The phone call came while Leo was fast asleep beside me. It was my parents, telling me it was time to go over to his house and meet his blind date. I thought they were joking. I leaned over and whispered, "Leo, they said they found a blind date for you." He let out a lazy "mmhmm" and pulled me closer. "Be a doll, Thea, and pick out an outfit for me later. And do my hair." When I didn't move, he cracked open an eye and let out a cynical laugh. "What's with you? We're just bed buddies. You didn't actually think I was going to marry you, did you?" 1 For a moment, I couldn't process it. My hands fumbled as I pushed him away, scrambling to pull on the clothes scattered on the floor. I didn't dare look at him. "Thea, look at me," Leo said, propping his chin on his arm, a playful glint in his eye. "You didn't really think we were a couple, did you?" The words "bed buddies" echoed in my head. My hands trembled so badly I couldn't fasten the clasp on my bra. Leo threw back the covers, revealing a lean, sculpted torso, and knelt on the edge of the bed. He reached out and expertly fastened it for me. I kept my head down. "Who's the date?" I asked, forcing a bitter laugh. "Please don't tell me your parents just grabbed some random person from a singles mixer." I looked in the mirror at the constellation of love bites scattered across my skin. My legs still ached. Leo, now wearing only a pair of gray sweatpants, came up behind me and buried his face in the crook of my neck. "It's Amelia," he murmured, his beautiful, almond-shaped eyes crinkling at the corners. "Amelia Thorne, from the art department back in college. Remember her?" He repeated her name, a note of excitement in his voice. "To be honest, I'm actually pretty nervous about seeing her." My hand, holding a tube of lipstick, froze. Of course, I remembered. Leo had had a massive crush on her, but before he could make a move, she'd moved abroad. I thought that was all in the past. He studied my face, his lips pursed. "Hey, don't get any funny ideas, Thea. We grew up together. You're practically one of the guys. I mean, you're gorgeous, sure, but… you're my buddy." "You're my perfect partner in crime—my food buddy, my road trip buddy, my bed buddy…" His words hit me like a physical blow. My whole body went cold. I looked at his smiling face and managed a weak smile of my own. He continued, oblivious. "Besides, I know everything about you. What you're going to wear, what underwear you'll pair with it… it's all so predictable. There's no mystery." "Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and see you sleeping next to me, and I get this jolt of fear—what if we actually ended up married, like our parents always joke? My whole life would be laid out in front of me, over before it even started." He shivered, as if the very thought was terrifying. I dug my nails into my palms, fighting back tears. "I have to go," I said, grabbing my coat and fleeing like a deserter. 2 I thought we were dating. We did everything couples do. We ate together, went on dates, hung out with friends. We'd even kiss during games of "Truth or Dare" and say "I love you" without a second thought. Leo would pick me up from work on rainy days. He'd secretly hold my hand under the table during family dinners. I had no idea that what I thought was a six-month relationship was just a game of house to him. "Thea?" My mom tapped on the car window, her face etched with concern. I snapped back to reality. I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw my tear-streaked face. I quickly wiped my cheeks and got out of the car. "Mom!" I threw my arms around her, hiding my face in her shoulder. "I missed you," I said, forcing a cheerful tone. She was holding a bag of groceries. She took my arm, a wave of relief washing over her. "Honey, why were you just sitting in the car? You scared me. Didn't you see that news story about someone suffocating in their car…" I nodded along. Suddenly, her tone shifted. "By the way, Thea… Leo's date is coming over soon. His parents are taking this one very seriously. I hear Leo planned the whole thing himself. He said he was worried she might feel awkward, and that having another girl there would help. Your aunt and I have been friends for so many years, so today…" She trailed off, looking at me with a pained expression. I understood. "It's okay, Mom. I get it. Break the ice, say nice things. I know the drill." She gave me a look filled with pity. Of course, she knew. A picture of me and Leo sat on my nightstand. I treasured every gift he'd ever given me, and my journals were filled with a love for him that I couldn't hide. How could she not know? We walked home in silence. As we reached the door, I said suddenly, "Dad's retiring next month. Let's move to Florida." I looked at my mom's stunned face and put on my best cheerful, daughterly voice. "You guys have always talked about retiring there. And I don't have any big dreams. I'd be happy just being a dance teacher, staying close to you." 3 Sitting in Leo's house with my parents felt different this time. We were usually so boisterous, so comfortable. The last time we were here, we had used "playing video games" as an excuse to sneak off to his room and kiss. This time… "Oh, Catherine, you have no idea the lengths this boy went to for Amelia," Leo's mom, Aunt Rose, was saying to my mom. "I told him, 'Just ask her out!' But no, he had to insist on 'dating with the intention of marriage.' He had his father pull all sorts of strings just to arrange this 'blind date' today." The house was meticulously decorated, filled with roses. There were platters of fruit and sweets on the table. Even their little dog was wearing a bright red sweater. And Leo was in front of the mirror, checking his reflection over and over, making sure he was perfect. The irony was almost suffocating. Just last night, we were tangled up in his sheets, and he was kissing the small birthmark on my hip with such passion. And the boxers he was wearing right now? I bought them for him. "It's such a shame, though…" Aunt Rose said, taking my mom's hand. "We always said we'd be in-laws one day. We even had a childhood engagement pact for the kids." She glanced at me. "I just adore Thea. She's not only beautiful, but she has such a wonderful personality, so full of life…" I kept my eyes down, not daring to speak. I was afraid that if I did, the tears would start to fall. "Mom!" Leo frowned, clearly annoyed. "You said it yourself, that was your generation's thing. You and Aunt Catherine are best friends, so why don't you marry her? What does it have to do with me? What century are we living in?" He had no regard for his parents' feelings. He turned to me, his tone sharp, as if I had put his mother up to this. "Thea, where's the bracelet my mom gave you?" When I didn't answer, he strode over, grabbed my wrist, and pushed up my sleeve. "The one from the engagement pact. I don't want Amelia to see it and get the wrong idea…" The room fell silent. Leo's father and my dad stopped drinking their tea. My mom, who had been arranging flowers, froze. The atmosphere turned painfully awkward. My mom looked at me, and the vase and scissors in her hands clattered onto the table. She started to stand up, but Aunt Rose pulled her back down. Aunt Rose, however, shot up from her seat, stood protectively in front of me, and gave Leo a hard shove. "Leo! What do you think you're doing? First of all, nothing has even happened between you and this Amelia yet! And second of all, that bracelet… you were the one who got on your knees and begged Thea to wear it when you were seventeen!" It was as if Leo's soul had finally returned to his body. He remembered. He remembered the year someone had confessed their feelings to me. In a panic, he had gotten drunk, stolen the antique jade bracelet from his mother, and shown up at my house in the middle of the night, crying and pleading, even getting on his knees, begging me to wear his family's heirloom. He loosened his tie, took a deep breath, and then looked at me with a forced smile. "I'm just a little on edge. I… it's not right to take back a gift. You can keep it." "It's fine. I'll give it back to you. I'll go get it now," I said, my voice calm as I stood up. "I'll be right back. I won't be long." Before anyone could react, I grabbed my bag and walked out. 4 When I returned with the bracelet and was about to knock, I was startled by a chorus of cheers from inside. "Welcome…" Leo's smile froze when he saw me. "What are you doing here?" He seemed surprised that I had come back, and even more surprised that I was actually returning the bracelet. When I handed it to him, his face was a mask of disbelief. He finally took it and tucked it away, then leaned in and whispered in my ear. "Thea, for the sake of our… partnership, don't cause any trouble today. Amelia is a sensitive girl. Don't say anything to upset her." I didn't want to deal with him. Amelia is a girl, but I'm not? I looked at the boy I had loved for my entire youth, and a bone-deep chill threatened to swallow me whole. Ten minutes later, Amelia arrived, escorted by the matchmaker. The older generation chatted amiably. That was why my parents had to be there—to subtly lay out our family's background and future prospects for the matchmaker's benefit. Throughout it all, Leo sat beside Amelia, his every move radiating care and attention. A nearly thirty-year-old man acting like a nervous teenager. I had nothing to do with any of it, which was fine by me. I was just looking for a chance to slip away. But then, Amelia turned her gentle gaze on me. "You must be Thea. I've heard so much about you. The goddess of the art department, wasn't it?" Startled, I waved my hands dismissively. "Oh, no, that was just my friends fooling around in college." I thought the attention would shift, but Amelia persisted. "Not at all. I remember you performed a classical dance at the spring formal, and the next day, the dorm lobby was flooded with flowers for you." Before I could reply, she tugged playfully on Leo's arm. "You two grew up together. How did you not end up together? I remember you were inseparable. Everyone thought you would get married." All eyes turned to me. I don't know how to describe it, but this seemingly harmless woman exuded a strange hostility towards me. "Her?" Leo said, looking at Amelia as he handed her a perfectly peeled apple. "To you, she might be a 'goddess' or whatever. To me, she's just a tomboy. My best buddy." He chuckled as if remembering something. "You have no idea. When she cried as a kid, snot and tears would just stream down her face. If I didn't wipe it for her, it would have gone right into her mouth." "And when she was fifteen, she fainted during gym class and started talking nonsense, flailing her arms around…" "I have to go," I said, standing up, barely containing my anger. I forced a smile at the adults. "You all enjoy the rest of your evening." Amelia looked at Leo with a concerned expression. "Did I say something wrong to upset her?" Leo shot me a furious glare, as if I were the one ruining the mood. Before he could speak, I cut him off. "I have a date with my boyfriend tonight. If I don't leave now, I'll be late."
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