Chapter 2

Colten's text vibrated my phone: 'Where are you? Campus cafe?'

I typed back, 'Just finished my class. Heading to meet Kelsey at the student center.' My fingers hovered over the send button. I still felt a knot in my stomach from this morning.

A moment later, he was there. Not at the cafe, but walking across the quad, his eyes scanning the crowd. When he spotted me, a faint smile touched his lips, and he waved. He walked right up, bypassed my outstretched hand, and took my wrist, his grip firm.

"I thought we could go to that little art gallery downtown," he suggested, his voice surprisingly soft. "You always said you wanted to see the new exhibit."

I blinked. An art gallery? Colten? He usually considered anything outside his research "frivolous." He' s trying to make it up to you, Ila. See how sweet he is? The Comments were already applauding.

But a tiny, defiant part of me remembered the last time I'd suggested the gallery. He'd been too busy, too absorbed in his work, leaving me to wander the unfamiliar streets alone, feeling lost and out of place.

I tried to pull my hand free, a small gesture of resistance. "Oh, I don't know, Colten. I really told Kelsey I'd meet her."

His smile faltered, a flicker of irritation in his eyes. He tightened his grip, his thumb pressing into my pulse point. "It's fine, you can just text her. This is important." He started to lead me, his pace brisk.

The sunlight was warm on my skin, but his hand felt like an icy clamp. I hated this feeling, this sense of being dragged along. The warmth of his skin against mine, usually a comfort, now felt like a cage.

"I'm sorry, Ila," he said, suddenly stopping. His voice was earnest, his eyes holding mine. "About this morning. And about being so busy lately. It's just... the Ph.D. is demanding, you know? But I promise, I'll make more time for us. I'll even keep my distance from Addisyn if that' s what you need. She' s just a colleague. You' re my girlfriend."

His words sounded so sincere, so convincing. He means it this time! He really cares! The Comments shouted with glee. But a chilling whisper from a deeper part of me recalled all the other times he'd made these promises, each one breaking a little more than the last. He'd always said he'd "make more time," only for me to find him having lunch with Addisyn, or working late in the lab with her, ignoring my calls.

My eyes darted around, searching. There, by the fountain, was Kelsey, waving her brightly colored scarf. I gave her a small, urgent nod.

"I can't, Colten," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I really promised Kelsey. We have plans. You know how she gets."

He looked surprised again, then his grip on my hand intensified, his knuckles white. "Ila, don't be ridiculous. Just tell her something came up."

"No!" I yanked my hand free, rubbing my wrist. "I'm going with Kelsey." I turned and practically ran towards my friend, leaving him standing there, alone, in the middle of the quad.

As I hurried to Kelsey, I thought about that art gallery. I'd gone alone that day, just like he'd planned. I'd ended up crying in the bathroom, staring at my reflection in the cheap mirror. The art had blurred through my tears, a jumble of colors and shapes. It had been one of the loneliest afternoons of my life, a stark reminder that even when I did things I enjoyed, the emptiness of his absence still followed me. The memory was a cold, hard stone in my chest.