Half a year ago, I met Chandler for the first time at a bar.

At the time, he had just graduated from college. I, on the other hand, was dragged there as a distraction for my friend who had just gone through a breakup.

In the corner of the bar, I saw Chandler.

He was curled up in the corner, his face flushed strangely, his eyes unfocused. It seemed he was out of it.

I thought he looked handsome, so I walked over and teased him, "Hey, boy, can I get your contact info? I'll help you find your friends."

Calling me a flirt wouldn't be too far off.

I wasn't exactly the innocent type either.

But he was extremely resistant.

"Get lost!"

After being rejected, I didn't push my luck.

Still, as I was leaving, I couldn't help but glance back at him.

I vaguely saw tears sliding down the corner of his eye.

I thought that would be the end of it.

But fate had other plans.

By the time I left the bar, it was past four in the morning. The sky was a dull gray, with a hint that daylight might soon break.

It reminded me of how miserable this world and life could be.

My friend was completely drunk. I was about to take her home, but she insisted she was fine and wanted to go alone. I had no choice but to put her in a cab and give the driver a few instructions before letting her go.

The road was beginning to fill with cars, and my dizziness made my head heavy, and my steps unsteady. I didn't see the car speeding toward me.

"Watch out!"

A somewhat familiar voice rang in my ear, and the next second, I fell into an embrace.

The gust of exhaust from the speeding car blew through my hair, scattering any trace of my drunkenness.

I quickly turned my head and met a pair of charming eyes.

At that moment, I didn't know his name was Chandler.

Nor did I know that the gears of fate were pushing us toward the next chapter of our lives.

When I woke up, Jayvon was still sound asleep.

I gently moved his arm from my waist and got out of bed to wash up.

Chandler must have used every bit of strength he had last night when he held me. My wrist still bore two red marks from where he had gripped me, and they hadn't faded overnight.

I couldn't let him affect my life.

We were over. There was no future for us.

When I got to the office, my colleague told me that we had a new intern today.

"He's so handsome! I've never seen such a good-looking guy in my life!"

I laughed and teased, "You say that about every good-looking guy you see."

"This time it's different!"

She leaned in close to my ear, whispering mysteriously, "Rumor has it, this intern is the boss's nephew, and he's here to experience the life of ordinary people."

"Then welcome. It's not like he has to worry about food or money."

We chatted casually until a shadow loomed over my desk, and I finally looked up.

Chandler stood there in a trench coat, looking a little uneasy.

Next to him was my department supervisor.

In an instant, everything clicked.

The supervisor flashed a smile, "Gisselle, this is our new intern. You've been here for years, so make sure to show him the ropes."

I forced a smile. "Sure, I'll take care of it."

Internally, I was rolling my eyes.

"For years?" I had only been working for two years.

Chandler's approach seemed incredibly low-level.

Once the supervisor left, I didn't even glance at Chandler, focusing on my work. He stood there for a full ten minutes before I finally turned around. "Your desk is in the other office. Stop standing there like an idiot."

"I… I want to be in the same office as you. Is that okay?"

Sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder if he had a split personality.

Yesterday at the arcade, he acted just like one of those dominant CEOs straight out of a novel. Last night, he turned into a pitiful little puppy begging for sympathy. And now, he was back to playing the polite, clueless college student, asking me for permission.

"No."

I walked up to him, locking eyes.

I always liked Chandler's eyes.

From the beginning, they were what had bewitched me.

"Chandler, I don't care what your motive is, and I don't care why, when we were together, you never talked about your family. The fact is, we broke up. Did you get that? Break up means we're done. There's no need to keep dragging this out and disgusting each other. Understand?"

I bumped his shoulder as I passed him, causing him to stagger.

He didn't argue back for once, only muttering hoarsely, "I understand."

For the rest of the day, he didn't come looking for me.

Just as I thought this whole ordeal was over and that I'd finally rid myself of him, Jayvon sent me a message.

[I've got something tonight. Won't be coming home.]

I replied, [Alright. Stay safe out there.]

I added a sticker at the end for good measure.

Though Jayvon hadn't told me what he was doing, I picked up on a few clues from my social media feed.

Jayvon's ex-girlfriend was my college classmate.

Her latest post said.

[Thank goodness for you.]

A picture of a pair of sneakers on a shoe rack was attached.

Those sneakers were a birthday gift from me for Jayvon.

I immediately lost interest. I just casually liked the post and then stared out at the rainy weather with a frown.

I hadn't brought an umbrella, and with the evening rush hour, getting food delivery or a cab would take too long.

I debated whether to just walk home in the rain.

Behind me, Chandler's voice sounded, "Going to leave?"

He held two umbrellas in his hands.

I took a step back, creating some distance silently.

"No need, my boyfriend is coming to pick me up soon."

I told the simplest, yet most truthful lie.

"Then I'll wait with you until he gets here, and leave after."

Chandler was...

He was completely insane.

I felt like I was punching the air, leaving me speechless for a moment.

"Fine, then just wait."

Based on what I knew about him, he wouldn't last more than twenty minutes before losing his patience.

But I underestimated him.

From seven o'clock to nine-thirty, the downpour never let up, and Chandler stood next to me the whole time, saying nothing, gripping the umbrella, stubbornly waiting with me.

Finally, I couldn't hold back anymore.

"Chandler, you really are crazy! Fine, I'll tell you, my boyfriend's not coming tonight, but I'm not going with you either. I don't want to stay with you. Do you understand? I'd rather walk home in the rain and get a raging fever than walk side by side with you. That would make me sick!"

I shouted.

The next second, I rushed out into the rain.

If this went on any longer, I'd be spending the night on the streets.

The torrential rain instantly blurred my vision, water pooling at my ankles. I stumbled forward, slipped, and fell to my knees.

The sound of footsteps in the water grew closer, and the downpour over my head suddenly stopped.

I collapsed into a warm chest.

"Are you alright? Can you still walk? Let me take you home."

Chandler's concerned tone didn't seem fake. He held the umbrella in one hand and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into his embrace.

I struggled to free myself, but the pain in my knee forced me to give in.

It seemed I wouldn't be able to walk.

Perhaps seeing my embarrassment, Chandler hesitantly offered, "Should I… carry you?"

His tentative manner made me think of the time he confessed.

His ears had turned red as he stammered, "C-can we be together?"

It had only been half a year, yet it felt like everything had changed.

This time, I didn't put up a front.

"Alright, then.

"Sorry to trouble you."

Once we got inside my home, Chandler began looking around.

"Stop looking."

I kicked off my heels, tossing them aside carelessly.

"I threw away all your stuff."

His footsteps halted abruptly.

I stumbled toward the couch, struggling to reach the first-aid kit in the drawer of the table.

Chandler was faster. He grabbed me by the waist and set me down on the couch, turning his back to me as he muttered, "I'll put the medicine on for you."

When we were together, he'd done this plenty of times.

I was careless and often ended up with scrapes and bruises without even noticing. Chandler never complained, always patiently disinfecting and applying medicine.

He never said much while he did it, but the furrowed brow and tense expression on his face showed how much he worried about me.

The rain outside hadn't let up.

Halfway through applying the medicine, Jayvon suddenly called.

Chandler caught a glimpse of the name of the caller, and his expression darkened. He freed one hand to pick up my phone from the table.

"You want to answer it?"

My gut told me that nothing good would come from this call.

Chandler feigned ignorance. "You can answer it. Just ignore me."

I shot him a glare and answered the phone.

"Gisselle, I have something to do today. Please don't be mad. In a few days, I'll take you to that new restaurant in the east town to try some food. I heard they need to make reservations in advance, and I've already made one. Also…"

No matter how hard he tried to hide it, I could still hear it.

I could sense his labored breathing and the soft sobbing of a girl.

The excuses and games that adults played were mutually understood but unspoken. I'd seen it too many times. Sometimes overthinking it became a burden. Instead of dwelling on it, I thought it was easier to pretend not to know.

So, I responded as usual, "Alright, I need to talk to you about something when you come back tomorrow."

Before Jayvon could reply, I hung up immediately.

Chandler overheard and pieced it together. He silently tidied up the first-aid kit, putting it back in the drawer as if it were second nature, cleaning up the trash, and sitting down next to me quietly.

I held onto the couch to stand up and slowly walked to the bedroom. Then I found a large woven bag and threw all of Jayvon's belongings into it.

Chandler understood what I meant. As I tossed out the last of Jayvon's items, his voice held a hint of surprise. "Are you breaking up with him?"

"What else? Should I keep him around like spoiled leftovers?"

It seemed like he got the answer he was hoping for. Even though I snapped at him, Chandler didn't seem to mind. He took the large bag from me and tossed it outside.

Perhaps the breakup gave Chandler a strange sense of encouragement, or maybe he still believed that he was somehow special to me.

After I finished organizing everything, he took advantage of a moment when I wasn't paying attention and suddenly hugged me from behind.

His warmth spread through my body in an instant. I was frozen for a second. Then I snapped out of it and asked coldly, "Chandler, what do you think you're doing?"

"Let's get back together, please?"

He buried his soft hair into the nape of my neck like a puppy.

"I never go back on my decisions. When we broke up, I thought I made myself clear."

"I just need one chance. Please give me a chance to pursue you, okay?"

When his soft approach failed, Chandler changed tactics, his arms tightening around me.

As long as I didn't agree, he wouldn't let go.

Just then, someone called him.

Coincidentally, his phone was right in front of me.

Just like earlier when he saw Jayvon's call, I saw his.

His phone wallpaper was a picture of a girl.

She looked about seventy percent like me.

"Chandler."

I didn't want to keep dragging this out.

"If Anaya knew what you're doing, wouldn't she come back to life from sheer anger?"

In an instant, the façade of calm he had been maintaining collapsed.