Chapter 2

The next day, I started packing. I moved around our shared apartment with a mechanical purpose, folding clothes and putting books into boxes. Chloe followed me from room to room, her face a mixture of confusion and hurt.

I finished my workout at the campus gym, the burn in my muscles a welcome distraction. When I got back, she was sitting on the couch, waiting.

"Ethan, can we please talk about this?" she asked as I walked past her.

She reached out to grab my arm, her touch soft and familiar. I flinched away like I'd been burned.

"Don't," I said, my voice low and steady.

She pulled her hand back, surprise widening her eyes. "Ethan..."

"I'm tired, Chloe. I'm going to sleep."

She just sat there, watching me with those big, beautiful eyes that I now knew were completely empty. She didn't press the issue. She was good at playing the part of the compliant, gentle girlfriend when it suited her.

I went into the bedroom and closed the door. I lay on the bed, fully clothed, and stared at the ceiling. For the first time in two years, I fell asleep without her next to me. I didn't dream. It was a deep, black, empty sleep.

The sound of clattering woke me up. It was still dark outside. I walked into the living room and saw Chloe standing by the window. She was holding the piggy bank. The one from the picture.

She must have brought it back from her dorm.

"I was just... tidying up," she said, her voice uncertain. She ran a finger over the painted snout of the pig. "It's almost full."

"It's just junk," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. I walked over, took it from her hands, and dropped it into a trash bag filled with old papers and coffee grounds.

The sound it made was a dull thud.

"Ethan, what are you doing?" she cried out, her voice sharp with disbelief. "You've been saving that for..."

"For nothing," I interrupted. "It's trash."

My phone rang, saving me from having to explain further. It was Liam.

"Hey, man! Are you and Chloe still fighting?" he asked, his voice cheerful and oblivious.

I looked at Chloe, who was staring at the trash bag as if I'd thrown a live animal in there. A bitter taste filled my mouth.

"Liam," I started, trying to keep my voice even.

"Look, whatever it is, just make up," he continued, completely missing the tension. "You two are perfect for each other. You can't just throw away two years over some stupid argument. And hey, my dad is throwing a party at the lake house this weekend. You guys have to come. It'll be a good way to patch things up."

I let out a short, harsh laugh that sounded more like a cough. "Perfect for each other."

"Yeah, man. You guys are solid. So, are you coming?"

Chloe's head snapped up. Her eyes were fixed on me, wide with a desperate hope. She was thinking about Liam. She wanted to go to that party.

"Let me think about it," I said, my voice cold.

"Alright, but don't take too long. Let me know," he said before hanging up.

I put the phone down and looked at Chloe. Her expression was a carefully constructed mask of concern, but I could see the eagerness underneath. The desperate need to be near Liam.

A question formed in my mind, a cruel, testing question.

"Chloe," I began, my voice quiet. "If Liam and I were both in trouble, and you could only help one of us..."

She cut me off immediately, a bright, practiced smile on her face. "Don't be silly, Ethan. Of course, I would choose you. Always you."