4 The day I broke up with Ethan, he looked impatient. "Chloe, what are you throwing a tantrum about? It was just a few kisses, is it necessary to be this angry? "If you break up with me, do you really think you can find someone better? "Believe it or not, I can find a prettier, more obedient girlfriend in the blink of an eye." I didn't say a word. I just returned all the gifts he had given me over the years. Ethan gritted his teeth: "Fine. When you get bullied in Boston, don't come crying to me." That summer, I took the money I had saved for a trip with Ethan and enrolled in an oil painting class to improve my weakest skill. I left early and came home late every day, channeling my heartbreak into motivation. Ethan seemed to be doing well too; his social media was full of pictures from trips to various places. Mia was in every single picture. I heard they got together, and then broke up later. The next time I saw Ethan was a month later. He was tanner, had styled his hair, and had shed his high school awkwardness. I was still wearing my hair in a high ponytail and overalls, my face still smeared with paint from class. Seeing me, the corners of Ethan's mouth twitched up: "Didn't I tell you to buy some more mature clothes? Why do you still look like this? When we get to campus, people are going to think I brought my little sister." I knew this was his way of trying to make peace. In the past, every time we fought, he would act like this, and I would happily run back to him. But this time, I ignored him and walked right past him. Hearing constant belittlement hurts eventually. I didn't tell Ethan I had changed my college preferences until the moment I boarded my flight. On the plane, I saw his last message. [Chloe, you actually dared to change your college choices behind my back.] I didn't reply. I deleted him and blocked him. Ethan used to tell me that there were a lot of bad people out there, that I should stick close to him and not easily trust strangers. It wasn't until I left him that I realized everyone else was perfectly nice; the only one who hurt me the deepest was him. And now, facing his interrogation, I could look him in the eye calmly. "Ethan, I'm not as immature as you think." He scoffed: "Fine, keep pretending to be tough. Let's see how long you can last." With that, he left before me. We didn't speak another word after that. 5 When the reunion ended, most of our classmates were pretty drunk. Ethan and I lived the closest, so someone suggested he walk me home. He glanced at me, but before he could speak, I immediately refused. "No thanks, my boyfriend is coming to pick me up." Without caring about the surprised looks from the others, I grabbed my things and left. I saw Liam at our agreed-upon meeting spot. He was wearing a black dress shirt, standing tall and straight. The line of his brow bone beneath his silver-rimmed glasses was striking. Looking at him, I couldn't help but smile sweetly. But right now, his expression was a bit dark. When he saw me, he immediately stepped forward and took my hand. "Chloe, am I that unpresentable? Why do I have to hide so far away to pick you up?" Knowing I was in the wrong, I quickly rubbed his arm. "I can't help it. You're too famous. If you show up, the whole high school class will know we're dating by tomorrow. "Didn't we agree to keep it low-key for three months? We'll go public after the trial period." Liam had gone to the same high school as me. But he was too outstanding. Almost everyone in the school knew who he was. He had received an early acceptance letter from a university in New York before he even took the final exams. He was constantly winning major academic competitions and was the "model student" on every teacher's lips. Even though he had graduated, he was still a legend among the younger students. Honestly, Ethan also played a part in Liam and me getting together. When he found out Liam and I were going to the same university, he asked him to look out for me. Maybe he thought someone as aloof and distant as Liam would never be interested in a boring "good girl" like me. But it was exactly this kind of person who had dug a pit for me early on, just waiting for me to jump in. Once we got in the car, Liam's face was still dark. I kissed him on the cheek trying to coax him: "Don't be mad, okay?" "Trying to coax me?" He turned, his gaze deep as he looked at me. I nodded vigorously. "You'll have to put a little more effort into it, Chloe. That's not enough." 6 With that, Liam reached up, took off his glasses, pulled me onto his lap, and leaned in to kiss me. I gasped instinctively, and he seized the opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue tangling with mine. His hot hand firmly gripped the back of my neck, preventing me from retreating, kissing me deeper. So deep I was afraid he was going to do something even more outrageous right there in the car. Feeling the heat radiating from the man beneath me made my legs go weak. I couldn't care about anything else anymore; I could only let him do as he pleased. It wasn't until the tip of my tongue felt numb that Liam finally let me go, looking like he still wanted more. A silver thread connected our lips. Meeting my unfocused eyes, a smirk appeared on his lips as his thumb brushed over my slightly swollen, red lips. I suddenly realized that his shirt had been unbuttoned at some point, revealing a firm chest and defined abs. His hot breath tickled my ear: "Satisfied with what you see?" I swallowed hard. His smile deepened, and just as he was about to continue, we heard approaching footsteps. I looked up and saw Ethan walking toward us. 7 I instinctively hid against Liam's torso. My clothes were a mess, my lips were swollen; if I were seen like this, I'd die of embarrassment. But I forgot that this position was basically throwing fuel on the fire for Liam. It was the first time I had ever been this close to the source of his heat, and I could feel its breath puffing against my face. Liam's breathing grew heavier. Ethan's surprised voice came from above: "Hey man, what are you doing here?" Liam grabbed a jacket and threw it over my head, his voice hoarse and laced with slight anger. "Just passing through." Ethan didn't notice anything wrong and continued asking: "Did you happen to see Chloe? She said she was coming to meet her boyfriend, but she disappeared in the blink of an eye. You went to the same college; do you know who her boyfriend is?" At that moment, Liam's hand was caressing my waist, his tone nonchalant: "Didn't see her. Don't know." Those few words seemed to satisfy Ethan greatly: "I knew she was lying. She can't forget me; she just made someone up to make me mad." Liam raised an eyebrow, his tone subtle: "Is that so?" As he spoke, his hand squeezed my waist firmly. I couldn't help but let out a soft moan and bit my lip hard. Hearing a familiar sound, Ethan stepped closer, confused, and caught sight of the figure huddled beneath Liam. "Dude, you play that hard?" He hadn't recognized me. Liam shifted his body, blocking Ethan's view of me. He looked at him coldly: "So why are you still here?" Ethan rubbed his nose awkwardly: "Leaving, leaving, I won't bother you guys. "Remember to introduce your girl to us sometime." As he walked away, Ethan still felt the figure looked somewhat familiar. He turned around for another look, only to see Liam driving away. He hadn't expected the usually aloof and restrained Liam to be so impatient. But for some reason, Ethan's heart felt inexplicably irritated. 8 Later, knowing I hadn't eaten much at the reunion, Liam drove us to get a late-night snack. But my mind was entirely focused on what had just happened, and I didn't dare look him in the eye the entire time. When it was time to part ways, Liam suddenly pulled me into his arms and planted a quick kiss on my lips. "If you're this shy now, what are we going to do later? "Chloe, we're going to be together for a lifetime. So, with me, you can afford to be a little bolder." I looked around nervously, but I didn't push him away. It wasn't until he let me go that I hurriedly ran off. My heart was filled with shyness, but also a sweet, fluttering joy. But all of that vanished the moment I saw the person standing outside my house. Seeing me return, Ethan's tense expression relaxed slightly. "Back so late? I thought you and that 'boyfriend' went to get a room. "Looks like he's not very capable." My expression turned cold: "I didn't bring my ID." His face instantly darkened. "What are you doing at my door?" He pulled an amulet out of his pocket: "My mom told me to give this to you." His mother got us peace amulets every year, but couldn't he just give it to me tomorrow? Did he really need to wait at my door until this late? My frown deepened, but I reached out and took it. "Tell your mom she doesn't need to get one for me anymore. My mom will give me one." After I spoke, he looked like he wanted to say something else, but I ignored him and shut the door in his face.
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