Everyone Thought He Was the Perfect Boyfriend. Then He Hard-Launched His Ex.

Everyone knew Caleb was the perfect boyfriend. But on our anniversary, he suddenly hard-launched his ex on Instagram. When I asked him why, he just laughed carelessly. "Because her waist... is thinner than yours, I guess." 1 My boyfriend got a new girlfriend. Just one minute before he made it Instagram official, he sent me a breakup text. Before I could even process it, I saw his new post: "Three years. My feelings for you only grew." The photo attached was of him and a girl. She was looking away from the camera, leaving only her side profile visible. He was looking at her, his lips pressed slightly together. That was his micro-expression when he was nervous. The top comment was pinned by him. It was incredibly cliché: "You’re always welcome to dock at my harbor." Caleb's post blew up with comments, but he didn't reply to a single one. My chest felt tight. A wave of nausea hit me. I took a deep breath and called him. Honestly, I had always thought I didn't care that much about this relationship. But... The moment the call went through, I realized my hands were shaking violently. The phone rang once before he quickly hung up. Soon after, Caleb’s text popped up. His tone was so cold it felt like a stranger: "Not a good time. Text me if you need something." I typed out a massive paragraph, then deleted it word by word. Finally, I just sent one sentence: "We can break up, but you're going to say it to my face." Silence stretched on the other end. Then, as if bestowing a grand favor, he sent one word: "Fine." After agreeing on a time and place, I felt a bit dazed. In this relationship, Caleb had always been the initiator. He chased me relentlessly, and his confession was so grand the entire campus knew about it. When I rejected him, he stood outside my dorm all night in the freezing winter, smoking a whole pack of cigarettes. Anyone’s heart would soften at that. Once, I casually mentioned missing a specific dish from my hometown. He drove through the night just to buy it for me. Even though the food was cold by the time it reached my hands. When someone was vaguely trashing me online, he scoured the internet, tracked the guy down, and put him in his place. Piece by piece, action by action, he chipped away at my walls until we finally got together. Whenever people on campus talked about us, they joked that Caleb was hopelessly whipped for me. But I never imagined our breakup would be so... effortless. 2 The coffee shop near the campus back gates. I sat by the window. I waited so long the coffee on the table went from hot to cold before Caleb finally showed up. He was dressed really strangely today. Usually, he loved a casual, preppy style. Always in light-colored crewnecks, always with classic black hair, always looking like the boy next door. But today... He was dressed entirely in black. A black hoodie, black cargo pants, and his hair was dyed. He even had a silver hoop earring in his left ear—this from a guy who was notoriously terrified of pain. I stared, stunned. We hadn't seen each other for exactly two days, and he looked like a completely different person. Seeing my shock, he just smirked. "She likes it." Three simple words, and I realized just how completely I had lost this past year. Caleb was a very egocentric person. While we dated, he treated me incredibly well, but he rarely listened to what I wanted. Once, I suggested he try a new haircut. He just smiled, ruffled my hair, and said, "Chloe, I don't like it." And that was the end of that. I sat frozen for a long time, then cut straight to the chase. "Give me a reason for the breakup." My reflection was faintly visible in the window glass. The face looking back was calm and cold. But underneath, I was desperately trying to keep my emotions in check. I thought Caleb would make some excuses, or at least look a little guilty. He didn't. He leaned back in his chair, a careless smile on his lips. "Because her waist... is thinner than yours, I guess." I froze. Across the table, the corner of his mouth curled up. "Anything else? If not, I'm heading out. If I'm gone too long, she'll get upset." The moment those words left his mouth, I raised my hand and threw my coffee right in his face. In that split second, only one thought crossed my mind: What a shame. The coffee is completely cold. 3 Caleb left. After getting splashed with coffee, he only froze for two seconds. Then, he calmly wiped his face and dropped two words: "I'm out." But after taking two steps, he looked back at me. "Chloe, I was really good to you this past year, wasn't I? Let's just part on good terms. We don't even have to say hi if we bump into each other." He didn't give me time to react. He just walked out. I sat in silence for a few seconds. Then, I stood up, grabbed a steaming hot cup of coffee from the guy at the next table, muttered a quick "Sorry," and chased after him. I dumped it right over Caleb's head. It was hot, but not boiling enough to burn him. It did, however, make him look incredibly pathetic. But Caleb just stopped in his tracks. He kept his back perfectly straight and didn't even turn around to look at me. I stared at his coffee-soaked clothes. "Caleb. Now we're parted on good terms." With that, I turned around, carrying the empty cup. I returned the cup to the couple inside and ordered them two fresh coffees to make up for it. The girl didn't blame me at all. Instead, she gave me a thumbs-up. "Girl, that was badass." I forced a smile, but didn't say anything. Honestly, I've always been a really dull person. Introverted, sensitive, quiet, and boring. I happened to have a pretty face, so I had my fair share of guys pursuing me, but they were always the type casting a wide net. I’d reject a guy one second, and the next second he’d be whispering sweet nothings to someone else. Because of that, I never thought I'd be loved with such burning intensity. But then, a year ago, Caleb showed up. His loud, unapologetic affection, his dramatic pursuit, his meticulous care—it was so easy for me to fall into his gentle trap. In the year we were together, I never did a single thing to betray him. I was finally learning how to love someone, how to treat him right. But the second I finally figured it out, he turned around and became his ex's safe harbor. I walked out of the coffee shop and headed toward campus. I told myself it was over, but I still felt like a zombie. So much so that the moment I reached the campus gates, I crashed right into someone. As I stumbled, a pair of hands grabbed my waist to steady me, then let go instantly like I was burning hot. I hit the ground. Hard. The person immediately crouched down to help me. "Chloe, are you... okay?" The voice sounded vaguely familiar. I let him help me up and looked at him. It was a senior. Ethan. He was in the same major as Caleb. "I'm fine." I was going to thank him for helping me up, but considering how hard I just hit the pavement, I swallowed the words. He frowned. "Caleb's Instagram post?" I laughed bitterly. "He made it official. With his ex from three years ago." Since he brought it up, I couldn't help but vent a little. "And the funny thing? As his current girlfriend, I only got the breakup text one minute before he posted it. Hilarious, right?" Ethan didn't say a word. He just turned and walked away. I stood there, stunned, silently cursing myself for oversharing. Right. We were barely acquaintances. Why was I dumping my pathetic drama on him? He was probably just annoyed. I looked away and hurried back to my dorm. My silence only deepened on the walk back. Whenever I passed someone I knew, I’d deliberately look away and speed up. I was terrified they’d ask: "Chloe, when did you and Caleb break up? I just saw you guys grabbing lunch a few days ago. Why does he have a new girlfriend?" I wouldn't know how to answer. Being publicly dumped for the whole world to see was humiliating. I practically sprinted back to my dorm, changed my clothes, crawled into bed, and wrapped myself in my blanket. I wanted to cry, but mostly, I just wanted to scream. I wanted to drag Caleb back here and beat the crap out of him. I kind of regretted not throwing a third cup of coffee. A little while later, my phone rang. It was my roommate, Becca. "Chlo, where are you?" I pulled down the blanket, my voice weak. "Dorm. Why?" "Caleb got beat up!" I sat bolt upright. The suffocating knot in my chest instantly loosened. It took me a second to find my voice. "Who did he piss off?" Becca sounded like she was right at the scene. It was noisy in the background, and it took a few seconds for her reply to come through. "It was Ethan." "Omg, I'm dying. He looked SO hot doing it!" 4 Ethan? Why him... Becca's voice was getting staticky, like she had bad reception, and the call dropped. I sat on my bed, staring blankly at the wall. I thought back to how Ethan had turned and walked away at the front gates. I thought he was just annoyed by my venting. I never imagined he was walking off to get justice for me. I debated whether I should go to the scene to see what was happening, but before I could decide, the dorm door swung open and Becca walked in. She was humming a little tune, clearly in a great mood. Before I could even ask, she dragged me out of bed and spilled the whole story. Ethan had tracked Caleb down and fought him. To be accurate, they beat the living hell out of each other. Both took some hits; neither had a clear advantage. Becca grabbed my hands, her eyes shining. "Chloe, you have no idea. Ethan demanded to know how he dared to two-time you, and the way he threw that first punch? Absolute cinematic perfection!" I felt my heart skip a beat. My fingers gripped the edge of my shirt, but I kept my face totally neutral. "What about... Caleb?" At the mention of Caleb, Becca went quiet. She looked up at me, hesitating. "He fought back. And..." "He told Ethan he knew Ethan had been eyeing you for a long time." 5 I sat there in stunned silence for a long time before letting out a scoff. "That's impossible. Ethan and I barely even talk." Becca obviously didn't buy it. "If you barely talk, why would he throw down with Caleb for you?" "He's just a decent guy standing up for someone." I gave a faint smile. "It wouldn't be the first time he helped someone out." Becca pursed her lips but didn't argue. Ethan really was like the perfect golden boy straight out of a movie—smart, decent, kind. The school had even given him an award once for stepping in to stop a mugging. Honestly, I wanted to text Ethan and say thank you. We’d been connected on social media for over a year, but we rarely spoke. We just occasionally "liked" each other's posts. I stared at his contact for a long time, totally unsure of what to say. Eventually, I gave up and locked my phone. ... That afternoon. Out of habit, I headed to the dining hall alone for dinner, never expecting to run into— Caleb. And his ex-girlfriend. I have a quiet personality, and when I walk, I usually keep my eyes down or look straight ahead. I rarely look around. So, it wasn't until I had gotten my food and sat down in my usual corner that I noticed Caleb and a girl sitting diagonally across from me. From my angle, I had a clear view of her side profile. It was the exact same girl from his Instagram photo. They were eating. I don't know if he was trying to cater to her tastes, but Caleb had ordered a massive bowl of insanely spicy ramen—something he never ate. The broth was bright red. Even though he was sweating bullets, he kept looking up at her with a smile. The truth is, Caleb couldn't handle spice. He had bad acid reflux. Eating spicy food always tore his stomach up. I stared blankly, my fingers subconsciously tapping the edge of my tray. And then... Caleb suddenly looked my way. Caught completely off guard, our eyes met. Honestly, I was a little nervous and instinctively wanted to look away out of guilt. But surprisingly, he beat me to it. Our eyes only locked for a fraction of a second before he casually turned his head away and placed a piece of meat into his girlfriend's bowl. I sat frozen for a few seconds, then let out a quiet laugh. I guess it's true what they say: the person who gets left behind has the hardest time moving on. He was the one who cheated. Why was I the one feeling guilty and nervous? I was just about to look away when the girl suddenly stood up, looking like she was going to buy a drink. And because of that, I finally saw her face clearly. In that instant, my mind went completely blank, leaving only one phrase echoing in my head: The understudy. Yes. Just like one of those cliché TV tropes. The guy can't get over his ultimate "white moonlight"—his unattainable first love—so he finds a girl who looks just like her to keep by his side. And I... looked about eighty percent identical to his first love. 6 In that moment, everything finally made sense. That bullshit about her waist being thinner than mine? All a lie. The truth was, he never needed a reason to break up with me, because the only reason he ever dated me in the first place was that my face looked like his first love's. How pathetic. I forced myself to look down and eat, mechanically shoving food into my mouth. But even my favorite pot roast tasted like ash. The food felt heavy in my throat today. I patted my chest, debating whether I should go buy a bottle of water, when a bottle suddenly appeared in my line of sight. Aquafina. I looked up and saw a smiling face. "Are you sitting alone? Mind if I join you?" It was Ethan. I smiled and waved my hand to say I didn't mind, but the food was stuck in my throat, making me choke. Ethan was always observant. Without missing a beat, he unscrewed the cap and handed the water to me. I didn't hesitate. I grabbed it and took two massive gulps. The food went down, but then I choked on the water. As I buried my head and coughed violently, Ethan gently patted my back. "Take it easy." His voice was so gentle. I coughed for a solid minute before finally catching my breath. I took the napkin Ethan handed me, wiped my mouth, and looked up—only to accidentally make eye contact with Caleb. He was staring right at me. His eyes were dark and unreadable. 7 I'll be honest—in that split second, my imagination ran wild. Like the most classic cliché: the scumbag ex sees his former girlfriend with a new, better guy, gets consumed by jealousy, and suddenly realizes the error of his ways. But reality proved that stuff only happens in fiction. After that accidental eye contact, Caleb quickly looked away. We weren't sitting that far apart. I could almost see the cold indifference in his eyes. I looked away too, almost wanting to laugh at myself. What kind of teen romance movie did I think I was living in? Snapping back to reality, I looked at Ethan and smiled. "Thank you." "No problem." He set the water and the fresh pack of napkins in front of me, then sat down in the seat across the table. "Do you prefer eating alone?" After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked. I blinked. "Not really, just... maybe it's my personality, but I'm used to it. My roommate hates the dining hall food, so she rarely comes here." Ethan nodded. While we were talking, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Caleb and his girlfriend had finished eating and stood up to leave. They were leaning in close to each other, looking incredibly intimate as they walked out. I didn't look up. I just took another bite of my food. 8 They say time heals everything. In the blink of an eye, Caleb and I had been broken up for a month. One month. Thirty days. Over seven hundred hours. Over forty thousand minutes. Without Caleb around, my life didn't really seem to change much. It really is true: the world keeps spinning no matter who leaves your life. For that whole month, I felt mostly numb. I didn't experience any soul-crushing heartbreak, nor did I toss and turn in the middle of the night. But... My heart always felt a little hollow, like something was missing. The campus wasn't that big, but Caleb and I rarely ran into each other anymore. The few times we did cross paths, I usually saw him holding hands with his girlfriend, taking a walk. They looked really in love. I heard through the grapevine that his new girlfriend was his first love from five years ago. She had just moved back from studying abroad, came from a wealthy family, had nothing but free time, and was constantly on campus looking for him. However, I did start running into Ethan a lot. Ethan was an incredibly gentle guy. Clean-cut features, a warm smile. Being around him felt like a soft spring breeze. We became good friends. Every night, we'd text back and forth for a bit. Becca seemed extremely approving of Ethan. In private, she was constantly trying to set us up. I politely shut her down every time. Ethan was great, but... I just wasn't ready to start a new relationship yet. 9 Memorial Day weekend was coming up, and I wanted to take a short trip to clear my head. I mentioned it casually, and Becca got super excited. She insisted our whole dorm and Ethan should go together. Ethan agreed. I couldn't really argue with it. I figured with a big group, it would be fine, so I said yes. Becca took charge of booking the bus tickets. But on the morning we were supposed to leave, I woke up to an empty dorm. I called Becca, and she cheerfully said, "We headed to the bus station early! You and Ethan can come together. Be good, bye!" Then she hung up. I knew she was trying to play matchmaker. I originally planned to just take an Uber to the station by myself, but leaving Ethan behind felt rude, so I gave him a call. However. When we both arrived at the station and went to the platform, we realized— We’d been played. Becca and the others never showed up. From the very beginning, she had only booked two tickets. Mine and Ethan's. Standing in the waiting area, Ethan and I looked at each other, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. This aggressive matchmaking was going to be the death of me. With no other option, Ethan and I had to bite the bullet and embark on our three-day, two-person getaway. The main reason I wanted to take this trip was to see the ocean. I grew up landlocked and had never seen the sea. During my relationship, we never made it out there. Now that I was single, I had to see it at least once. On the ride over, Ethan booked a two-bedroom Airbnb. I tried to Venmo him my half, but he declined it. Seeing my confusion, he smiled. "We're on vacation, no need to keep a strict ledger. Just buy me dinner when we get there." I thought about it. The trip was three days long; I had plenty of time to even the score. After leaving the station, we took an Uber to the Airbnb. Because I hadn't done enough research, we only realized upon arriving that while the place was beautiful, it was in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, the scenery was stunning, the interior was modern, and it was spotless. It was just a hassle to get around. We dropped our bags in our respective rooms, rested for a bit, and headed out. We hit up two small tourist spots and eventually made our way to a famous local boardwalk night market. I have to say, the mini crab cakes there were out of this world.

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