For the millionth time, my toxic childhood best friend tried to gaslight me, telling me that no decent guy would ever be interested in me. So, I set my sights on the gorgeous, quiet guy living in the apartment right below mine. After intentionally putting his apartment number on my DoorDash orders twenty times in a row, he finally came knocking. "Your food keeps getting delivered to my place by mistake." I played it completely cool. "It wasn't a mistake. I did it on purpose. I'm trying to hit on you." A faint blush instantly crept up the handsome guy's neck. Beside me, my childhood friend Mason's face darkened into a stormy scowl. He slammed the front door shut and sneered at me. "Avery, seriously? What's the point of this pathetic little stunt? Is this because I told you I got a girlfriend?" "Give me a break. As if you'd actually have the guts to date a guy like him." 1 After spitting that out, Mason marched over to the kitchen island, grabbed a glass of water, and downed it, his face tight with irritation. Just five minutes ago, he had dropped the bomb that he was in a relationship. The girl was a freshman—the soft, delicate, "innocent" type—who had been chasing him for three months. He told me that from now on, I needed to stop grabbing meals with him and maintain a proper distance so his new girlfriend wouldn't get the wrong idea. For the first time ever, I didn't pester him with a million questions. I just gave him a crisp, clean, "Okay." Mason casually ruffled my hair, looking completely unfazed. "Don't be sad. Next time I meet a decent guy in my frat, I'll set you up." My breath hitched for a second, but I quickly recovered. "No thanks." I knew Mason's circle of friends way too well. If they weren't shameless players, they were nowhere near as good-looking as he was. None of them were right for me. I've been visual-oriented since kindergarten. Even when buying a coffee mug, I have to pick the prettiest one on the shelf. Why would I compromise on a man?! I'd rather be single than settle for ugly. Mason knew this about me better than anyone. We had known each other since we were three. Every time our parents took us out together, people would shower Mason with endless praise about how handsome and smart he was. Then they’d look at me and offer a polite, "And the little girl is... very cute too." It wasn't until middle school, when I started putting real effort into my appearance and style, that I finally managed to catch Mason's eye. Even then, his compliments were always careless and half-hearted. "That outfit is okay." "Your hair looks decent today." "From a distance, you look alright." After high school graduation, Mason and I both ended up at the same large state university. I worked hard on my fashion and fitness, but I still couldn't seem to meet Mason's impossibly high standards. There were always plenty of beautiful girls chasing him. He cycled through girlfriends about every six months. This current freshman made number four. It was always the same routine. Whenever he had a girlfriend, I was expected to keep my distance—no lunches, no library study sessions, no shopping trips together. Then, six months later when they broke up, he would come right back to me, acting like absolutely nothing had happened. He claimed we were just "bros." To force myself to get some space from Mason, I started trying to meet other guys. But the second I started talking to someone new, Mason would laugh at me. "Give it a rest, Avery. Look in the mirror before you aim that high." "He likes girls who are 110 pounds. You're 130." "You don't even match his physical preferences." After tearing me down, Mason would play the "comforting friend," taking me out for junk food so we could binge eat together. He watched with satisfaction as I drifted further and further away from any other guys. Back then, I naively thought he just didn't see me as a woman because we'd known each other for so long. Until the end of last month. We were at a party with some of his frat brothers, and someone joked about setting me up with a boyfriend. Mason, slightly buzzed, scoffed loudly. "Don't mess with Avery. What if she takes you seriously, gets rejected, and then comes crying to me about how heartbroken she is?" His friend frowned. "I'm serious, Mason. The guy I'm thinking of just moved back from Europe, and he's really good-looking." "Plus, Avery has gotten seriously hot over the last few years." "Who knows, maybe it'll be love at first sight..." Mason clicked his tongue, interrupting him. "Sure, whatever. Set them up. Let's all grab some popcorn and see if Avery can actually pull off a miracle and get a boyfriend." The rest of the guys erupted into laughter. The friend, looking awkward, quickly backpedaled. "Avery, I was just kidding. Don't take it seriously." Then, the group went back to drinking and joking like nothing had happened. In Mason's eyes, I simply didn't deserve to date anyone outstanding or attractive. I liked pretty cups, cute jewelry, and nice things, and he never said a word about it. But the singular exception was men. The moment he saw me getting close to another guy, he would completely lose his mind. If he hadn't explicitly rejected me in the past, I genuinely would have thought he was secretly in love with me. Suddenly, I was completely done with Mason. Absolutely, 100% done. When I got home that night, I set my sights on the gorgeous guy living in the apartment below mine. He had moved in last year. He was generally very quiet, and his expression was always cool and detached. Rumor had it that no matter who tried to talk to him, he would only respond with a single syllable. He wasn't mute; he just hated talking. Last time, my bathroom had a leak that dripped down into his apartment. I was panicking and apologizing frantically, but he just stood there with an indifferent expression, looking at his damp ceiling. When we discussed compensation, he didn't say a single word to me. He just let me name a price, nodded in agreement, and then showed me out. As I stood in his doorway, overshadowed by his tall frame, I looked up at his face. He was drop-dead gorgeous. The hallway light cast the shadow of his incredibly long eyelashes over his flawless cheeks. He had a high, straight nose bridge, and his pale, thin lips looked surprisingly soft. The very next day, I started ordering Uber Eats, filling in his apartment number as the delivery address every single time. At first, he didn't seem to mind. It wasn't until the twentieth "wrong delivery" that he finally couldn't take it anymore and came upstairs to knock on my door. Which happened to be the exact moment Mason was in my living room, telling me he was dating someone new and that I needed to keep my distance. 2 Mason's phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen and hit decline immediately. He shifted back into his casual demeanor, acting like the tense moment at the door hadn't just happened. He walked over and casually threw an arm around my shoulder. "So, Avery, what are you having for dinner tonight?" I shoved his arm off me. "Steak." Mason smirked. "Sounds good. What time? I'll head back, change my clothes, and we can go together." I looked at him, completely baffled. "Didn't you just say you have a girlfriend and we need to keep our distance?" Mason raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in his eye. "So you are jealous that I'm dating someone?" I forced a tight smile. "No. I just already have plans with someone else." Mason completely ignored my words, pinching my cheek like he was petting a puppy. "Who? That short roommate of yours again?" I swatted his hand away in extreme annoyance. "Her name is Riley, and I've told you that a million times." Mason looked entirely unbothered. "Right, right, whatever her name is. It doesn't matter. You can just cancel on her so we can grab dinner." Suddenly, I just felt exhausted by him. As Mason turned around, heading toward the door to go change, I called out to his back. "Mason." He stopped and let out a soft chuckle. "What, decided you want me to walk you to your car?" I spoke slowly, emphasizing every word. "The person I made plans with isn't Riley. It's the guy who was just at the door." Mason's tone instantly hardened. "Who? That guy from just now?" "Do you even know his name?" "What college does he go to?" "How old is he?" "Where is he from?" I froze for a second. "I don't know." "See? That's ridiculous." "But none of that changes the fact that I'm into him." We both spoke at the exact same time. He looked at me like I had just told the funniest joke in the world. "Avery, did you not see the look on his face just now?" "Who gets happy when a complete stranger starts harassing them?" "If a normal guy actually gets confessed to by a girl he likes, he absolutely wouldn't react with that kind of cold indifference." After tearing me down, Mason paused, his voice dropping into a softer, patronizing tone. "Look, as your friend, I just don't want to see you humiliate yourself." Humiliate myself? Ha. I shot back. "How do you know I'd be humiliating myself?" "Who knows, maybe he likes me too." Mason snorted. "He likes you?" "You're only doing this stunt to get my attention because you're mad I have a girlfriend." "You really don't have to do this. I told you, we're always going to be best friends." My voice turned to ice. "Mason, I really don't think friends get to dictate each other's romantic feelings." "Just like I've never once criticized your terrible taste in girlfriends, maybe you could stop trying to micromanage my life?" Mason's face went completely dark. He pulled out his phone and pressed the button to record a voice memo. "Change of plans. You pick the restaurant for tonight. I'll be there soon." 3 After sending the message, he yanked the front door open, ready to leave. Before stepping out, he glared at me with cold eyes. "Avery, I don't care what kind of game you think you're playing, but let me make one thing crystal clear." "I don't care." "And that guy downstairs? There is absolutely zero chance he likes you." My rebellious streak hit an all-time high. I decided to spout absolute nonsense just to spite him. "Why couldn't he like me? What if he does?" As the words left my mouth, my answer was Mason's smug, triumphant smirk. And the stiff, frozen figure of the handsome neighbor, standing right there in the open doorway. Mason had done that on purpose. I had no idea if the neighbor hadn't gone back downstairs yet, or if he had walked back up! My heart dropped into my stomach. Mason pulled out a vape, took a hit, and asked casually. "Hey man, do you actually like Avery?" In Mason's flippant, arrogant tone, my heart leaped into my throat. The handsome neighbor's gaze moved slowly from Mason until it landed on me. Mason's lips curled into a victorious sneer. "Avery, if you're going to lie, at least make it believable." "Saying you're chasing a total stranger just to make me mad is honestly pathetic." Having said that, he softened his voice and tried to coax me again. "Are we still going to dinner tonight?" "I'm going, I'll just go with you..." "My name is Rowan." Rowan's deep voice cut right through the air, interrupting Mason mid-sentence. "Huh?" Mason frowned. Rowan's beautiful eyes completely ignored Mason. He looked at me with absolute calm and spoke again. "My name is Rowan." "And I know your name." My name? Right! When I went to his apartment about the leak last time, I had introduced myself. I didn't expect him to actually remember. Faced with Rowan's blatant dismissal, Mason rapidly lost his patience, his tone turning aggressive. "Hey, I asked you a question. Do you like Avery or not?" Rowan's expression remained completely indifferent. "What does who I like have to do with you?" I finally let out the breath I had been holding. Thank god. At least Rowan hadn't denied it. I stepped forward and shoved Mason out into the hallway. "He's right, who he likes is none of your business." I bit my lip and continued, "And who I like is none of your business either." Mason was so angry he viciously bit his lower lip, his eyes cold enough to freeze water. "Avery, remember you said that." "Don't come crying to me in a few days when you get played." With that, Mason turned on his heel and marched into the elevator without looking back. Before the elevator doors even closed, I could hear him calling his girlfriend, his voice completely different. I took a deep breath and let out a self-deprecating laugh. Thinking about all the days I spent revolving my entire life around Mason, I felt like a total idiot. I looked at Rowan standing in the doorway. "Hey handsome—I mean, Rowan. Thank you for today." "Are you free right now? If it's convenient, I'd love to buy you dinner." Rowan didn't ask what we were eating or where we were going. His perfectly straight posture stiffened slightly, and he gave a soft, quiet, "Yeah." 4 We didn't go get steak. I took Rowan to a popular, authentic Sichuan restaurant nearby. I ordered a few classic dishes, and it ended up being way too spicy for him. His thick eyelashes were misted with tears from the heat, fluttering against his pale, flawless skin. It was incredibly eye-catching. We were sitting in the main dining room, and his striking appearance caused quite a few people to turn their heads. I caught myself staring for a second. His face and build were truly top-tier. Seeing me zone out, Rowan waved a hand gently in front of my face. I coughed awkwardly. "I'm so sorry, I... I didn't know you couldn't handle spicy food." He shook his head, took a large gulp of water, his voice slightly hoarse. "It's fine." After we finished eating, I formally laid out my thoughts to Rowan. I told him that I had genuinely wanted to pursue him before, but mostly it was because I just wanted the idea of a relationship, which was an irrational and immature way to act. I apologized profusely for bothering him by sending my takeout to his door and promised I wouldn't do it again. Rowan looked a bit surprised, opened his mouth to speak, but then fell silent. On the walk back, he didn't say a single word. His eyes were downcast, and the heavy silence was making me anxious, so I reached out and poked his arm. "Rowan, if you have something to say, just say it." "We're just normal neighbors. You don't have to worry about making things awkward between us." Rowan stopped walking. He pulled out his phone, held it out to me, and said, "Let's add each other's numbers." His tone was clear, his actions decisive. I opened my phone and accepted his contact request. As Rowan looked down to type in my name, he spoke. "I didn't go upstairs to your apartment because I was annoyed by the food deliveries." "I had insomnia for a while and completely lost my appetite. The food you ordered was actually really delicious." He paused for a beat. "If it's convenient... could you keep ordering for me this week? I'll Venmo you the money." What? Even though I had carefully handpicked all the food I ordered, the fact that he actually liked my food choices was a plot twist I hadn't seen coming. "Uh... if you trust my taste, then I can handle your three meals a day." "I might not know much else, but when it comes to finding good food, I'm practically an expert." Rowan let out a small sigh of relief, offering a faint smile and a soft, "Yeah." As we got into the elevator, I asked casually. "Did you buy this apartment?" Rowan: "Yes." "I think the previous owner was someone else." Rowan hesitated slightly. "Yeah. It was a resale." "Their renovations were pretty nice. You probably paid a premium for it." "It was alright." "So, is there anything specific you want to eat tomorrow? If not, I'll just surprise you." Rowan shook his head. "Whatever you pick is fine." When I got home, I planned out Rowan's meals for the next day, and then I noticed a group chat with 99+ unread messages. It was a chat group Mason had set up, consisting of about six of his frat brothers. I accidentally clicked into the chat and it automatically scrolled to the top, where I saw that Mason had invited a new account with a cartoon avatar into the group. Everyone else was sending messages welcoming the "new sister-in-law." Then someone posted a video of Mason and her kissing at a scenic overlook, the two of them practically glued together. In the video, once Mason realized someone was filming, he leaned into it even more, making the guy filming cheer loudly. The girl hid shyly in Mason's chest, while he casually patted her back, leaning down to whisper in her ear. I watched the video, feeling completely numb, with no desire to scroll any further. I hit 'Leave Group' immediately. I lay down on my sofa, posted a photo of the spicy Sichuan food, and raved in the caption about how amazing it tasted. 5 The next day, Mason's social media circle completely blew up. Rumors were flying everywhere that seeing Mason in a relationship had shattered my heart, and that I was posting random food pictures in a desperate attempt to make him jealous. When I received a frantic text from my roommate Riley, I was just getting off the phone with my parents, telling them about the Mason situation. I told them that I was putting distance between Mason and me. We wouldn't be driving home for the holidays together anymore, and we wouldn't be hanging out on campus. I also asked them to stop reaching out to Mason for random favors. My mom immediately understood what was going on. My dad stayed silent, but quietly wired a chunk of money into my bank account. The note attached said I could use it to buy whatever I wanted or take a trip. After hanging up, I saw a barrage of voice memos from Riley. [Avery, I was at my part-time job at the cafe this afternoon and ran into Mason and his friends.] [The second they sat down, they started talking about you.] [They were acting like they knew everything, saying you were heartbroken, letting yourself go, impulsively leaving the group chat, and that your whole "I'm over it" act is totally fake.] [They were even taking bets, joking that in a week, max, you'll inevitably come crawling back to beg Mason to hang out again.] [The most infuriating part is Mason sitting there, using this cold, arrogant voice, saying that even if you come looking for him this time, he won't forgive you easily.] Riley sounded angrier with every word. She hesitated for a second: [Avery, honestly, aside from his looks, Mason is way too arrogant. Maybe you should just...] She stopped herself. During my two years in college, I hadn't made many close friends; Riley was my best friend. [Thank you, Riley.] [Don't worry, the past is the past. Out of all the garbage they spouted, the only true thing is that I left the group chat. Everything else is a lie.] [From now on, Mason is nothing but a stranger to me.] Whenever he used "jokes" to put me down and belittle me, any feelings I had for him slowly died. After replying to Riley, I went downstairs to take out the trash, and ran into Rowan in the elevator again. I had actually run into him this morning when I went for my run. Now, he had changed into a clean white t-shirt. His hair was still slightly damp from a shower, and he smelled like fresh body wash. It was incredibly nice. Coincidentally, he was also holding a trash bag. I smiled at him. Rowan gave a slight nod, his voice soft and smooth. "The place you picked today was really delicious too." "Huh?" I glanced at the takeout bag in Rowan's hand. "Oh, you mean dinner! I told you, that place might not be huge, but their ingredients are top-notch." "The flavors are great too. It's one of my regular spots." I didn't know how to cook, so my daily routine was either eating out or throwing together a simple salad. When it came to food, I definitely knew what I was talking about. I scouted all these places in person; I never just blindly ordered off DoorDash. Rowan nodded in agreement, then fell silent. When the elevator reached the first floor, he followed me out and stayed right by my side. After throwing away the trash, he glanced at me subtly a few times, looking a bit tense before calling my name. "Avery." "Yeah?" "Tonight, I wanted to..." He stopped, hesitating, looking like he couldn't quite get the words out. A delivery driver walking past stared at us with wide eyes. Rowan didn't notice. His voice was low, carrying a hint of embarrassment. "Would... would you want to come over?" He tried to say something else after asking. I panicked, immediately clapping my hand over his mouth and shoving him backward into the dimly lit hallway. His soft lips pressed firmly against the palm of my hand. I used to think Rowan was bad with words. Looking at him now... He was bold as hell! How could he ask something like that so naturally?! Rowan was pressed against the wall in the dark hallway. In the dim light, a blush crept up to the corners of his beautiful eyes, his eyelashes fluttering. His hot breath brushed evenly against my palm, and my heart started hammering wildly in my chest. I couldn't even form a coherent sentence. "Uh... um, Rowan." "Are you sure you want me to come over tonight?" "Considering our relationship, going to your place isn't a great idea, right?" Rowan gently pulled my hand away. Perhaps realizing he had been too forward, he asked softly. "Then... how about we do it at your place?" "I'll go get the stuff ready." "Ah!" My face burned with absolute fire. When I got back home, I took a cold shower to lower my body temperature. I felt like everything was happening so fast I was completely defenseless. I decided to scroll through Reddit to find some advice. I genuinely wanted to get to know Rowan. But jumping straight into that was way too fast! Thank god for Reddit, there are tons of advice threads for this kind of thing. As I scrolled casually, a gossip thread in the bottom left corner caught my eye. It featured a pale, innocent-looking avatar, and the title was: "My boyfriend has a toxic 'pick-me' childhood friend. What do I do?" The attached image was a cup of green tea—classic internet slang for a manipulative, fake-innocent girl. Curious, I clicked on it. Her profile was empty; this was her only post, made two hours ago. The comments had already surpassed a thousand. In a pinned comment, she explained that her boyfriend had a female neighbor his own age who had loved him since childhood. It caused her boyfriend a lot of distress. Because their parents were close, he couldn't be too blunt with her. This led the girl to misunderstand her place, throwing a tantrum every time her boyfriend interacted with other girls. On the surface, she pretended to stay away, but in reality, she hovered around him constantly. It was disgusting. She even deliberately tried to seduce his friend's relative who just moved back from Europe, but her boyfriend saw right through her. The most bizarre part was that right after the author and her boyfriend made their relationship official, this fake childhood friend threw a fit for attention, leaving their private group chat and pretending to block him. ... I stared at the long wall of text, noting that the poster had the exact same campus IP address as me. I fell into deep thought. Sure enough, in a comment questioning if her boyfriend was also at fault, she posted a screenshot to defend him. [You're misunderstanding! My boyfriend's friends all know exactly how toxic she is.] [When she found out we were dating, she even threatened him by saying she was going to go find a random guy to date.] [Thankfully, my boyfriend has zero interest in her.] I clicked on the attached image. It was a screenshot of a group chat, where several guys were taking turns trashing the so-called "fake childhood friend." The blurring on the names was incredibly sloppy, probably done on purpose to prove it was real. I instantly recognized the names of Mason's frat brothers. ... Wow. Just wow. I thought making things clear with Mason would be the end of it. I never expected his friends, and even his new girlfriend, to be obsessively fantasizing about me behind my back. And adding completely fabricated, twisted details to boot. I quickly typed out a response. [I didn't want her boyfriend, I didn't seduce anyone, and I certainly didn't do any of the dramatic nonsense she hallucinated.] Less than two minutes after I posted my comment, Brooke (the girlfriend) deleted the group chat screenshot. Fortunately, I had already saved it. The internet loves drama, and some users started demanding a showdown between us. Before I could reply, Brooke couldn't wait to jump in. [I deleted the screenshot to save her some dignity. She wouldn't dare actually confront me.] After she replied, the hate comments directed at me multiplied, drowning out the few voices of skepticism. I laughed in sheer anger. I immediately created a new post, attached the screenshot of her original post, and tagged Brooke's account. I laid out the entire history between me and Mason, clear and simple. Every time we went out, it was Mason who invited me. Every time there was a holiday, he bought the tickets home first before asking me. Every time I tried to distance myself, he would "accidentally" show up wherever I was. When I wanted to talk to other guys, he would "kindly" remind me of all my flaws. Every time he broke up with a girlfriend, he'd come looking for me, claiming I was his "bro." After writing the post, I pinned a comment at the top. [Feel free to question anything. I have chat logs to prove every single word.] 6 After furiously posting the receipts, I remembered I was supposed to be figuring out a plan for Rowan. The drama had completely killed my mood for scrolling through Reddit advice. I figured I might as well just be direct with Rowan. When he came up, I would just ask him. If he was actually interested in me, we could start by getting to know each other first. Just thinking about it made my face burn. There was a loud knock on the door. I opened it to find Rowan. He said he was having trouble deciding what to buy and wanted my opinion. My heart skipped a beat. I pulled him inside. "What is it?" Rowan pulled out his phone and held it out to me. "I picked out a few things. Take a look." Facing the phone shoved in my face, I squeezed my eyes shut and blurted everything out at lightning speed. "Rowan, look, we've only known each other for less than a month. This is way too fast." "Yes, I admit I like your face, I like your body, and I was genuinely trying to pursue you before." "But... but we can't move this fast. We haven't even gone on a date, and you want us to just hook up." "We're adults, I understand having needs, but you're being way too blunt about this." "Tell me the truth. Have you been secretly in love with me for a long time?" After I finished asking, there was nothing but silence and the sound of breathing. I slowly opened my eyes. I saw Rowan standing there, completely frozen. His eyes went from hazy, to a sudden dawn of realization, and then back to silence. After a long moment, he glanced at his phone. I followed his gaze. The screen displayed rows and rows of groceries. Groceries! Not... adult items! Ingredients! For cooking. I felt like I had been struck by lightning, turning to stone on the spot. Fighting the overwhelming urge to find a hole to crawl into and die, I forced a strained smile at Rowan. "You... you were talking about cooking?" Rowan blinked his beautiful eyes, his voice stretching out slightly. "Spicy Cajun seafood boil." "Oh! Great... great dish," I stammered, biting my lip in agony. "Truly a fantastic dish." I have no idea how I survived the rest of that evening. I didn't dare make eye contact with him once. He brought the groceries over to my place. I washed the vegetables, and he meticulously followed an online recipe, step by step. This guy didn't just have good looks; his ability to learn was insane. The seafood boil he made looked and smelled incredible. It was just insanely spicy. He bought the wrong kind of chili powder. When I handed Rowan a glass of iced tea, my hand trembled, and I spilled it all over him. He went to the bathroom to clean up, but his entire shirt was stained. I told him to take it off. I dug through my closet and found a shirt I had bought for Mason a while ago but never gave to him. Later, I just hadn't wanted to give it to him at all. I told Rowan to just wear it for now, and he could change when he went back home. As I walked out with the shirt, I saw Mason standing at the bathroom door, his face livid. He had forgotten I changed my apartment passcode! Inside the bathroom was a shirtless Rowan. In an instant, Mason threw a violent punch right at Rowan's face.
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