Chapter 1 Worst break-up

KAIDA'S POV

Liam smells like bergamot and lavender. Always. His signature scent.

I could perceive it from a mile away as I stepped into the restaurant, my hands holding until my bag's strap.

A smile stretched on my lips upon seeing him.

His broad back was unmistakable, a giveaway that he was the one I was looking for. After all, years of hockey had sculpted his athletic build.

Just a few steps away, I paused, then crept up behind him on tiptoes, intending on a surprise. But before I could lean in and whisper in his ear, he froze and turned around, his senses apparently alerted to my presence.

Maybe my scent gave me away, just like his had given him away to me earlier when I walked into the restaurant.

"You're here," he smiled softly. Not his usual wide smile, but a forced one, which made my brows arched.

Was he having a bad day?

"Yes." I replied, returning his smile as I sat across him, the table separating us.

Liam wasn't his usual self, so I finally asked that had been lingering on my lips. "Is everything okay?"

He forced another smile. Again. "Yes, I'm good. Just stressed from practice."

He wasn't exactly telling the truth, I could tell, but I didn't probe deeper into the matter, instead, I chose to relax and enjoy the arts on display, while waiting for the waitress to come attend to us.

"Is this some kind of secret date?" I joked, trying to ease the sudden tension that overwhelmed the atmosphere.

My boyfriend was much too quiet. It wasn't normal, but I couldn't ask. It was as if my tongue were tied against the wall of my mouth.

"No, it's not." Liam replied blankly and straightened up as soon as the waitress got to our table.

"What would you like to have?" I asked him, my eyes on the menu, contemplating on what dish to pick.

All the dishes on the menu looked enticing and probably delicious, but I had to settle for one, which I did. Beef on weck. A popular dish among citizens of Rochester.

"I'm good," Liam replied, and I nodded slowly.

Once the waitress left to get my order ready, I straightened up, meeting Liam's gaze at eye level, but he avoided my eyes.

Last I remembered, Liam hadn't done anything wrong lately that could make him avoid my gaze, which made his behavior all the more confusing.

"Did you do something wrong?" I asked because from my observation since my arrival, it seemed something was wrong, or he had a lot to say to me.

When I saw his text last night, inviting me to a well-known restaurant downtown, I thought it was a date, since we've not had one in a long time.

Liam has always been busy with practices, games with different teams, and we rarely have time for dates anymore, so when he invited me to one last night, I was so excited.

I even wore my favorite summer gown and Ember, my roommate, dolled me up.

"No." He cleared his throat and straightened up once more, as if finding courage to speak up after much contemplation.

"I have something to say, Kaida." He stated, pausing for a second before continuing. "And I hope you don't hate me for this."

I swallowed hard, eyes on him, as I waited for him to continue.

"Why would I hate you, Liam?" I asked, a small smile stretched on my lips. "You're my boyfriend, after all."

I watched as he took in a deep, slow and torturous breath before saying three words that I never knew could shatter my world. "Let's break up."

Everything around me stopped and my head spun.

The laughing couples sitting at the next table, the slow music playing in the background and the waitress taking orders.

Every sound stopped, and it felt like Liam and I were the only one left in the restaurant and probably the whole world.

"I don't understand..." my brows arched, and a painful lump pushed past my throat.

"Let's break up, Kaida. I'm tired of this relationship."

As those words left his lips, they seemed to push past my chest, piercing my heart and leaving it bleeding.

I couldn't come up with a plausible reason why he was breaking up with me. Last I remembered, we didn't have a fight and neither did I say something wrong.

So why?

My lips parted, but no words came out.

"Did.... Did I do something wrong?" I whispered, my voice trembling with emotions.

Emotions which were almost impossible to keep at bay.

He replied, head wagging negatively. "No, you didn't. It was all my decision."

"But why......" my voice trailed off, tears welling up in my eyes.

As if the universe were against me, the waitress returned and placed my order on the table and as if sensing the tension, she bolted.

"I'm sorry, Kaida," Liam rose to his feet and placed a $100 bill on the table. "I thought forever was a deal, I was wrong."

With that, he walked away, his cologne wafting past my nose.

I also thought forever was the deal, but he broke the deal midway.

By the time he was gone, the tears I did well in holding back broke out, drawing attention from strangers in the restaurant.

I placed my head against the table and cried my eyes out.

Liam was my first and only boyfriend, but now, I don't have a boyfriend anymore, and he didn't even make mention of the reason we had to break up.

A few minutes later, I grabbed my bag and headed towards the entrance door, ready to leave, but nothing could have prepared me for whom I saw next.

Maverick Jensen. Ember's older brother. The captain of the Phoenix Hockey team at McCall College.

Our eyes met and he halted.

He stared at me blankly while I tried to avoid his gaze, but my puffy eyes gave away the fact that I cried.

"Did you cry?" His jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened as he asked.

I might be wrong, but I swear, something like anger flickered in his eyes for a millisecond.

"Hi... no, I didn't." I smiled awkwardly, looking away, while holding my bag strap for dear life.

"Did you cry, Kai?" He probed further, this time, his voice edgier and deep, sending shivers down my spine.

I would rather let the earth swallow me than let Maverick know I just got my heart broken, hence the tears. Instead, I gave him a witty reply, like a brat that I was.

"Nah.... I'm saving my tears for when I'm alone with Netflix."