I stood there staring at the tickets.

"You paid for these with your scholarship money?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You promised me you'd take me."

"I did, but you're the one who always said a concert's something you can catch anytime, right?"

Right. Anytime.

Back then, just to keep the pressure off him, I'd buried even the things I liked.

Wave after wave of exhaustion rolled over me.

In his world, everything I gave was simply owed to him.

It was Summer who had to be actively looked after.

He even thought he was being fair.

"Bonnie, what is going on with you lately?"

He shot me a look.

"I bought you a cake, I bought you bubble tea, what else do you want me to do? Just tell me, one sentence, and I'll fix it. Isn't that enough?"

I lifted my head and looked at him.

Every single time he said fine, I'll fix it, and then nothing ever changed.

"Justin."

"Hm?"

"Let's break up."

I shoved the last shirt into the suitcase and zipped it shut.

Justin froze.

"What did you say?"

"I said let's break up."

"Bonnie, over some petty little thing like this?"

His voice climbed.

"Are you serious? I explained all of it to you, didn't I? And I apologized too. What more do you want?"

I looked at his flushed face, worn down to the bone inside.

"Yes. Exactly because of all of this."

"You—you're being completely unreasonable!" Justin's fist clenched tight. He stared at me for a long moment, then slowly let it go.

"Don't try to provoke me with this."

He grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.

"I've got a dinner tonight, I won't be back. You take some time to cool off."

"And then apologize to me."

That night, a light rain started up outside again.

I looked at the flash drive on the desk.

It was the document his advisor needed tomorrow.

He'd left in such a hurry earlier that he'd forgotten it here.

Once their dinner was over tonight, the advisor was setting off.

I closed my hand around the flash drive.

In the end I took an umbrella and went out anyway.

I reached the place where they were having dinner.

The private room door was open a crack, and laughter drifted out.

"Justin, man, I really do envy you. Look at how well your girlfriend takes care of you."

One of the older students was teasing him.

I stopped where I was and looked through the gap in the door.

At the round table, Summer sat on Justin's right, head down, peeling shrimp, dropping each one onto his plate as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Justin paused, then waved it off with a laugh.

"Don't say things like that. She's just my oldest friend. She's hopeless, I have to look out for her."

Summer pinched a shrimp between her fingers and pushed it straight into Justin's mouth.

"Quit talking nonsense."

Another senior student took a sip of his drink.

"Oldest friend, huh? Then the two of you are awfully in sync."

"Come on, oldest friend, have a couple drinks with me."

Justin had a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"No way. She's a lightweight, one glass and she's down. I'll drink for her."

"Oh, so protective?"

"She's been like this since we were kids. She'd take a tumble and cry for half a day. How could I not keep an eye on her?"

Summer pushed another shrimp at him.

"Even eating this won't keep your mouth shut?"

The room broke into laughter.

I pushed the door open.

The laughter cut off all at once, and every gaze landed on me.

Justin went still for a second.

I walked over to him and set the flash drive on the table.

"You left this behind."

"Thanks, I almost forgot."

He patted the back of my hand, then turned to face the other students.

"This is my girlfriend, Bonnie."

The senior student stalled for a beat, then let out a couple of dry laughs.

"Ah... so good to see you, so good to see you. Sit, sit down."

"That's all right. I have somewhere to be."

Summer stood up.

"Bonnie, take my seat."

Justin glanced at the chair and lowered his voice.

"That spot's for the faculty advisor. Don't go switching things around."

Then he turned and gave me a smile.

"Bonnie, you sit here for now."

Summer sat back down in her place.

"I really do have to go. Enjoy your dinner."

I turned and walked out of the private room.

The hallway was quiet.

I hadn't gone far when I heard quick footsteps behind me, and Justin grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"Bonnie, are you still upset?"

He kept his voice low, irritation in it.

"The advisor set up this dinner tonight, and Summer's on the project team too. Can't you be a little more sensible? Could you save some face for me in front of people like this?"

I looked at him, calm.

"Justin, I wasn't being difficult, was I?"

"Did I lose my temper, or make a scene?"

"I'm not even allowed to leave when I don't want to be there?"

He froze for a second, and his words came out a little stumbling.

"That's not..."

"Not what? Weren't you in there to keep an eye on Summer? So why did you come out?"

"That was just talk, for show. My friend was joking and I went along with it. Stuff said at the table doesn't mean anything."

"Is that so." I smiled. "Then do you remember sophomore year, when I had acute appendicitis? What did you say to me?"

Justin's face went white.

I said it for him.

"You said, Bonnie, you're not a toddler, I'm really busy today."

His mouth opened.

"That time I was studying for finals... I really was."

"Mm. You were very busy." I cut him off softly and brushed his hand off my arm. "Go back inside. Don't keep your childhood friend waiting."

"Bonnie, it's all just talk. Can't you tell the difference?"

Justin's face darkened.

"When did you get so petty."

I looked at his angry face and said nothing.

I just turned and walked out of the restaurant.

For the next few days, Justin didn't contact me.

Not until Friday.

It was our fourth year together.

Justin called after me.

"Seven o'clock tonight. The riverside restaurant."

He sighed, pinched my cheek, all indulgence.

"I know you've been in a bad mood these past few days. Let me take you somewhere nice."

I paused. It was as good a time as any to say goodbye.

"All right."

Six thirty in the evening.

Justin was already sitting at the table by the window.

I had just sat down when a familiar voice came from the doorway.

"Justin!"

Summer came trotting over in a dress, and her steps stuttered when she saw me.

"Bonnie's here too? Justin, didn't you say it was just dinner and we'd go over my second-round exam materials while we were at it?"

Justin stiffened for an instant.

But he recovered quickly and pulled out a chair.

"You're already here. Just eat with us."

Summer looked at the roses on the table.

"Bad timing on my part. Justin, why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Sit down. It's not some big occasion, just a meal."

In the end, she sat.

When the food came, Justin smoothly ordered several of the dishes Summer liked.

Halfway through the meal he took out a box and set it on the table.

I recognized that box. The Bulgari bracelet.

The one Summer liked too.

He opened it, then pushed it across to me.

"Fourth-anniversary gift."

Summer saw it too, and broke into a smile.

"I just mentioned once in passing that this one was pretty, and Justin remembered. The style goes with everything. Bonnie, you'll look great in it."

Justin's voice carried a note of satisfaction.

"Summer has great taste. Whatever she picks is bound to be perfect. Here, let me put it on you."

He picked up the bracelet and fastened it around my wrist.

It was a little loose, and the clasp slid down to the back of my hand.

"A bit big?"

He frowned slightly.

"We can just get it adjusted later."

Summer lowered her eyes.

"Just an adjustment, it's no big deal."

Justin studied Summer's wrist for a moment.

"It's fine, we'll have the store resize the clasp later. Bonnie, do you like it?"

I looked at the loose chain on my wrist.

He hadn't done it on purpose.

It was just that when he picked out the gift,

what came to mind was Summer's taste.

Summer's size.

Summer's style.

And then he wrapped it all up as a surprise for me.

He probably even thought he'd put thought into it.

"It's lovely."

I slipped the bracelet off and set it back in the box.

Justin nodded, then turned to pour Summer a glass of water.

He cut off a piece of steak and set it at the edge of her plate.

"Why aren't you eating? You ordered it, so eat up."

I watched the side of his face as he bent his head, focused on cutting Summer's steak.

Sophomore year, when my tonsils were inflamed, he'd cut my food into small pieces just like that.

He was still just as attentive. Only the person had changed.

"Justin."

I looked at him.

He turned his head and cleared his throat.

"What is it? You don't like the steak here? Want to order something else?"

"I'm going to the restroom."

I stood up and took my coat and bag.

Justin glanced up.

"Go ahead, come back quick, dessert hasn't come yet."

I walked to the front desk.

Inside, Justin was still just as attentive, just as focused.

He didn't even notice my things were gone.

Out in the cold wind, the sting behind my eyes was almost unbearable.

I lifted my hand and took out my phone.

I flagged down a cab, and a few more tears slipped loose.

"To the train station, please."

My voice had gone hoarse.

I'd meant to say goodbye properly. I just couldn't get the words out.

Back in the restaurant, Summer ate in small bites and said softly,

"Justin, Bonnie's been gone a long time. Nothing's happened to her, has it?"

Justin wiped his hands, his tone certain.

"What could happen to her."

Beyond the window, a bullet train bound for Southvale melted into the endless night.